Short communication: Long-term survival of flag eartags on an Israeli dairy farm.

Two-plated self-piercing eartags were first developed in the 19th century, but information on their retention rates is scarce. A method is presented that facilitates estimation of eartag retention rate by using a random sample of cows that initially had 2 tags (1 on each ear) placed for identification and at least 1 of which survived. Striving to adopt the European Union standard for cattle ear tagging, the Israeli veterinary service conducted a field test to evaluate the performance of plastic eartags under the conditions of a typical Israeli dairy farm. The initial sample (n=900 cows) was tagged on a single farm. Retention rates were estimated based on the ratio between the observed numbers of cows with 1 or 2 eartags in the surviving group (n=97 cows). Based on this long-term (>3 yr) field test, the highest yearly retention of flag eartags (0.89±0.03) was lower than expected (0.98). Tag design and on-farm management were key factors affecting tag retention. A better design of the feedline yoke system in the feeding area, avoiding slits that can entangle the eartags, would help increase tag retention.

Apparent idiopathic interface disease in a Boer billy goat.

An apparently idiopathic interface diseasee in a 2-year-old Boer billy goat is described. Clinical features of the disease were the presence of a pruritic multiple focally disseminated dermatitis with flat-topped, angular, scaly plaques and papules with corrugated surfaces in the skin of virtually the entire body. The aetiology of the disorder in the described case is unknown.

An unusual outbreak of malignant catarrhal fever in a beef herd in Israel.

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF. corrizza contagiosa) is an invariably fatal communicable disease in cattle, whose causative agent is the ovine herpes virus-2, or the alcelaphine herpes virus-1. In one feed-lot family farm, 34 calves out of 100 became ill at the rate of one to four calves per week, and all of them subsequently died over a period of 4 months. Most of the initial cases were manifested clinically as the head and eye form, but most of the entire clinical spectrum of forms (the respiratory, intestinal and nervous forms) characteristic for MCF were observed as this epidemic progressed. Very few calves died without showing any specific signs of MCF. Pathological examinations revealed characteristic obliterative arteriovasculitis in the brain of calves with nervous signs, typical of MCF. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing revealed 100% homology between the 238 bp hemi-nested PCR fragment and the ovine herpes virus-2 sequences. Based on the clinical signs, epidemiological data, pathological, and histopathological findings, and the PCR results, it was concluded that MCF occurred on the farm. The fact that sheep and goats were housed in close proximity on the same farm reinforced this diagnosis.

Stroke recurrence in patients with patent foramen ovale: the Lausanne Study. Lausanne Stroke with Paradoxal Embolism Study Group.

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is more common in patients with stroke than in matched controls, but the stroke mechanism and late prognosis are not well known. We studied features, coexisting causes, and recurrences of stroke in 140 consecutive patients (mean age 44 +/- 14 years) with stroke and PFO admitted to a population-based primary-care center. We selected the patients from 340 patients (41%) aged < or = 60 years with acute stroke. The initial event was brain infarction in 118 patients (84%) and TIA in 22 (16%). Intracranial embolic occlusions were present on angiography or transcranial Doppler in most patients admitted within 12 hours of onset, whereas a venous source was clinically apparent in only six patients (5.5%). Pulmonary embolism, Valsalva maneuver at onset, and coagulation abnormalities were rare, but one-fourth of the patients had an interatrial septum aneurysm (ISA) that coexisted with PFO. An alternative cause of stroke was present in only 22 patients (16%), usually cardiac (atrial fibrillation, severe mitral valve prolapse, akinetic left ventricular segment). During a mean follow-up of 3 years, the stroke or death rate was 2.4% per year, but only eight patients had a recurrent infarct (1.9% per year). This low rate of recurrence contrasted with the severity of initial stroke, which left disabling sequelae in one-half the patients. Multivariate analysis showed that interatrial communication, a history of recent migraine, posterior cerebral artery territory infarct, and a coexisting cause of stroke were associated with recurrence, whereas ISA and treatment type (coagulant or antiaggregant therapy, surgical closure of PFO) were not. However, given the low number of events, these findings must be taken with caution. In conclusion, our study shows that stroke associated with PFO with or without ISA is not commonly due to a coexisting cause of stroke. It is usually embolic, although a definite source cannot often be demonstrated. The presenting stroke is often severe, but recurrence is uncommon. The demonstration of factors associated with a higher risk of recurrence in subgroups of patients is critical for the long-term management of these patients.