Detection and characterization of viruses as field and vaccine strains in feedlot cattle with bovine respiratory disease.

This study investigated viruses in bovine respiratory disease (BRD) cases in feedlots, including bovine herpesvirus-1 (BoHV-1), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine coronaviruses (BoCV) and parainfluenza-3 virus (PI3V). Nasal swabs were collected from 114 cattle on initial BRD treatment. Processing included modified live virus (MLV) vaccination. Seven BRD necropsy cases were included for 121 total cases. Mean number of days on feed before first sample was 14.9 days. Swabs and tissue homogenates were tested by gel based PCR (G-PCR), quantitative-PCR (qPCR) and quantitative real time reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) and viral culture. There were 87/114 (76.3%) swabs positive for at least one virus by at least one test. All necropsy cases were positive for at least one virus. Of 121 cases, positives included 18/121 (14.9%) BoHV-1; 19/121 (15.7%) BVDV; 76/121 (62.8%) BoCV; 11/121 (9.1%) BRSV; and 10/121 (8.3%) PI3V. For nasal swabs, G-PCR (5 viruses) detected 44/114 (38.6%); q-PCR and qRT-PCR (4 viruses) detected 81/114 (71.6%); and virus isolation detected 40/114 (35.1%). Most were positive for only one or two tests, but not all three tests. Necropsy cases had positives: 5/7 G-PCR, 5/7 q-PCR and qRT-PCR, and all were positive by cell culture. In some cases, G-PCR and both real time PCR were negative for BoHV-1, BVDV, and PI3V in samples positive by culture. PCR did not differentiate field from vaccines strains of BoHV-1, BVDV, and PI3V. However based on sequencing and analysis, field and vaccine strains of culture positive BoHV-1, BoCV, BVDV, and PI3V, 11/18 (61.1%) of BoHV-1 isolates, 6/17 (35.3%) BVDV isolates, and 1/10 (10.0%) PI3V identified as vaccine. BRSV was only identified by PCR testing. Interpretation of laboratory tests is appropriate as molecular based tests and virus isolation cannot separate field from vaccine strains. Additional testing using sequencing appears appropriate for identifying vaccine strains.

Aortoiliac operations and sexual dysfunction.

Male sexual dysfunction after aortoiliac operations can be a distressing complication. Since previous studies dealing with this problem have not excluded other causes of sexual dysfunction, the true incidence of this complication has been difficult to ascertain. We assessed preoperative and postoperative sexual function in a group of patients with no identifiable organic or functional etiology of sexual dysfunction other than aortoiliac operations or arterial occlusive disease. Seventy-six male patients had no evidence of sexual dysfunction of ambiguous etiology before or after operation. Preoperatively, 33% of patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm and 22% of those with aortoiliac occlusive disease were functionally impotent. Conventional dissection techniques rendered an additional 30% of each group functionally impotent. Postoperative impotence was twice as common in those with minor dysfunction preoperatively.

Diagnosis of digestive deaths.

Diagnosis of deaths due to digestive disorders can be a difficult task. It is helpful if the carcass can be viewed for condition, position, and location before being moved from the pen in which it was found. A complete necropsy is absolutely necessary even though postmortem decomposition may be advanced. All thoracic and abdominal organs must be examined for gross lesions. If one believes that the central nervous system was involved, the brain should be removed and examined. Checking the ruminal pH is important. If indicated, samples should be obtained and submitted to a diagnostic laboratory. Salient lesions include congestion of the anterior portion of the carcass, especially the cervical muscles and tissues adjacent to the esophagus and trachea, paleness of the posterior portion of the carcass, edema between the muscle groups of the hindquarters, scrotal, or mammary area, and a lack of other gross lesions. Many cases have congestion and(or) edema in the submucosa of the dorsal portion of the trachea extending from the thoracic inlet cranially. One must list the cause of death as unknown or undetermined when it is not apparent.

Involvement of microbial respiratory pathogens in acute interstitial pneumonia in feedlot cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens and Mycoplasma spp isolated from lung tissues of cattle with acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) and cattle that had died as a result of other causes. SAMPLE POPULATION: 186 samples of lung tissues collected from cattle housed in 14 feedlots in the western United States. PROCEDURE: Lung tissues were collected during routine postmortem examination and submitted for histologic, microbiologic, and toxicologic examinations. Histologic diagnoses were categorized for AIP, bronchopneumonia (BP), control samples (no evidence of disease), and other disorders. RESULTS: Cattle affected with AIP had been in feedlots for a mean of 1272 days before death, which was longer than cattle with BP and control cattle. Detection of a viral respiratory pathogen (eg, bovine respiratory syncytial virus [BRSV], bovine viral diarrhea virus, bovine herpesvirus 1, or parainfluenza virus 3) was not associated with histologic category of lung tissues. Bovine respiratory syncytial virus was detected in 8.3% of AIP samples and 24.0% of control samples. Histologic category was associated with isolation of an aerobic bacterial agent and Mycoplasma spp. Cattle with BP were at greatest risk for isolation of an aerobic bacterial agent and Mycoplasma spp. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Analysis of these results suggests that AIP in feedlot cattle is not a consequence of infection with BRSV. The increased, risk of isolation of an aerobic bacterial agent from cattle with AIP, compared with control cattle, may indicate a causal role or an opportunistic infection that follows development of AIP.

Association of 3-methyleneindolenine, a toxic metabolite of 3-methylindole, with acute interstitial pneumonia in feedlot cattle.

OBJECTIVE: To compare concentrations of 3-methyleneindolenine (3MEIN) in lung tissues obtained from feedlot cattle that died as a result of acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) and cattle that died as a result of other causes and to compare blood concentrations of 3MEIN in healthy feedlot cattle and feedlot cattle with AIP. STUDY POPULATION: Blood samples and lung tissues collected from 186 cattle housed in 14 feedlots in the western United States. PROCEDURE: Samples of lung tissues were collected during routine postmortem examination and submitted for histologic, microbiologic, and toxicologic examination. Blood samples were collected from cattle with clinical manifestations of AIP and healthy penmates. Histologic diagnoses were categorized as AIP, bronchopneumonia (BP), control samples, and other disorders. Concentrations of 3MEIN were determined in lung tissues and blood samples, using an ELISA. RESULTS: Concentrations of 3MEIN in lung tissues were significantly greater in AIP and BP samples, compared with control samples. Absorbance per microgram of protein did not differ between BP and AIP samples. Blood concentrations of 3MEIN were significantly greater in cattle with AIP, compared with healthy cattle or cattle with BP. Odds of an animal with AIP being a heifer was 3.1 times greater than the odds of that animal being a steer. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Increased pulmonary production of 3MEIN may be an important etiologic factor in feedlot-associated AIP.

High-performance liquid-chromatographic simultaneous determination of commonly used tricyclic antidepressants.

We report a method for simultaneous measurement of five commonly used tricyclic antidepressant drugs (doxepin, desipramine, nortriptyline, imipramine, and amitriptyline) in serum by paired-ion high-performance liquid chromatography, with use of a reversed-phase column and ultraviolet detection at 254 nm. The drugs are extracted from 2 ml of serum at pH 14 into hexane/isoamyl alcohol (99/1 by vol) and re-extracted into 200 microliter of 0.1 mol/liter HCI. An aliquot of the aqueous acid phase is chromatographed with use of a methanol/acetonitrile/water (41/15/44) solvent system, containing 5 mmol of pentanesulfonic acid per liter of phosphate buffer (0.1 mol/liter, pH 6.5), at a flow rate of 1,5 ml/min. Analytical recoveries of the drugs from serum increase with increasing concentration, from 62% at 25 microgram/liter to 93% at 300 microgram/liter. Linear response is observed for drug concentrations up to 1500 microgram/liter and the detection limit is 2-3 microgram/liter. Within-run precision ranges from 1.4 to 2.9% and day-to-day precision from 1.7 to 7%, depending on the specific drug. The entire procedure can be completed within 45 min and is well adapted to the routine clinical laboratory. Of 48 common basic and several neutral drugs tested for possible interferences, only three benzodiazepines, three phenothiazines, and three antihistamines interfere with the assay of doxepin, desipramine, and nortriptyline, respectively.