ABSTRACT
To study the deficiency of minerals and its relationship with Paratuberculosis, blood, serum, and fecal samples were obtained from 75 adult bovines without clinical symptoms of the disease and from two bovines with clinical symptoms of the disease, from two beef herds with a previous history of Paratuberculosis in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Serum samples were processed by ELISA and feces were cultured in Herrolds medium. Copper, zinc and iron in serum were quantified by spectrophotometry and selenium was measured by the activity of glutathione peroxidase. We also determined copper, zinc, iron and molybdenum concentrations in pastures and the concentration of sulfate in water. Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (Map) was isolated from 17.3% of fecal samples of asymptomatic animals and from the fecal samples from the two animals with clinical symptoms. All the Map-positive animals were also ELISA-positive or suspect, and among them, 84.6% presented low or marginal values of selenium and 69.2% presented low or marginal values of copper. The two animals with clinical symptoms, and isolation of Map from feces and organs were selenium-deficient and had the lowest activity of glutathione peroxidase of all the animals from both herds. All the animals negative to Map in feces and negative to ELISA had normal values of Se, while 13.8% of animals with positive ELISA or suspect and culture negative presented low levels of Se. Half of the animals that were negative both for ELISA and culture in feces were deficient in copper but none of them presented low values of selenium. The content of molybdenum and iron in pasture was high, 2.5 ppm and 1.13 ppm in one herd and 2.5 ppm and 2.02 ppm in the other, respectively, whereas the copper:molybdenum ratio was 1.5 and 5.2, respectively. These results do not confirm an interaction between imbalances of the micronutrients and clinical Paratuberculosis, but show evidence of the relationship between selenium...
Subject(s)
Cattle , Copper/analysis , Glutathione Peroxidase/analysis , Glutathione Peroxidase/isolation & purification , Mycobacterium Infections , Mycobacterium avium/enzymology , Mycobacterium avium/isolation & purification , Paratuberculosis , Selenium/analysis , Zinc/analysis , Enzyme Activation , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Methods , Minerals/analysis , Minerals/isolation & purification , SpectrophotometryABSTRACT
A retrospective study was performed on 169 beef and dairy calves aged from 1 to 7 days old submitted to the Diagnostic Laboratories at INTA Balcarce, Argentina. Bacterial culture was performed for aerobic and microaerophilic organisms. Samples from spleen and lymph nodes, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were also cultured for viral isolation on cell culture. Bovine rotavirus was detected by direct-ELISA. Multiple tissue samples were fixed in 10% formalin, routinely processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for microscopic examination. Etiological diagnosis was made in 70 of the 169 calves. Infectious agents were identified in 49 cases, the most common being Escherichia coli. When the histopathological examination was performed in cases with undetermined diagnosis, it was noted that 44 specimens had histological lesions, which suggested the presence of an infectious agent. In order to characterize the causes of bovine neonatal mortality, the protocols and methodology should be improved in further works.
Se realizó un estudio restrospectivo en 169 terneros muertos 1 a 7 días después del nacimiento pertenecientes a rodeos para carne y leche, remitidos a los Laboratorios de Diagnóstico del INTA Balcarce, Argentina. Para detectar organismos aeróbicos y microaerófilos se realizó el cultivo bacteriano. Para el aislamiento viral sobre cultivo celular, se recolectaron muestras de bazo, ganglios linfáticos y sangre periférica. El rotavirus bovino fue identificado por ELISA directo. Se efectuó el examen microscópico de diferentes tejidos, los cuales fueron fijados en formol al 10%, procesados y teñidos con hematoxilina y eosina. Se obtuvo un diagnóstico etiológico en 70 de los 169 terneros. Se identificaron agentes infecciosos en 49 casos, siendo el más común Escherichia coli. En los casos con diagnóstico indeterminado, el examen histopatológico realizado determinó que 44 especímenes poseían lesiones compatibles con la presencia de agentes infecciosos. Es necesario mejorar los protocolos y las metodologías de trabajo a los fines de caracterizar las causas de mortalidad neonatal en bovinos.
Subject(s)
Animals , Cattle , Female , Male , Animals, Newborn , Cattle Diseases/mortality , Infections/veterinary , Argentina , Cattle Diseases/microbiology , Infections/mortality , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to characterize the exposure of bovine aborted fetuses from beef and dairy herds of the humid pampas of Argentina to different infectious agents by the evaluation of fetal fluid antibodies. Presence of fetal antibodies to bovine viral diarrhea virus genotype 1 (BVDV-1), bovine herpes virus type 1 (BHV-1), Leptospira interrogans, Brucella abortus, and Neospora caninum was determined. Of the 95 fetuses processed, 66 came from 49 beef herds and 29 from 12 dairy herds. The average gestational age of the aborted fetuses was 7.1 months. Antibodies to the mentioned agents were detected in 65 of the 95 fetal fluids (68.4
). In addition, antibodies to more than one infectious agent were detected in 32 fetuses (33.7
), suggesting fetal exposure to multiple antigens during gestation. There were antibodies to BVDV-1, BHV-1, N. caninum and Leptospira interrogans in 43 (45.2
) and 5 (5.2
) specimens, respectively. Antibodies to B. abortus were not detected in any of the fetal fluids. The results of this study provide information on the determination of antibodies in fluids from bovine aborted fetuses exposed to different infectious agents in the region.
ABSTRACT
The diagnostic efficiency of two hemoculture media for the detection of different species of Brucella strains was evaluated. Strains of Brucella melitensis, Brucella suis, Brucella abortus, Brucella ovis, and Brucella abortus S19 were used. Each strain was diluted in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) to obtain a concentration of 10(5) colony forming units/ml (CFU/ml). Blood from goats, pigs, cattle, and sheep was mixed with the bacterial suspension to obtain a final concentration minor or equal to 10(3) CFU/ml. These blood samples were inoculated into the following media: (i) Hemobrucella (HB), (ii) Tryptose citrated broth 2
(CTB), and (iii) Controls without blood for B. melitensis and B.suis. Subculture in dishes and CFU/ml counts were made at the 1st, 3rd, 8th, 10th, 20th, and 30th post-inoculation (PI) day. Best results were obtained in the HB medium for all strains, except for B. suis, which due to the presence of a contaminant did not reach its maximum development in this medium. All strains were recovered from both media at 24 h PI, except B. ovis that was isolated from HB at 72 h PI and was not recovered from CTB. All strains remained viable for a shorter period in CTB. Under the proposed experimental conditions the HB medium was more sensitive than CTB. Future experiments should evaluate the utility of this commercial medium in clinical cases of animal brucellosis.