Acute epidemic salmonellosis was investigated in the winter of 1978 in 4 dairy herds in the Waikato district. The outbreaks involved pregnant or recently calved cows. Calves were affected on only one farm. Salmonella bovismorbificans was isolated from the faecal, uterine and environmental samples from the herd most severely affected. In this herd 20, (20%) of the cows died; 10 calves were either born dead or died soon after birth; and 10 cows were culled as unlikely to return to production. S. typhimurium was involved in the outbreaks in the other 3 herds and from one of these farms salmonellae were isolated from the faeces of the 2 farm dogs and from a 12-month-old infant with dysentery. Salmonellae were recovered from all of the clinically ill cows and from 36% of the asymptomatic animals. Salmonellae were widespread on the properties and were isolated from 81% of soil samples; 36% of drain swabs; and from all the pairs of rubber boots worn while collecting samples.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Transdiaphragmatic approach to thoracic duct ligation in the cat.

An approach combining ventral midline celiotomy with transdiaphragmatic thoracotomy was evaluated in eight healthy cats for ligation of the thoracic duct system. Evans Blue solution was injected into the right colic lymph node to outline the intestinal lymphatic trunk and the thoracic duct system. Three cats (group 1) had mesenteric lymphangiograms and three (group 2) had only lymph node dye injection before thoracic duct ligation. The thoracic duct system was ligated with hemostatic clips just cranial to the aortic hiatus of the diaphragm, through a left transdiaphragmatic thoracotomy. Two cats (group 3) had prethoracotomy mesenteric lymphangiograms and thoracic duct isolation without ligation. Mesenteric lymphangiography was performed immediately after the surgery. In all of the cats, an absence of contrast medium in the thoracic duct system cranial to the surgical site was interpreted as complete obstruction. Four weeks after ligation, there was complete obstruction of the thoracic duct system with alternate lymphaticovenous communications in four of the six cats with ligated thoracic duct systems. Partial obstruction of the thoracic duct system with alternate lymphaticovenous communications was present in the other two cats. Both cats without thoracic duct ligation had patent thoracic duct systems. At necropsy of the six cats with ligated thoracic ducts, there was mild focal lymphadenitis of injected lymph nodes in three cats. The wall of the aorta adjacent to the hemostatic clips was normal in all six cats. The surgical technique was simple and provided excellent exposure. Vital staining with Evans Blue helped visualize the thoracic duct system, but mesenteric lymphangiography did not. Postligation lymphangiography was not of value in identifying incomplete ligation.

Animals↗