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A 15-year-old Dutch warmblood mare was presented because of lethargy, which had been present for several weeks, and severe anaemia. Total protein was high and serum electrophoresis revealed a monoclonal peak in the alpha-2 region. Monoclonal immunoglobulin, IgG(T), was detected by immuno-electrophoresis in serum and urine. Postmortem examination revealed a relatively large number of plasmacytoid cells in the bone marrow and a monotonous population of plasmacytoid cells in the spleen. These findings are suggestive of a plasma cell myeloma.

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A review of the congenital and acquired heart diseases of foals is given on the basis of two patients. A 3-month-old foal with a history of collapse after exercise had a systolic murmur on all heart valves on both sides. Necropsy revealed endocarditis ulcerosa of the left atrioventricular valves. A 6-week-old foal with systolic murmur on the left atrioventricular valves and on the aorta showed, on ultrasonography, signs of endocarditis of the atrioventricular valves. This foal recovered after a long course of antibiotics.

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An 11-year-old Arabian mare had sudden signs of colic 10 days post partum. Rectal examination revealed a large mass in the abdomen. The mare was successfully operated on for a granulosa cell tumour of 31.5 kg. The large abdominal wound healed by primary intention.

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Three rectal faecal samples were taken at 24-hour intervals from 136 horses in order to investigate whether multiple faecal cultures yield a greater number of Salmonella-positive horses compared to single faecal cultures. Of these 136 horses, 89 were suspected of salmonellosis on clinical grounds and 47 belonged to a control group. From the 'Salmonella suspected' group, 22 horses (25%) were Salmonella positive on one or more occasions. Only twelve of these 22 positive horses (55%) were positive at first sampling. Of the control group, only three horses (6%) were positive for Salmonella. Thirty-one (69%) of the 45 positive cultures from the 'Salmonella suspected' group were found only after enrichment in Selenite broth. From the results of the present study it is concluded that multiple faecal cultures are superior to single faecal cultures for diagnosing clinical salmonellosis in horses and that there is no relation between the course of the disease and whether the Salmonellae were cultured directly or indirectly, after enrichment in Selenite broth. Salmonellae were cultured from the faeces of horses treated with antibiotics before their referral, even when the isolated strain was sensitive to the antimicrobial drug used by the practitioner.

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Lipid metabolism was studied in 21 horses with hyperadrenocorticism. To be included in the study, horses had to have histologic evidence of a pars intermedia adenoma found at necropsy (n = 9), a baseline ACTH concentration greater than 400 pg/ml (n = 6), or a plasma cortisol concentration 2 hours after i.v. administration of 25 IU of ACTH greater than 413 nmol/L (n = 16). Mean +/- SD baseline plasma cortisol concentration was 338 +/- 261 nmol/L (n = 20), mean +/- SD plasma insulin concentration was 97 +/- 54 microU/ml (n = 15), mean +/- SD plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate concentration was 1.8 +/- 1.2 mg/dl (n = 21), and mean +/- SD plasma nonesterified fatty acids concentration was 6.2 +/- 6.4 mg/dl (n = 21). None of the horses had hyperlipemia. Compared with clinically normal horses, horses with hyperadrenocorticism had increased lipolysis and increased ketogenesis. It was concluded that cortisol cannot be the sole factor contributing to insulin resistance in horses with hyperadrenocorticism.

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The objective of the study was to determine the sensitivity with which an adenoma of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland can be predicted in horses by measuring the basal concentrations of glucose, cortisol, adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), and insulin, the urinary concentration of corticoids, the urinary corticoid:creatinine ratio, and the plasma cortisol concentration after the administration of 25 IU of ACTH intravenously. The records of 24 cases of histologically confirmed equine pituitary pars intermedia adenomas were used. An adenoma of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland in horses was predicted with a sensitivity of 100, 100, and 92% for basal plasma ACTH (n = 16), the urinary corticoid:creatinine ratio (n = 7), and basal plasma insulin (n = 12), respectively. The sensitivity of the ACTH-stimulation test was 79% (n = 14).

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The concentrations of 2 major bovine acute-phase proteins, haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid-A (SAA), were measured in plasma obtained shortly after birth from 22 healthy calves. In a separate group of diseased calves (n = 8), Hp and SAA concentrations were measured to determine whether newborn calves (up to 4 d old) are able to produce SAA and Hp. In blood samples taken directly after birth, the Hp plasma concentrations were all below the limit of detection. The mean SAA concentration was independent of weight (r = 0.063), degree of acidosis (r = -0.125), sex (p > 0.05), and were not different in calves born after different types of obstetrical help (p > 0.05). In the group of diseased calves, an increased Hp concentration was measured in only 2 of 8 animals, whereas the mean SAA concentration was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in the healthy newborn calves. These data suggest that prenatal stress due to parturition does not form a stimulus for the production of acute-phase proteins in the fetal calf. The low Hp plasma concentrations might indicate that either it takes a few days to establish a detectable concentration of this protein, or that Hp production is not fully developed in newborn calves.

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During 1990 and 1991, 380 faecal samples were collected from horses with diarrhoea. Sixty-nine (18 per cent) of the samples yielded a positive culture for Salmonella species, and salmonellae were cultured directly from 37 (54 per cent) of these cases. In 32 (46 per cent) of the cases the salmonellae were found after culturing the organism in an enrichment medium. Salmonella typhimurium was isolated from 43 samples, S hadar from three samples, S arizona from two, S enteritidis from two, S virchow from one, S blockley from one and S bareilly from one sample. In 1990, S typhimurium phage type 200 was the predominant phage type, whereas in 1991 phage types 510, 656 and 658 were encountered most often. The antibiotic susceptibility of 53 of the 69 isolates was assessed and 28 of them were resistant to more than three antimicrobial agents. Resistance to streptomycin and the tetracyclines was common, but most of the isolates were sensitive to gentamicin and nitrofurantoin.

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The clinical course of Bovine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (BLAD) in eight Holstein Friesian cattle is described. Affected animals were presented with a history of poor thriving and recurrent bacterial infections. Five of these animals had to be killed because of severe respiratory disease shortly after admittance. Three affected animals survived calfhood only as a result of frequent antibacterial treatments. At one year of age, failure to thrive and stunted growth were still evident, but infections requiring antibiotic treatments occurred only sporadically. Clinical manifestations of BLAD were found in the digestive system (gingivitis, periodontitis, alveolar periostitis, diarrhoea), the respiratory system and the skin (impaired wound healing, chronic dermatitis). A leukocytosis based on a mature neutrophilia, which persisted during infection-free periods, was observed in all animals. Granulocytes were substantially deficient of beta 2-integrin expression on their membranes. Anaemia, which was noted in four animals, may be related to the Anaemia of Inflammatory Disease Complex (AID). The serum total protein content increased with time and was associated with elevated gamma-globulin levels. We suggest that, at a certain age, animals affected with BLAD are able to cope with environmental agents due to compensatory mechanisms of the immune system.

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The concentrations of the acute-phase proteins, serum amyloid-A (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp), were determined in the plasma of healthy cows (n = 25) and cows with spontaneous acute (n = 6), subacute (n = 37), or chronic (n = 7) inflammatory diseases. The plasma concentration of SAA alone, Hp alone, and the Hp/SAA ratio, differed significantly (p < 0.001) between healthy animals and animals with inflammatory diseases. Plasma Hp concentrations in the group of cows with acute inflammatory diseases were significantly (p < 0.01) different from those in the group with chronic inflammatory diseases. Moreover, the Hp/SAA ratio in chronic inflammatory diseases was significantly different from this ratio in acute (p < 0.01) and subacute (p < 0.05) inflammatory diseases. It is therefore concluded that the plasma concentrations of SAA and Hp and the Hp/SAA ratio are useful parameters to distinguish healthy animals from animals with inflammation and can be helpful in distinguishing between acute and chronic of inflammatory diseases.

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The clinical course of Bovine Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (BLAD) in eight Holstein Friesian cattle is described. Affected animals were presented with a history of poor thriving and recurrent bacterial infections. Five of these animals had to be killed because of severe respiratory disease shortly after admittance. Three affected animals survived calfhood only as a result of frequent antibacterial treatments. At one year of age, failure to thrive and stunted growth were still evident, but infections requiring antibiotic treatments occurred only sporadically. Clinical manifestations of BLAD were found in the digestive system (gingivitis, periodontitis, alveolar periostitis, diarrhoea), the respiratory system and the skin (impaired wound healing, chronic dermatitis). A leukocytosis based on a mature neutrophilia, which persisted during infection-free periods, was observed in all animals. Granulocytes were substantially deficient of beta 2-integrin expression on their membranes. Anaemia, which was noted in four animals, may be related to the Anaemia of Inflammatory Disease Complex (AID). The serum total protein content increased with time and was associated with elevated gamma-globulin levels. We suggest that, at a certain age, animals affected with BLAD are able to cope with environmental agents due to compensatory mechanisms of the immune system.

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In a horse with chronic unilateral nasal discharge guttural pouch mycosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus was diagnosed. A percutaneous indwelling catheter was surgically installed in the left guttural pouch. Initial treatment with a povidone iodine solution proved to be unsatisfactory. Treatment was continued by administering enilconazole by ways of an indwelling through-the-nose-catheter. The latter treatment resulted in complete recovery.

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The urinary corticoid:creatinine (c:c) ratio was determined in eight horses with hyperadrenocorticism (HAC). The mean (+/- SD) urinary c:c ratio of the eight horses with HAC (29 +/- 14 x 10(-6)) was significantly (P < 0.05) greater than the ratio in seven control horses (11 +/- 4.3 x 10(-6)). The urinary concentration of corticoids in control horses (201 +/- 60.4 nmol litre-1) was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than in horses with HAC (664 +/- 291 nmol litre-1). The urinary creatinine concentrations did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between both groups. As both false negative and false positive cases were found, it is concluded that a measurement of the urinary c:c ratio in the horse should not be used as the sole test to confirm equine HAC.

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The records of 21 horses with an adenoma of the pars intermedia of the pituitary gland were reviewed. The animals comprised nine Dutch warmblood horses and 12 ponies. They ranged in age from 12 to 30 years (mean +/- sem 21 +/- 1.3 years) for 20 of the horses, and comprised 13 geldings and eight mares. All the animals showed hirsutism. In 1991, nine horses were diagnosed as having the adenoma, equivalent to 0.5 per cent of the horses examined in 1991. The mean +/- sem survival time of four of the horses (from discharge to the development of complications which required euthanasia) was 192 +/- 59 days (range 120 to 368 days). Routine biochemical measurements were within their normal ranges except for a high alkaline phosphatase activity (768 +/- 487 iu/litre) and a high plasma glucose concentration (7.8 +/- 0.9 mmol/litre) in 16 of the horses; only six had a glucose concentration above 9.0 mmol/litre. The basal plasma concentration of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) in the diseased horses was at least 191 pg/ml. Eight of the horses had mean plasma cortisol concentrations before and after the administration of 25 iu of synthetic ACTH1-24 of 168 +/- 21 (range 74 to 248) and 478 +/- 58 nmol/litre (range 248 to 771), respectively. Analysis of the urine of five of the horses revealed a mean specific gravity of 1.034 +/- 0.0034 (range 1.025 to 1.045).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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A leukocyte adhesion deficiency characterized by recurrent (predominantly bacterial) infections, lack of extravascular polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) and pus formation has been described first in humans and then in dogs, and recently also in cattle. Because of important clinical similarities, a unitary explanation for the leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) syndrome in mammals is proposed, inasmuch that an intrinsic leukocyte defect (i.e. mutations in genes encoding the common CD18 subunit), is thought to cause the disease. However, thus far, the hallmark of such intrinsic leukocyte defects, notably their heritability (or familial incidence), has not (yet) been unequivocally demonstrated. This is the first report to describe the occurrence of four Dutch bovine LAD (BLAD) cases with the clearest familial clustering observed to date. The diagnosis was based on the clinical features of very poor thriving, in general, of the calves, hyperneutrocytosis without appreciable left shift, and the absence of PMN CD11a, or CD11b, or CD11c using monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and/or Concanavalin A binding activity of PMN lysates in immunoblots. Interestingly, a familial clustering was observed also for below-normal PMN CD11c expression. Thus, a cow with low CD11c expression (50.4%) and delivering three of the study BLAD calves, also had a healthy descendant with low (44.9%) PMN CD11c expression. These findings suggested the possibility that both subnormal expression and lack of PMN CD11 expression are inheritable factors in cattle. Furthermore, a large prospective study using the present mAb for selecting relatives expressing the complete spectrum (0 to > or = 90%) of PMN CD11/CD18 expression would create a comprehensive study population for understanding both the role of genetic factors and of survival strategies in BLAD.

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The analgesic and spasmolytic effects of dipyrone (Novalgin) (2500 mg/100 kg bodyweight) hyoscine-N-butylbromide (Buscopan) (20 mg/100 kg bodyweight) and a combination of both drugs were evaluated in a balloon-induced model of colic, using five ponies with caecal fistulae. The drugs were given intravenously and 0.9 per cent sodium chloride solution (5 ml/100 kg bodyweight) was used as a control. The physiological saline solution and dipyrone had no effect on caecal contractions. After the injection of hyoscine-N-butylbromide and the drug combination caecal contractions ceased within 30 seconds and for 20 and 24 minutes, respectively (P less than 0.05). The results on pain relief were not statistically significant for any of the drugs. Dipyrone had a good analgesic effect in only two of the ponies, starting after eight to 10 minutes and lasting for 50 minutes. The drug combination relieved pain within 30 seconds after injection and the relief lasted for 50 minutes in three of the ponies and for 20 minutes in the other two. Hyoscine-N-butylbromide alone produced an analgesic effect within 30 seconds after injection which lasted for 20 minutes.

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Non-surgical correction of nephrosplenic entrapment of the left colon was attempted in 27 cases. In two cases the method failed and a laparotomy was necessary. Two other horses had a recurrence, one of which underwent laparotomy because of torsion of the caecal body.

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A 14-year-old Friesian breeding mare had strangury, depression, inappetence, neutrophilia and uraemia. Its urine had a low specific gravity and contained protein, blood cells and bacteria. Rectal examination showed that both kidneys and ureters were enlarged. Post mortem examination confirmed the diagnosis of pyelonephritis and revealed that small tumours in the vulva were probably the cause of the uropathy.

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