Factors associated with septic arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint in beef cattle: A case-control study.

Lameness in cattle is a welfare concern and is associated with important economic losses in beef cattle operations. Infection of the distal interphalangeal joint (DIJ) results in severe lameness and if left untreated carries a poor prognosis. Diagnosis of DIJ infection is challenging in the field. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with septic arthritis of the DIJ in beef cattle. Thirty-nine beef cattle with a complaint of single-foot lameness were used in this study. History and lameness examination data were recorded and analyzed. Radiographic changes and cytology of synovial fluid of the affected DIJ were used to define the presence (cases) or absence (controls) of DIJ infection. Asymmetric swelling at the coronary band of the affected foot and a lameness score of ≥4/5 significantly increased the odds (odds ratio [OR]=63.2 and OR=120, respectively) of diagnosis of septic arthritis of the DIJ in beef cattle with a single-foot lameness compared to cattle with no asymmetry of the coronary band or lameness scores <3. Routine lameness examination findings could be used in the field to rapidly recognize infection of the DIJ in lame beef cattle.

Left Displacement of the Abomasum in 4 Beef Calves.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the occurrence rate, underlying etiology or treatment of left displacement of the abomasum in beef calves. OBJECTIVE: Describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of left displacement of the abomasum in 4 beef calves. ANIMALS: Four client-owned beef breed calves with left displaced abomasum (LDA). METHODS: Retrospective case series. Hospital medical records were reviewed to identify all beef breed cattle under the age of 6 months diagnosed with LDA. RESULTS: Four beef calves were treated for left displacement of the abomasum. All four had a history of decreased appetite and left-sided abdominal distention. Two had recently been treated for necrotic laryngitis and one was being treated for clostridial abomasitis. Ultrasonography confirmed the abomasum to be displaced between the rumen and the left body wall in all calves. The calves were initially treated by rolling to correct the abomasal displacement. The abomasum redisplaced in 3 of 4 calves within 1 hour to 6 days; 1 calf developed a mesenteric volvulus. A right paramedian abomasopexy was performed in all cases. Three of 4 calves grew well and remained in the herd 6-18 months later; 1 calf was euthanized because of complications associated with necrotic laryngitis. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Left displacement of the abomasum should be considered as a differential diagnosis for beef calves with abdominal distention. Concurrent necrotic laryngitis can increase the risk of abomasal displacement in beef calves. Treatment should include surgical correction as rolling is not curative and might be associated with mesenteric volvulus.

Demonstration of transplacental transmission of a human isolate of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in an experimentally infected sheep.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, first identified as a pathogen of sheep in Europe, more recently has been recognized as an emerging tick-borne pathogen of humans in the U.S. and Europe. Transmission of A. phagocytophilum is reported to be by ticks, primarily of the genus Ixodes. While mechanical and transplacental transmission of the type genus organism, A. marginale, occur in addition to tick transmission, these modes of transmission have not been considered for A. phagocytophilum. Recently, we developed a sheep model for studying host-tick-pathogen interactions of the human NY-18 A. phagocytophilum isolate. Sheep were susceptible to infection with this human isolate and served as a source of infection for I. scapularis ticks, but they did not display clinical signs of disease, and the pathogen was not apparent in stained blood smears. In the course of these experiments, one sheep unexpectedly gave birth to a lamb 5 weeks after being experimentally infected by inoculation with the pathogen propagated in HL-60 cells. The lamb was depressed and not feeding and was subsequently euthanized 18 h after birth. Tissues were collected at necropsy for microscopic examination and PCR to confirm A. phagocytophilum infection. At necropsy, the stomach contained colostrum, the spleen was moderately enlarged and thickened with conspicuous lymphoid follicles, and mesenteric lymph nodes were mildly enlarged and contained moderate infiltrates of eosinophils and neutrophils. Blood, spleen, heart, skin and cervical and mesenteric lymph nodes tested positive for A. phagocytophilum by PCR, and sequence analysis confirmed that the lamb was infected with the NY-18 isolate. Transplacental transmission should therefore be considered as a means of A. phagocytophilum transmission and may likely contribute to the epidemiology of tick-borne fever in sheep and other mammals, including humans.

Pyridostigmine bromide and the long-term subjective health status of a sample of female reserve component Gulf War veterans: a brief report.

The role of pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills in explaining the long-term subjective health status of a sample of over 100 female Reserve Component Gulf War veterans was examined through regression analysis. Results fell just short of significance (p < .06) for the prediction of subjective health approximately six years after the war and were clearly not significant for the prediction of subjective health at previous times. Results parallel Golomb's 1999 RAND report, which found suggestive but not conclusive evidence for the possible adverse effects of Gulf War veterans' consumption of pyridostigmine bromide pills. Our data suggest that use of more than 10 pills may have been especially risky with respect to long-term subjective health.

Intradermal hepatitis B vaccination in an abbreviated schedule.

Two low-dose intradermal regimens for hepatitis B vaccination were compared with the standard 1 ml dose administered intramuscularly to healthy, 22-42 year old individuals. All regimens were administered in an abbreviated time schedule. Nineteen individuals (ID-1 group) received three 0.1 ml (2 micrograms) doses intradermally at times 0, 1 month and 4 months. Twenty-four individuals (ID-2 group) received two injections of 0.2 ml (4 micrograms) each intradermally at time 0 and one 0.1 ml (2 micrograms) injection 4 months later. Twenty individuals (IM group) received the recommended three 1.0 ml (20 micrograms) doses intramuscularly at times 0, 1 month, and 4 months. No significant adverse reactions were attributable to the intradermal administration of vaccine although the majority of vaccinees developed small areas of induration and hyperpigmentation at the injection site that persisted for several months. One month following the last injection, all vaccinees had developed anti-HBsAg antibodies. One hundred percent of ID-1 and IM vaccinees and 95% of ID-2 vaccinees had protective levels of antibody (greater than or equal to 10 mIU ml-1). The geometric mean titre (GMT) for the IM group (2692 mIU ml-1) was somewhat higher than for the ID-1 (1230 mIU ml-1) and the ID-2 (851 mlU ml-1) groups, but the differences were not statistically significant. Since anti-HBs antibodies are thought to confer protection against hepatitis B, these results suggest that a shortened regimen of intradermal vaccine may be effective in healthy adults. However, no efficacy study has yet been done with intradermal hepatitis B vaccine.