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Biomedical subjects

P Vellema

Publications and source records attributed to P Vellema.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

[Drug resistance makes new control measures of stomach parasites in small ruminants necessary].

Control of parasitic gastroenteritis in small ruminants is threatened by the worldwide growing problem of anthelmintic resistance. Therefore, alternative approaches for worm control are imperative. Of utmost importance is to slow down selection pressure for anthelmintic resistance by using alternative control measures combined with minimal anthelmintic usage. New control options for the Netherlands are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

The foot-and-mouth disease epidemic in The Netherlands in 2001.

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Great Britain was reported on 21 February 2001, followed by an outbreak of FMD in The Netherlands a month later. This Dutch index outbreak occurred on a mixed, veal-calf/dairy-goat farm in Oene, in the central part of The Netherlands. The most-likely route of infection was the import of Irish veal-calves to this Dutch herd via an FMD-contaminated staging point in France. With hindsight, more herds seemed to be infected by the time the index outbreak was confirmed. The regular EU control measures were implemented, in combination with pre-emptive culling of herds within 1km of each outbreak. Nevertheless, more outbreaks of FMD occurred. Most of the virus infections on those farms were "neighborhood infections". Because the situation seemed out of control locally and the destruction capacity became insufficient, it was decided to implement an emergency vaccination strategy for all biungulates in a large area around Oene to stop further spread of the virus. All susceptible animals on approximately 1800 farms in this area were vaccinated. All farms subsequently were depopulated, starting from 2 weeks after vaccination. In total, 26 outbreaks were detected (the last outbreak on 22 April 2001). In total, approximately 260,000 animals were killed.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Morphology and morphogenesis of hereditary microphthalmia in Texel sheep.

The study presents a morphological description of inherited microphthalmia in Texel sheep and the morphogenesis of the lesion during embryonal development. The eyes of 28 newborn and young lambs with microphthalmia were examined morphologically. Blind rams with microphthalmia were crossed with ewes known to be carriers of the "microphthalmia factor", to obtain embryos of different age with and without microphthalmia for morphogenesis studies. The microphthalmic eyes showed an anteriorly located conus-shaped mass composed of connective tissue with cartilage, smooth muscle and fat tissue, particularly in the posterior part of the conus, and often islets of lacrimal glands and cystic structures lined with squamous epithelium in the anterior part. The iris, ciliary body and ciliary processes were incorporated in the periphery of the broad base of the conus. The conus was covered by a detached and folded but normally developed retina. The morphogenetic study showed an abnormal development of the lens vesicle. In embryos aged 24 days, the lens consisted of a solid unorganized proliferation of epithelial cells without formation of a lens capsule. An extensive overgrowth of primitive mesenchymal tissue followed, with infiltration and disintegration of the lens. In a later stage (45 days) a conus-shaped mass was seen in the anterior part of the eyes, which at 56 days consisted of mesenchymal tissue with focal differentiation to cartilage and epithelial structures in the anterior part of the conus. The primary event proved to be abnormal development of the lens vesicle, with disintegration of the lens and subsequent overgrowth of mesenchymal tissue. The mesenchymal tissue later differentiated in various directions, whereas the epithelial structures found in the microphthalmic eyes at days 56 and 132 and in the newborn lambs seemed to be remnants of the epithelial lens vesicle.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[BSE: clinical diagnosis and field experience].

The clinical diagnosis 'suspected of having BSE' is difficult. Cows older than 2.5 years, presented to the private veterinary practitioner with disturbed locomotion present for more than 14 days and with no detectable cause, should be investigated with suspicion. Questions on changes in behaviour of the animal and during the examination attention on exaggerated responses to handling and sound can give additional information. Notification of suspected cases and gained field experiences are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

[Vitamin B12 supplementation and milk production on farms with 'chronic wasting' cattle].

From early 1999 onwards, cattle health problems accompanied by chronic wasting of unknown aetiology were reported on a number of dairy farms. An association between these health problems and the compulsory use of gE-negative marker vaccines against bovine herpesvirus 1 was presumed by farmers. On one dairy farm an increased milk production of 50% was reported within a few days after parenteral vitamin B12 treatment. Therefore, the current study was designed to determine the effect of parenteral vitamin B12 treatment on the milk production of dairy herds with wasting cattle. A randomized blind trial was performed in five problem herds and two control herds. On each farm five lactating cows were injected intramuscularly with 20 mg vitamin B12 and paired with five untreated lactating cows. The milk production of treated and untreated animals was measured for 19 days following treatment and compared to pre-treatment production. No effect of vitamin B12 treatment on milk production was established on either problem farms or control farms. Neither was a difference detected in the response to vitamin B12 treatment between problem herds and control herds. In a second experiment, parenteral vitamin B12 treatment was applied in three problem herds by local veterinary practitioners. The results of this experiment were in line with the results of the first experiment.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

An experimental study on triclabendazole resistance of Fasciola hepatica in sheep.

The efficacy of triclabendazole in sheep experimentally infected with Fasciola hepatica was studied. Two groups of 12 lambs were infected with a susceptible (S) or a resistant (R) strain of F. hepatica. Eight weeks after infection, six lambs of each group (ST and RT) were treated with triclabendazole (10mg/kg). The other lambs were used as untreated controls (SC and RC). The parameters studied were: GLDH, gamma-GT, ELISA measuring antibodies against recombinant cathepsin-L(1) and eggs per gram faeces (epg). The lambs were slaughtered 16 weeks after infection and the number of flukes counted. The GLDH, gamma-GT levels and the OD value of the ELISA decreased as a result of the treatment in group ST. Patent infections were observed in all animals of groups SC, RT and RC. In group ST, occasionally a few eggs were found in five lambs. The percentage of flukes was 31.3 in SC and 37.6 in RC. In the treated groups ST and RT, the percentage of flukes was 0.06 and 33.6, respectively. These results corresponded to efficacies of 99.8% in the susceptible and 10.8% in the resistant strain. Since the resistant strain was isolated from a mixed cattle and sheep farm, it confirms the presence of triclabendazole resistance in the Netherlands.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Resistance of Fasciola hepatica against triclabendazole in cattle and sheep in The netherlands.

In the winter of 1998/1999, sheep on a farm in the province of North Holland, The Netherlands, died from subacute and chronic liver fluke disease despite four previous treatments with triclabendazole (TCBZ). Faecal examinations of sheep and cattle on the farm showed high number of liver fluke eggs. In a randomised clinical trial, the fluke egg output was monitored weekly for 3 weeks in sheep which were treated with TCBZ or with closantel; in dairy cows treated with TCBZ or with clorsulon; and in heifers treated with TCBZ or clorsulon. The results showed a significant reduction of 99.7, 98.1 and 99.2%, respectively, in fluke egg output at 21 days in all non-TCBZ treated animals. TCBZ treatment produced percentage decreases of 15.3, 4.3 and 36.6%, respectively. These results are highly indicative of the presence of TCBZ-resistant Fasciola hepatica in sheep and cattle on this farm.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Pathological changes in cobalt-supplemented and non-supplemented twin lambs in relation to blood concentrations of methylmalonic acid and homocysteine.

In a controlled field study of three years' duration we evaluated the effect of cobalt supplementation on pathological changes in cobalt/vitamin B12-deficient Texel twin lambs grazing the same cobalt-deficient pasture. Semi-quantitative evaluation of the histopathology of liver and brain was done on 44 sets of twins. Pathological changes were related to blood concentrations of vitamin B12, methylmalonic acid, and homocysteine. Lesions were mainly confined to the liver and brain. Acute hepatic changes were characterized by steatosis, hepatocytic degeneration, and single cell necrosis. Chronic changes consisted of bile duct proliferation, the presence of ceroid containing macrophages, and fibrosis in the portal triads. Many non-supplemented lambs showed polymicrocavitation and Alzheimer type II reaction in the brain. Polioencephalomalacia was observed in three non-supplemented lambs but was regarded as a secondary lesion. Our results indicate that the main lesions found in cobalt/vitamin B12-deficient lambs are acute and chronic hepatitis. These lesions were associated with low concentrations of vitamin B12 and high concentrations of methylmalonic acid and homocysteine in the blood. The liver lesions were also associated with polymicrocavitation of the brain, probably as morphological evidence of hepatoencephalopathy.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

[Severe watery diarrhea caused by Vibrio cholerae in lambs].

An outbreak of watery diarrhoea in lambs is described. Seventeen lambs died within 24 hours after the start of the diarrhoea. At necropsy Vibrio cholerae was isolated from the organs and intestines of three lambs. The strains did not react with O1 or O139 antisera, the strains responsible for cholera epidemics among humans. It is concluded that the diarrhoea in the lambs was caused by V. cholerae non-01/non-139. This microorganism had not been described before in lambs in the Netherlands.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Sheep do not have a major role in bovine herpesvirus 1 transmission.

With regard to BHV1 eradication programs in cattle it is important to know whether sheep can be a reservoir of BHV1. We therefore performed an experiment that consisted of three phases. In phase 1, 10 sheep were inoculated with high doses of BHV1 and kept in close contact with 5 sheep and 5 calves. All inoculated sheep excreted BHV1 between 8 and 15 days post inoculation and seroconverted. Although BHV1 was isolated from the nasal mucosa of 3 out of 5 sentinel sheep, none of the sentinel sheep produced antibodies against BHV1. One sentinel calf excreted BHV1 through days 12-17; the remaining 4 calves excreted BHV1 between days 18 and 24 suggesting that the first calf was infected by sheep and the remaining 4 sentinel calves were infected by that calf and not by sheep. The bacic reproduction ratio (R0) of BHV1 between sheep and calves was estimated at 0.1, and among calves it was estimated at > or = 9. In phase 2, all inoculated sheep were treated with dexamethasone and kept in close contact with 5 sheep and 5 calves. All dexamethasone treated sheep re-excreted BHV1 over a 6- to 9-day period. None of the sentinel animals seroconverted. In phase 3, the sentinel sheep and calves of phase 1 were kept in two groups and were treated with dexamethasone. None of the sentinel sheep re-excreted BHV1, whereas 3 out of 5 sentinel calves did. It is concluded that while BHV1 infection in sheep is possible, BHV1 does not spread from sheep easily to cattle.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Effect of cobalt supplementation on serum vitamin B12 levels, weight gain and survival rate in lambs grazing cobalt-deficient pastures.

The effect of cobalt supplementation on serum vitamin B12, growth rate and survival rate was measured in controlled field experiments with Texel twin lambs of the same sex, grazing cobalt-deficient pastures. The non-supplemented lambs had lower serum vitamin B12 concentrations than their supplemented brothers or sisters. During the experiments more lambs died in the non-supplemented than in the supplemented group. At the end of the experiments supplemented lambs weighed (mean live weight) 7.2, 9.5, and 11.0 kg more than non-supplemented lambs in 1991, 1992, and 1993, respectively. Sex-related differences in weight gain and survival rate were observed.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

A survey of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of sheep in The Netherlands.

The prevalence of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of sheep was surveyed in 1994 on 70 farms in the Netherlands. An in vitro egg hatch assay, faecal egg count reduction (FECR) 14 days after treatment, and larval cultures were used as methods of investigation. Oxfendazole was tested on 69, ivermectin on 51, and levamisole on 36 farms. The median effective dose (ED50) of thiabendazole could be determined on 64 farms. On 60 farms (94%) the ED50 value was > or = 0.12 microgram ml-1, which is indicative of the presence of benzimidazole (BZ) resistance. On two farms egg output was too low to do a FECR test. Based on the results of the FECR test, BZ resistance was present on 56 farms (84%), on 2 farms there was a suspicion of resistance and on 9 farms no resistance could be found. No clear indications were found for the presence of resistance against ivermectin or levamisole. BZ resistance was demonstrated in Haemonchus contortus, Cooperia curticei, Ostertagia spp. and/or Trichostrongylus spp. No resistance was observed in species from the genus Nematodirus, Chabertia ovina and/or Oesophagostomum spp.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

The effect of cobalt supplementation on the immune response in vitamin B12 deficient Texel lambs.

The effect of cobalt supplementation on the immune reactivity in vitamin B12 deficient lambs was measured by comparing the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses against bovine herpes virus type 1 and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. In addition, faecal egg counts were performed after natural infection with gastrointestinal nematodes. The experiments were performed with registered Texel twin lambs of the same sex. One lamb of each twin received three cobalt pellets divided over the grazing period. The non-supplemented lambs had lower serum vitamin B12 levels than their supplemented brother or sister. Our results demonstrate significantly lower lymphoblastic responses against Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in non-supplemented lambs compared with supplemented lambs 4 weeks after paratuberculosis vaccination. Vitamin B12 deficient lambs in this study had significant higher faecal egg counts than their supplemented brother or sister after natural infection with gastrointestinal nematodes. No differences were found in total and differential white blood cell counts, in total protein, albumin, alpha-, beta- and gamma-globulin and in antibody production against bovine herpes virus type 1 and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

[Salmonella dublin infections on a goat farm].

A Salmonella Dublin infection in young goats has been described. In a period of two weeks, 16 of 70 female-kids died within one day, because of septicaemia. Bad hygiene and management measures were discussed as the main reason for this outbreak.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed1995

[Anthelmintic resistance in sheep nematodes in The Netherlands].

The prevalence of anthelmintic resistant nematodes in sheep was investigated in 1994 with a faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) and an egg hatch assay (EHA) on 71 farms in the Netherlands. A benzimidazole (oxfendazole) was tested on 70 farms, ivermectin on 51 farms, and levamisole on 35 farms. Based on the FECRT benzimidazole resistance was present on 56 farms, 2 were suspected, on 9 no resistance was observed, while 3 farms could not be tested due to a too low egg output before treatment. No clear indications for resistance to ivermectin and levamisole were found. Benzimidazole resistance was demonstrated in Haemonchus contortus, Cooperia curticei, Ostertagia spp. and/or Trichostrongylus spp. No resistance was seen in species from the genus Nematodirus, Chabertia ovina and/or Oesophagostomum spp. De results of the EHA confirmed the results of the FECRT. On 59 farms the ED50 value was > 0.12 microgram ml-1 thiabendazole.

Animals↗