Investigation of the possible spread of foot-and-mouth disease virus by the burning of animal carcases on open pyres.

An atmospheric dispersion model was used to predict the airborne spread and concentrations of foot-and-mouth disease virus within the plumes generated by 11 pyres built to burn infected carcases during the epidemic of 2001 in the UK. On the basis of assumptions about the quantity of virus emitted during the three hours after the pyres were built and the threshold concentration of virus required to cause an infection in cattle, it was concluded that none of the disease breakdowns which occurred under the plumes was due to the spread of virus from the pyres.

Cephalosporins - pharmacological basis of clinical use in veterinary dermatology.

Cephalosporins form a large group of ß-lactam antibiotics which are used extensively in human medicine and to a lesser extent in domestic animals. In veterinary dermatology, the principle use for the cephalosporins is the clinical management of canine pyoderma associated with Staphylococcus intermedius. In practice, the use of orally administered first generation cephalosporin drugs to affected dogs is well tolerated and highly efficacious. Bacterial drug resistance appears to occur rarely.

Writing and publishing a paper in a veterinary journal.

The aim of this article is to give a brief guide to scientific writing to encourage more clinicians to take the plunge and write up that unusual case or present the results of their experience with a new treatment or surgical technique. Its target audience is the practitioner who wishes to publish clinical material and the young academic, clinical resident or research fellow. Both groups require guidance in the early days of their publishing career.

Canine atopic disease: the prevalence of positive intradermal skin tests at two sites in the north and south of Great Britain.

Results of intradermal skin test responses to the same panel of 53 allergens were compared in 118 dogs with atopic disease presented at two geographical centres, Edinburgh (87 cases) and London (31 cases). The allergens most commonly positive at both centres were human dander and Dermatophagoides farinae, but positive tests to all of the allergens used occurred in at least one case. The mean number of allergens to which positive tests resulted in atopic dogs was 5.126 (Edinburgh) and 5.129 (London). The majority of animals were sensitive to allergens from more than one group. A significantly higher number of positive reactors to house dust allergen was observed at London than at Edinburgh (P < 0.05), while a significantly higher number of positive reactions to grass pollens was detected at Edinburgh than in London (P < 0.05). Sensitivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, in the absence of sensitivity to D. farinae, was uncommon and therefore both of these mite allergens should be incorporated in intradermal skin testing panels in Great Britain.