[Acute pasteurellosis in fallow deer, cattle and pigs in a region of Eastern Germany]. / Akute Pasteurellose bei Damwild, Rindern und Schweinen in einer Region im Osten Deutschlands.

Hemorrhagic septicaemia, an acute disease caused by P multocida capsular type B which is rarely detected in Europe, caused considerable losses in fallow deer, cattle and pigs within a region along the border of the federal states Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt in the summer of 2010. Clinical appearances and diagnostic findings are presented and possible triggering influences discussed. Pasteurella multocida capsular type B has not been cultivated from clinically healthy cattle and pigs of the region. Examination of fallow deer and roe deer in the region revealed the presence of singular carriers, which may act as a source of clinical infections.

Investigations on the aetiology of pinching off syndrome in four white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) from Germany.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the aetiology of the pinching off syndrome (POS), a generalized feather abnormality affecting free-living nestling of the white-tailed sea eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Europe. For the first time, extensive clinical, haematological, biochemical, virological, bacteriological, nutritional, histopathological, parasitological and electron microscopical examinations were performed on three females and one male suffering from POS. Early and increased cytokeratin formation at the base of regenerating feathers and their follicle was observed in affected birds. Ultrathin sections of the feather papillae revealed an extended stratum transitivum and a compact, thickened keratinized stratum corneum. The transitional cells in POS feathers contained vacuoles often associated with the nucleus. Lipofuscin accumulations in neurons, glial cells and islet cells of the pancreas were found in all examined birds. It was not clear whether there is an association between the occurrence of lipofuscin and POS. No evidence was found to suggest that infectious agents (parasites, bacteria, fungi or viruses), malnutrition or hormonal imbalances are involved in the aetiology of POS in white-tailed sea eagles. It remains unclear whether there is a genetic background of POS.

A method to diagnose Pigeon circovirus infection in vivo.

This study describes a method to detect in vivo Pigeon circovirus (PiCV, also called Columbid circovirus, CoCV) identified recently. Blood samples of healthy and diseased pigeons were investigated. DNA was isolated from a drop of blood spotted and dried on filter paper. A nested PCR using two primer pairs from the cap gene was performed to detect PiCV. Using this method, PiCV nucleic acid was detected in 17 of 53 pigeons examined. PCR using DNA from dried blood samples is a simple, fast and reliable technique that allows detection of PiCV in vivo and facilitates collection, storage and shipment of samples.