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Biomedical subjects

F W Hill

Publications and source records attributed to F W Hill.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

An outbreak of haemorrhagic septicaemia (septicaemic pasteurellosis) in cattle in Zimbabwe.

An outbreak of haemorrhagic septicaemia caused by Pasteurella multocida in beef cattle in Zimbabwe grazing effluent-irrigated pastures, is described. The outbreak occurred during the wet summer months and predisposing stress factors included excessive rainfall and unusual cold weather during the preceding month. History, clinical features and post-mortem findings were consistent with reports of the disease from other countries, except that meningitis was also a constant feature. Morbidity approached 77% and mortality 5 per cent. Prophylactic treatment and vaccination with a killed bacterin together with a return of warmer and drier weather were probably important in halting the outbreak.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Reproduction in female cattle in a communal farming area of Zimbabwe.

Cattle in a communal farming area of Zimbabwe were identified and examined in the late dry and mid wet season of 1985/86. Ovarian activity rates were 17.9% and 38.6% in the dry and wet season respectively. Pregnancy rates were 16.1% and 24.6% respectively. A major limitation to reproduction was the percentage of anoestrous females. There was no evidence of a seasonal calving pattern. Median body condition score was 2.0 in the dry season and 1.5 in the wet season. Adult females of body condition score 2.5 and above had ovarian activity rates of 41.9% and pregnancy rates of 41.9 per cent. Those with a body condition score below 2.5 had rates of 26.8% and 16.4% respectively. Serum progesterone levels in pregnant animals were positively related to body condition score, with some animals having progesterone levels similar to non-pregnant animals. Metabolic profiles suggested that the major limiting nutrient in both seasons was nitrogen, although other micronutrients might also be involved in low reproductive rates.

Agriculture↗
PubMed1992

Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infection in Zimbabwean goats and sheep.

The prevalence of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae (MO) in three Communal Lands flocks of goats on the outskirts of Harare is described. In a single sampling of nasal swabs from 172 randomly selected, apparently healthy goats, 112 animals were identified as carriers of MO. The three flocks had a history of occasional deaths, following chronic and subacute pneumonia associated with isolation of MO as the only identifiable pathogen. Attempts to induce clinical pneumonia in groups of 6 to 8-week-old kids and lambs with local isolates of MO were not successful. However, MO was consistently cultured from the trachea, lungs, lymph node and thymus of some test animals. Cuffing interstitial pneumonia was also observed in these animals. Infection of the thymus occurred; this has not previously been reported with any Mycoplasma sp. The animals did not produce detectable serum antibodies to MO nor were they reactive to MO antigen in a tuberculin-type hypersensitivity test. The possibility that a state of immunotolerance may have been responsible for failure to develop clinical pneumonia is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Concurrent systemic cryptococcosis and haemangiosarcoma in a dog.

A young dog with progressive neurological signs was humanely killed by the injection of barbiturate for postmortem examination. Lesions in the nose, lung, pancreas, lymph nodes, kidneys and the meninges were heavily infiltrated with Cryptococcus neoformans. In addition, haemangiosarcoma was detected in the right atrium. The finding of systemic mycosis and neoplasia together in a young dog suggests an immunosuppressed state.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Toxocara vitulorum in beef calves kept on effluent-irrigated pastures in Zimbabwe.

Faeces from 20 calves aged 13 +/- 5 days were examined for Toxocara vitulorum eggs fortnightly for a period of 20 weeks. The age of calves when eggs were first detected varied from 24 to 110 days (mean 41 +/- 20 days). The mean egg count varied from 257 to 19,821 g-1 of faeces with a highest count of 68,400. The patency period of T. vitulorum lasted from 14 to 112 days (mean 65 +/- 30 days). None of the calves showed clinical signs of illness.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Evidence for a critical period during late gestation when maternal dietary carbohydrate is essential for survival of newborn rats.

Two experiments were designed to test the hypotheses that 1) maternal dietary carbohydrate is required on d 20-21 of gestation (gd 20-21), when fetal liver glycogen is accumulating, to ensure the postnatal survival of the newborn rat pup and that 2) the lack of maternal dietary carbohydrate during this critical 2-d period will cause high neonatal mortality. Pregnant dams were fed one of two lipid-based, carbohydrate-restricted experimental diets. In experiment 1, the primary energy source was soybean oil; the diets contained no added glucose but contained 4% glucose-equivalents as lipid-glycerol. In experiment 2, the major lipid component was food-grade oleic acid; this diet was supplemented with 4% glucose. A crossover design was used. For gd 0-19, dams were fed either the high carbohydrate diet (62% glucose) or one of the carbohydrate-restricted diets (4% glucose or 4% lipid-glycerol); beginning on gd 19 and through neonatal d 7 (nd 7), the opposite diet was fed. For controls in each experiment, a high carbohydrate diet (62% glucose) and the respective carbohydrate-restricted diets were fed throughout pregnancy. The results showed that restriction to 4% glucose equivalents beginning on gd 20 resulted in high first-day neonatal mortality that was comparable in magnitude to nd-1 mortality rates in dams fed the carbohydrate-restricted diets throughout pregnancy. Repletion with the high carbohydrate, control diet after gd 19 significantly reduced mortality. These experiments demonstrate that maternal dietary carbohydrate beginning in late gestation is essential for the postnatal survival of rat pups.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Altered lactational performance in rats fed low carbohydrate diets and its effect on growth of neonatal rat pups.

The possibility that low carbohydrate diets fed to nursing rat dams altered milk composition and impaired neonatal growth and development was explored. Pregnant control dams fed a 62% glucose diet were paired at parturition with experimental dams fed diets with either severe (0% glucose) or moderate (6% glucose) carbohydrate restriction. At birth half of the littermates of each pair were cross-fostered so that each dam nursed a litter consisting of one-half deficient and one-half control pups. All pups born to dams fed the 0% glucose diet died within 24 h of birth whether they were nursed by control or deficient dams. Control pups cross-fostered to these deficient dams died by the second day; the 0% glucose diet failed to support milk production. In contrast, the dams fed the 6% glucose diet produced milk, but its composition was significantly lower in carbohydrate and lipid than was milk of control dams. This altered milk composition was associated with retarded postnatal growth and development. Control pups cross-fostered to 6% glucose dams showed decreased survival (83% vs. 97%) and significantly reduced body weight (10 g vs. 12 g) at d 7. Conversely, 6% glucose pups cross-fostered to control dams showed improved survival (54% vs. 29%) and significantly increased body weight (9 g vs. 7 g) at d 7. These data showed that carbohydrate-restricted diets altered milk production and/or composition, which, in turn, reduced growth and increased mortality in the pups nursed by dams fed these diets. The results demonstrate that an adequate source of dietary carbohydrate is important for optimal lactational performance.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

A rat bioassay for measuring the comparative availability of carbohydrates and its application to legume foods, pure carbohydrates and polyols.

An assay was developed to evaluate the bioavailability of dietary carbohydrate by slope-ratio analysis of weight gain and plasma ketones of rats fed a carbohydrate-free diet supplemented with glucose as a standard and selected food items, pure carbohydrates and polyols. The diet was based on 35% food grade oleic acid, 12% casein protein supplemented with methionine (0.3%) and arginine (0.2%), 7.5% soybean oil, 37% cellulose, minerals and vitamins. Glucose, as the reference standard, or test materials were incorporated in the diet by replacing equi-energetic amounts of oleic acid and adjusting cellulose to equalize total weight. Optimal levels of protein (casein) and triglyceride (soybean oil) in the basal diet were defined as those levels above which additional protein or fat would serve only to provide endogenous glucose from their glucogenic amino acids and glycerol constituents. A standard dose-response curve was obtained by feeding diets containing 0%, 1% and 2% glucose. Similar dose response curves were obtained by feeding test materials. Under these experimental conditions, additional glucose or additional protein were growth stimulating and casein had approximately 50% of the value of an equal weight of glucose, which was consistent with its content of glucogenic amino acids. The specific carbohydrate value of a food was estimated in the assay by subtracting the calculated glucogenic value of its digestible protein from the total response. The apparent availability of the carbohydrates (i.e., nitrogen-free extract) in soybean meal, lima bean (Phaseolus lumatus), and chick pea (Cicer arietinum) were 35, 70, and 80%, respectively, as available as glucose. Galactose, a 1:1 mixture of galactose + glucose, fractose and starch were as available as glucose. Lactose, ribose, sorbitol, and xylitol were 50 to 65% as available as glucose while mannitol and inulin were not available to a significant extent. Possible metabolic bases for these differences are discussed.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1979

Snake bite in dogs.

In 7 years snake bite was diagnosed in 80 dogs. Sporting breeds figured prominently. The average was 3.6 years. The commonest presenting signs were salivation, vomiting, dilated pupils, absence of the pupillary light reflex, depression and generalised muscle weakness, hindlimb ataxia and respiratory distress. Sixty-seven cases (84%) occurred in 6 warmer months on the year. Fifty-one dogs (64%) were seen either to be bitten or in contact with a snake. Tiger and Brown snakes were implicated on 32 and 3 occasions respectively. An overall recovery rate of 87% was obtained for patients receiving antivenene, fluid and support therapy. The period from treatment-to-full recovery was shorter for cases in which the bite-to-treatment period was one hour or less (24 hours) when compared with the recovery time for all cases (36 hours). The prognosis was poor for dogs presenting with the triad of complete flaccid paralysis, dyspnoea and a sub-normal temperature.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

An oesophageal diverticulum in a dog.

An 11-month-old male Miniature Poodle was found to regurgitate small volumes of fluid and food particles due to a diverticulum in the thoracic oesophagus. The diverticulum was removed surgically. Histologically the wall contained extensive scar tissue. Longterm recovery was uneventful and 5 months after surgery the dog is in good health

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1978

Adrenocortical insufficiency in the dog.

Primary adrenocortical insufficiency is described in 3 dogs. Clinical signs included marked depression, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness and bradycardia. Diagnosis was based on clinical signs and biochemical findings of hyperkalaemia, hyponatraemia and a lowered plasma Na+ : K+ ratio. Treatment during the acute illness consisted of intravenous fluids and hydrocortisone sodium succinate. Fludrocortisone acetate has maintained all dogs in good health. One dog was on treatment for 4 years.

Adrenal Insufficiency↗
PubMed1978

Snake bite in cats.

In 6 years snake bite was diagnosed in 41 cats, with an average age of 20 months. The commonest presenting signs were dilated pupils, absence of the pupillary light reflex, depression and generalised muscle weakness. Other frequent findings were vomiting, dyspnoea, hindlimb ataxia and complete flaccid paralysis. Thirty-seven cases (90%) occurred in the 6 warmer months of the year. Tiger snakes were positively identified in 7 cases. A recovery rate of 89% was obtained in cases receiving 3000 units Tiger snake antivenene, fluid therapy and nursing. Cases presenting with a complete flaccid paralysis and sub-normal temperatures were poor prognostic risks.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Histiocytic ulcerative colitis in a Boxer dog.

A 2-year-old male Boxer dog had passed loose faeces mixed with fresh blood and mucus for 8 months. Tenesmus after defaecation was a feature. Colitis was diagnosed from the proctoscopic appearance of the recto-colonic mucosa and confirmed from a biopsy. The disorder proved unresponsive to sulphasalazine therapy, but oral chloramphenicol, betamethasone and prednisolone enemas administered over a 6-week period produced a satisfactory clinical improvement, which persisted for a further 3 weeks without treatment. However, follow-up proctoscopy showed only a marginal improvement in the appearance of the mucosa and appeared to exacerbate further bloody diarrhoea, which persisted. The dog was destroyed and histiocytic ulcerative colitis confirmed at autopsy.

Animals↗