Le virus de la leucémie bovine et l’homéostasie du compartiment lymphocytaire périphérique

Bovine leukaemia virus and peripheral blood lymphocytes homeostasis. Bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) is the etiological agent of a lymphoproliferative disease in cattle. This retrovirus can also be transmitted experimentally to the ovine species, in which pathology is more rapid and more frequent. In this model, infection leads to an increased cell turnover. This accelerated lymphocyte dynamics might be related to viral expression which induces cellular proliferation and host cell destruction by the immune system

PROFILE OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE AGAINST INFLUENZA IN ADULT PATIENTS: A CASE STUDY AT CITY HEALTH CENTER IN INDONESIA

Objective: In developing countries, cases of Haemophilus influenzae (HI) resistance to levofloxacin, cefixime, and tetracycline have become a serious problem in clinical treatment. This study was conducted to determine the antibiotic resistance profile of HI from adult patient isolates and to provide guidelines for more effective clinical treatment in Indonesia. Methods: The patient isolate stock was rejuvenated, cultured on growth media and the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method was used to test for antibiotic susceptibility. Evaluation was guided by recommendations from the Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI). Results: A total of 643 isolates obtained from the respiratory tract isolated and identified 73 HI strains. The resistance rates of the HI isolates to tetracycline, cefixime, and levofloxacin were 10.54 %, 4.31%, and 5.67%. Conclusion: Cefixime showed more effective activity than levofloxacin and tetracycline to treat the HI strain

Tattoo disease of odontocetes as a potential indicator of a degrading or stressful environment: a preliminary report. Scientific Committee document SC/55/E1, International Whaling Commission, May-June 2003, Berlin, Germany

We examined the presence of tattoo lesions in 613 small cetaceans belonging to nine species and originating from the Southeast Pacific Ocean, the Southwest and Northeast Atlantic Ocean as well as from the North, Baltic and Mediterranean Seas. Most of the specimens had been caught in nets or were found stranded in the period 1988-2002. Thirty-five bottlenose dolphins from the Sado estuary, Portugal were photographed alive in 1994-1997. Tattoo lesions were detected in 68 of 196 Lagenorhynchus obscurus, 33 of 54 Delphinus capensis, five of 12 Tursiops truncatus, 57 of 95 Phocoena spinipinnis from Peru as well as in 17 of 35 T. truncatus from the Sado estuary, in two of 10 Stenella coeruleoalba and one of four T. truncatus from the Mediterranean Sea. Prevalence of the disease varied significantly between species in mature specimens but not among immatures. It also varied very significantly between inshore (P. spinipinnis and Sado T. truncatus) and offshore or offshore-neritic (S. coeruleoalba, L. obscurus, D. capensis and Peruvian T. truncatus) odontocetes, being higher in adult specimens of inshore (53.5%) than of offshore (29.7%) taxa. This variation may be caused by immunotoxic environmental pollutants of continental origin like organochlorines. The coastal waters of Peru and the Sado estuary suffer from eutrophication and pollution from various origins. Direct correlation with pollutant loads needs to be investigated

High Levels of Copper, Zinc, Iron and Magnesium, but not Calcium, in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Patients with Fahr's Disease

Patients with marked calcification of the basal ganglia and cerebellum have traditionally been referred to as having Fahr's disease, but the nomenclature has been criticized for including heterogeneous etiology. We describe 3 patients with idiopathic bilateral striatopallidodentate calcinosis (IBSPDC). The patients were a 24-year-old man with mental deterioration, a 57-year-old man with parkinsonism and dementia, and a 76-year-old woman with dementia and mild parkinsonism. The former 2 patients showed severe calcification of the basal ganglia and cerebellum, and the latter patient showed severe calcification of the cerebellum. We found significantly increased levels of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe) and magnesium (Mg), using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry in the CSF of all these 3 patients. The increased levels of Cu, Zn, Fe and Mg reflect the involvement of metabolism of several metals and/or metal-binding proteins during the progression of IBSPDC. More numerous patients with IBSPDC should be examined in other races to clarify the common mechanism of the disease and to investigate the specific treatment

Preventive and Therapeutic Strategies for Bovine Leukemia Virus: Lessons for HTLV

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is a retrovirus closely related to the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1). BLV is a major animal health problem worldwide causing important economic losses. A series of attempts were developed to reduce prevalence, chiefly by eradication of infected cattle, segregation of BLV-free animals and vaccination. Although having been instrumental in regions such as the EU, these strategies were unsuccessful elsewhere mainly due to economic costs, management restrictions and lack of an efficient vaccine. This review, which summarizes the different attempts previously developed to decrease seroprevalence of BLV, may be informative for management of HTLV-1 infection. We also propose a new approach based on competitive infection with virus deletants aiming at reducing proviral loads

Trypanosoma in bovines in Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil)

É relatada, pela primeira vez, a presença do Trypanosoma theileri Laveran 1902, em bovino da raça Holandesa preto e branca no Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul. O animal foi admitido no Hospital Veterinário da UFMS, em Campo Grande, pois apresentava estado de caquexia, anemia, edema submandibular e diarréia escura e em jato. Exames laboratoriais revelaram que o animal apresentava verminose intensa e hipoproteinemia acentuada. O animal foi tratado por duas vezes com anti-helmínticos e recebeu duas transfusões sanguíneas. Cerca de uma semana após a segunda transfusão, o estado clínico do animal piorou acentuadamente e logo depois ele morreu. Exames de esfregaços sanguíneos e de "impressões" de órgãos revelaram a presença de incontáveis megatripanosomas com características morfológicas e biométricas do Trypanosoma theileri. Embora seja considerado praticamente apatogênico para bovinos, é possível que, neste caso, o parasito tenha contribuído decisivamente para o agravamento do quadro clínico e para a morte do animal.For the first time the presence of Trypanosoma theileri Laveran 1902 was evidenced in a black and white Holstein calf in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. The animal was admitted to the UFMS Veterinary Hospital in Campo Grande being presented in a state of cachexia, anemia and having submandibular edema and a brown watery diarrhea. Laboratory examination revealed that the animal had an intense gastrointestinal helminthiasis and accentuated hypoproteinemia. The animal was treated on two occasions with anthelmintics and received two blood transfusions. Approximately one week after the second blood transfusion the clinical condition of the animal became significantly worse and soon after the animal died. Examination of blood films and imprint of organs revealed the presence of innumerable megatrypanosomes with morphologic and biometric characteristics of Trypanosoma theileri. Although this parasite has beer, generally considered nonpathogenic for cattle, in this particular case it may have contributed significantly in the deterioration of the clinical state and final death of the animal