ABSTRACT
In this report, we describe two cases of bovine toxic mastitis associated with S. aureus and we provide DNA microarray based characterization data of the strain causing the disease. Both cows had recently calved and suffered from anorexia, pyrexia, and an elevated heart rate. In both animals, at least one mammary gland was swollen, hardened, sensitive to touch, and produced brownish or bloody secretions. The clinical state of the animals deteriorated quickly and both cows had to be euthanized within 48 hours after presentation. The S. aureus strain, which was isolated from the mastitis milk of both cows, was assigned to spa type t267, agr type I, capsule type 5 and CC97, a clonal complex recently identified as the evolutionary origin of two emerging clones of human epidemic community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus. The strain did not harbour any genes conferring resistance to antimicrobial agents and we did not detect any genes coding for enterotoxins, toxic shock syndrome toxin, or exfoliative toxins. Taking into consideration that twin cows were affected by this rare disease, we suggest that host factors may play a crucial role in toxic mastitis associated with S. aureus.
Subject(s)
Diseases in Twins/veterinary , Mastitis, Bovine/microbiology , Staphylococcal Infections/veterinary , Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification , Animals , Cattle , Diseases in Twins/diagnosis , Diseases in Twins/microbiology , Fatal Outcome , Female , Litter Size , Mastitis, Bovine/diagnosis , Milk/microbiology , Staphylococcal Infections/diagnosis , Staphylococcal Infections/microbiology , Staphylococcus aureus/geneticsABSTRACT
Naturally occurring monozygotic twins are extremely rare in the horse. This paper describes an abortion in a mare after 260 days of pregnancy with monozygotic twins, one a fresh foal and the other a mummified foal.
Subject(s)
Abortion, Veterinary/diagnosis , Horse Diseases/diagnosis , Twins, Monozygotic , Abortion, Veterinary/diagnostic imaging , Animals , Calcium/analysis , Diseases in Twins/veterinary , Female , Fetal Death/veterinary , Horse Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Horse Diseases/drug therapy , Horses , Mammary Glands, Animal/metabolism , Pregnancy , UltrasonographySubject(s)
Cattle Diseases/etiology , Diseases in Twins/veterinary , Infertility, Male/veterinary , Animals , Blood Group Antigens , Cattle , Fertility , Freemartinism , Fructose/analysis , Infertility, Male/etiology , Karyotyping , Leukocytes/cytology , Male , Mosaicism , Semen/analysis , SpermatozoaABSTRACT
A study has been made of 44 cases of twin pregnancy in mares. The fetuses, foals, fetal membranes and blood groups of parents and foals were examined in order to determine the incidence of chorio-vascular anastomosis, blood chimaerism and freemartinism. All of the twins proved to be dizygotic and 33 of the 34 pregnancies were bicornual. Fusion of the chorion was seen in 14 of 22 placentas and macroscopic choriovascular bridges were observed in five of these, although blood chimaerism was diagnosed in 11 of 25 cases (44 per cent) examined. This would indicate a high incidence of microchoriovascular anastomosis. The fetal female genital organs of four heterosexual twins were found to be anatomically and histologically normal at autopsy despite the existence of blood chimaerism. Five other sexvalley mature mares born as heterosexual twins with chimaerism all had normal genital organs and estrus cycles and one of these has since become pregnant. The important interspecies differences with respect to the incidence and degree of choriovascular anastomosis and freemartinism are stressed and suggestions for a plausible explanation were advanced.
