Estudo experimental sobre a intoxicação de Gallus gallus domesticus com semente de crotalaria spectabilis. II efeito em aves na fase final de crescimento

This study was undertaken to investigate the toxic effect of Crotalaria spectabilis seeds added to the ration for commercial broilers during the final phase of growth. Ground seeds were added at different concentrations to the ration: 0.0% (control), 0.01%, 0.1% and 0.4%. Rations containing 0.4% caused symptoms of intoxication, beginning in the second week of the study. During the third week birds showed bristling, apathy, general weakness, distended abdomen and agglomeration. In the fourth week, four animals died. Necropsy revealed prominent ascites and severe lesions of liver, kidney and lung. Microscopic examination revealed necrosis of hepatocytes, inflammatory cell infiltration, hypertrophy and hyperplasia of biliary duct cells leading to atresia and cholestasis. Prominent cartilaginous and osseous nodules in the lungs were also present as well as degenerative, changes in the kidney tubules and necrosis of cells of the bursa. All the broilers receiving a ration with 0.1% of Crotalaria seeds showed ascites and slight lesions of the liver. The remaining groups showed no reduction in weight gains, lesions or clinical symptoms. It is concluded that broilers during the final phase of growth are sensitive to administrations of seeds of C. spectabilis in their ration. The presence of ascites and cartilaginous and osseous nodules in the lungs of the affected birds was also considered important.

Níveis de cloreto de sódio em rações para frangos de corte

A trial was carried out using 1,000 day-old chicks to evaluate levels of NaCl (0.30, 0.45, 0.60, 0.75 and 0.90%) in diets. Water and feeding with 20.1 and 18.2% CP, 2, 900 and 2,950 kcal/kg ME respectively for initial and finishing phases were offered ad libitum. High levels of NaCl (0.60, 0.75 and 0.90%) increased the water intake and water:feed ratio during the first 21 days (P<0.05). Whitin the period of 21-42 days only water intake increased (P<0.05). Body weight, feed and water intake, mortality were higher (P<0.05)for males. High levels of NaCl (0.60, 0.75 and 0.90%) increased (P<0.05) body weight, water intake, water:feed ratio and moist litter during the trial. The supplementation of high levels of NaCl increased performance, bur implied in higher litter moisture.

Espinha bífida e mielodisplasia em ruminantes: Relato de caso

Spina bifida with mielodysplasia are described in calf and lamb in this report. Locomotor abnormalities in the pelvic limbs and vertebral malformation were found in both animals, and arthrogryposis was also present in the calf. The mielodysplasia was very similar in these animals, and both were characterized by non separation of ventral and dorsal horns, areas with medular canal duplication and syringomyelia. No cases of spina bifida was previously described in Brazil.

Influencia del tratamiento térmico en la cristalización y rugosidad de películas delgadas de LiNbO3 depositadas por el método Spin Coating

Lithium niobate (LiNbO3) thin films with 1/1 stoichiometry were prepared by a spin-coating from polymeric precursor method. The films deposited on silicon (100) substrates, were thermally treated from 400° to 600°C for 3 hours in order to study the influence of thermal treatment on the crystallinity, microstructure, grain size and roughness. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that LiNbO3 phase crystallizes at low temperature (400°C). It was observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that it is possible to obtain dense thin films at temperatures around 500°C. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) results showed that the grain size and roughness are strongly influenced by the annealing temperature.

Participation of genes involved in the process of anaerobic respiration of infection in chickens by salmonella typhimurium

Intestinal pathogens are exposed to various stress conditions during their infectious cycle. Anaerobiosis, one of such hostile condition, is offered by the host within gut and intestinal lumen, where survival, multiplication and entry into intestinal epithelial cells are priority for the invasion of the pathogen. The fumarate reductase (frdABCD), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)-trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) reductase (dmsABC), and nitrate reductase (narGHIJ) operons in Salmonella Typhimurium (STM) encode enzymes involved in anaerobic respiration to the electron acceptors fumarate, DMSO, TMAO, and nitrate, respectively. They are regulated in response to nitrate and oxygen availability and changes in cell growth rate. Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is synthesized by Salmonella Typhimurium only under anaerobic growth conditions used as a cofactor in four known reactions. The deletion of cobS and cbiA genes prevent any form of cobalamin production. In the present study we evaluate the infection of birds by mutants of STM, with the anaerobic respiratory system committed by mutations in the genes: narG, napA, cobS, cbiA, frdA, dmsA, and torC. Virulence was assessed by oral inoculation of groups of one-day-old broilers with 0.1 mL of culture contained 10 8 colony forming units (CFU)/mL or diluted at 10 -3 and 10 -2 of strains mutants of Salmonella Typhimurium. Clinical signs and mortality were recorded over a period of 21 days. In general, the symptoms of chickens infected with the mutant strains were similar to those presenting by control birds. Except for STMNalr cbiA, all showed reduced capacity to cause mortality in comparison with the original strain. The mortality of group of chickens infected with STMNal r △narG, STMNal r △frdA, STMNal r △dmsA and STMNal r △cobS△cbiA showed significant decrease in mortality compared to control group (p<0.05).

Eimeria stiedai: Metabolism of lipids, proteins and glucose in experimentally infected rabbits, Oryctolagus cuniculus

Rabbits were experimentally infected with sporulated Eimeria stiedai oocysts. A total of 50 white adult rabbits, New Zealand race, were distributed into two groups: Group A was infected with 1x10 4 sporulated Eimeria stiedai oocysts, while group B was inoculated with distilled water as a control. The animals generally displayed increased levels of total protein, globulin, total cholesterol, LDL-c and triacylglycerols; however, total levels of liver lipids and HDL-c decreased, and plasma glucose levels varied during the experimental period. In sum, Eimeria stiedai infection of rabbits caused a considerable number of changes in the metabolism of lipids, proteins and glucose, which is likely due to direct effects of liver cirrhosis on normal body function.

Astrocyte intermediate filaments are important markers in olfactory bulb of bovine herpesvirus type 5 natural infections

Astroglial cells are the most abundant cells in the mammalian central nervous system, yet our knowledge about their function in bovine Herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5) has been limited. The aim of this study was to detect by immunohistochemistry assay the reactive astrocytes for glial fibrilary acidic protein (GFAP) and vimentin (VIM), considered intermediate filaments of the cytoskeleton, localized in olfactory bulb from natural acute cases of BoHV-5 infection. All samples were submitted to virus isolation, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ hybridization (ISH) technique to confirm the virus transcription and respective genome. Samples were classified into four groups according to the severity of histological lesions. Groups III and IV, which histological lesions were classified as alacia, gliosis, satellitosis, neuronophagia and neuronal necrosis, 35% (± 1.8-2.1) of the inflammatory mononuclear cells, corresponded to CD3 positive lymphocytes. In the same group, 35% (± 1.8) of astrocytes were described as reactive to GFAP and VIM proteins. An agreement of r = 1.0 (P<0.0001) was found between histological lesions, intermediate filaments expression, viral DNA and transcription and CD3 lymphocytes. However, samples with mild histological lesions, 10.8 to 14.2% of astrocytes were classified as reactive to GFAP and VIM filaments. Our findings suggest that GFAP and VIM reactive astrocytes, in primary site of virus replication, seems to play an important role in neurovirulence, in spite of many questions concerning the virus immunopathology remains unclear.

COX-2 and TGF-β expression in proliferative disorders of canine prostate

COX-2 and TGF-β expression was determined in order to correlate non-neoplastic lesions, preneoplastic lesions and carcinoma in the prostate of dogs. The results show that neoplastic and preneoplastic lesions express more COX-2 and TGF-β when compared to carcinomas, which suggests these proteins may cooperate in the process of prostate tumorigenesis.

Expression of pro-and-anti-apoptotic antigens in the cerebellum of dogs naturally infected with canine distemper virus

Canine distemper virus (CDV) may induce multifocal demyelination in the central nervous system of infected dogs. The present work investigated apoptosis in white and gray matter (granular layer) in the cerebellum of naturally infected dogs by the analysis of the expression of the pro-apoptotic antigens caspase - 2 and - 3, b(terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL-staining) positivity, annexin-V immunodetection, and the presence of the anti-apoptotic antigens, BCl-2 and p53. Cerebellum specimens were obtained from the Laboratory of Animal Pathology, from 1995 to 2009, and the 5-μm thick fragments were stained both with hematoxylin-eosin and Shorr. All samples were diagnosed as positive for CDV genome by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction targeting the nucleocapsid gene. The anti-apoptotic pathways evidenced in this study were BCl-2 and p53 proteins that were intensively detected in cerebellum of CDV positive slides (40-80% of labeled cells/mm2). In addition, the apoptosis markers annexin-V and TUNEL are directly correlated among the same samples (80 and 40% of labeled cells, respectively). This is the first description of p53 and annexin-V expression, characterized as anti-apoptotic and apoptotic proteins, involvement in canine natural cases of CDV infections.

Acute phase proteins in canine lymphoma during antineoplastic chemotherapy

The lymphoma is the main hematopoietic tumor in dogs and it is characterized by the proliferation of cells from lymphoid tissue, histiocytes and its precursors. Animals with lymphoma often show changes in biochemical and hematological parameters such as non-regenerative normochromic normocytic anemia, hemolytic anemia, hypocalcaemia and monoclonal gammopathy. The development of tumor can cause alterations in serum concentrations of acute phase proteins (APPs), consequent of hepatocytes stimulus by cytokines of inflammatory action. This study aimed to quantify and qualify APPs in dogs with lymphoma, at diagnosis time and during the time of chemotherapy sessions. After syneresis, centrifugation and fractioning the serum samples of 10 healthy and 10 dogs with lymphomas, the proteins fractions were separated by polyacrilamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and its concentrations were determined by computer densitometry. Between 18 and 30 proteins were separated by eletrophoresis, with molecular weights ranging from 18 to 245 kDa (kilodaltons). The alpha-1-glicoprotein acid (AGP) and transferrin serum concentration showed significantly higher in dogs with lymphoma, when compared with healthy dogs at diagnosis. The alpha-1-antitripsin (AAT) serum concentrations showed significantly higher in healthy dogs, when compared with dogs with lymphoma at diagnosis. The dogs with lymphoma the albumin did not appear as negative APP. On the other hand, transferrin appeared as positive AAP at diagnosis time and during the chemotherapy sessions. Healthy dogs had AAT serum concentrations significantly higher when compared to dogs with lymphoma at diagnosis. So, in this trial, it is suggested that this protein has been shown as a negative APP in the dogs with lymphoma. These dogs presented significantly higher AGP serum concentrations, in relation to healthy dogs at diagnosis, evidencing this protein APP positive behavior in neoplasm.

Cytoplasmic and nuclear morphometric parameters in cytologic preparations of canine cutaneous mast cell tumors

Thirty fine-needle biopsy (FNB) samples from 28 dogs subjected to surgical resection of cutaneous mast cell tumors (MCTs) were stained with Giemsa. At least 100 neoplastic cells from each cytology slide were evaluated by morphometric analysis. The parameters were: area, perimeter of the cell, cytoplasm, nucleus and circumference factor. MCTs of grade III had a mean cellular area of 231.70 μm2 ± 57.1, and grade II had a mean of 252.30 μm2 ± 55.0. Cellular perimeter was 61.20 ± 7.1 in grade II and 59.1 ± 8.6 in grade III. Cellular parameters were not statistically different between grades (p>.05). Mean nuclear area was 88.90 μm2 ± 19 in grade III and 72.30 μm2 ± 13.9 in grade II, with statistical difference between grades (P =.011). Mean nuclear perimeter was 32.40 ìm ± 3.0 in grade II and 35.70 ìm ± 4.0 in grade III, with statistical difference between grades (P =.018). Mean nuclear circumference factor was 1.0 ± 0.33 in grade II and 1.1 ± 0.28 in grade III, with no statistical difference between grades (P = 0.78). Nuclear-tocytoplasmic ratio in grade II was 0.29 ±.07 and 0.39 ±.08 in grade III, with statistical difference (P =.02). The number of binucleated and multinucleated cells and mitotic figures was significantly increased in grade III MCTs (P <.001). In conclusion, the number of mitotic figures, presence of binucleation and multinucleation, and nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio can help to guide a profile of MCT aggressiveness in cytologic preparations.