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Pathogenicity and protective activity in pregnant goats of a Brucella melitensis Deltaomp25 deletion mutant.

The Brucella melitensis mutant BM 25, which lacks the major 25 kDa outer membrane protein Omp25, has previously been found to be attenuated in the murine brucellosis model. In the present study, the capacity of the Deltaomp25 mutant to colonise and cause abortions in the caprine host was evaluated. The vaccine potential of BM 25 was also investigated in goats. Inoculation of nine pregnant goats in late gestation with the B. melitensis mutant resulted in 0/9 abortions, while the virulent parental strain, B. melitensis 16M, induced 6/6 dams to abort (P<0.001, n=6). BM 25 also colonised fewer adults (P<0.05, n=6) and kids (P<0.01, n=6) than strain 16M. The Deltaomp25 mutant was found capable of transient in vivo colonisation of non-pregnant goats for two weeks post-infection. Owing to the ability of BM 25 to colonise both non-pregnant and pregnant adults without inducing abortions, a vaccine efficacy study was performed. Vaccination of goats prior to breeding with either BM 25 or the current caprine vaccine B. melitensis strain Rev. 1 resulted in 100 per cent protection against abortion following challenge in late gestation with virulent strain 16M (P<0.05, n=7). However, unlike strain Rev. 1, BM 25 does not appear to cause abortions in late gestation based on this study with a small number of animals. The B. melitensis Deltaomp25 mutant, BM 25, may be a safe and efficacious alternative to strain Rev. 1 when dealing with goat herds of mixed age and pregnancy status.

Animals↗

Experimental infection of goats with Trypanosoma brucei ssp. and effects of treatment with suramin and Mel-B.

A stock of Trypanosoma brucei ssp. isolated from a naturally-infected goat in the Lambwe Valley, Kenya, induced cerebral trypanosomiasis in experimentally-infected goats. Six of nine goats with cerebral trypanosomiasis induced by this stock were cured by a single high dose of suramin (50 mg kg-1). Two other goats appeared to be cured with this dosage of suramin but later developed abnormal central nervous system (CNS) signs and parasitaemia. Parasites first appeared in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and then in the blood and lymph nodes. Mel-B was also effective against primary and relapse cerebral trypanosomiasis in goats.

Animals↗

Effectiveness of WR 163577 against animal trypanosomes in goats and mice.

A bisquinaldine, 1,6-bis-(6-amino-2-methyl-4-quinolylamino) hexane, was tested against Trypanosoma brucei ssp. in goats and against T. brucei, T. congolense and T. vivax in mice. At doses of 25 and 100 mg kg-1, the drug protected goats for at least 90 days against blood challenge with T. brucei ssp. Fifty to sixty per cent of goats challenged 180 days after treatment were protected, but all goats challenged 270 days after treatment became infected. In mice, bisquinaldine also had a marked effect on T. brucei, but only a minimal effect on T. vivax and no apparent effect on T. congolense. No drug toxicity was noted in mice even at doses of 2000 mg kg-1. Both a short-term (25 and 100 mg kg-1) and long term (100 mg kg-1) toxicity was apparent in goats treated with bisquinaldine.

Aminoquinolines↗

A retrospective study of the inheritance of peromelia in Angora goats.

Peromelia, agenesia of the distal parts of the limbs, has been reported as a congenital defect in several animal species. In Angora goats, cases occur in a familiar pattern consistent with an autosomal recessively inherited defect. To obtain further evidence on the inheritance of peromelia in Angora goats, breeding results for goats being daughters of known carriers and which were then mated to a known carrier were analysed. Of 45 kids born in 1993 and 1994, five kids had peromelia. This corresponded to the expected 7:1 segregation. The difference between the number of affected male and female kids was not statistically significant. Peromelia affected kids occurred significantly more frequently among goats selected in the breeding study than among other goats in the respective herds. The study demonstrated that peromelia is inherited as an autosomal recessive defect. Based on knowledge obtained in a previous study, the genotype probably has varying degrees of expressivity.

Animals↗

Bacteria associated with enzootic pneumonia in goats.

A histological and microbiological study of lung samples from 83 slaughtered goats (33 kids and 50 adults) drawn from a flock with a history of pleuropneumonia caused by mycoplasmas of the M. mycoides group was carried out. A total of 82% (27/33) of kids and 36% (18/50) of adult goats presented pulmonary lesions characteristic of enzootic pneumonia: lesions took the form of bronchointerstitial pneumonia with peribronchial and peribronchiolar proliferation of lymphocytes. Microbiological analysis confirmed a range of mycoplasma species, including Mycoplasma mycoides ssp. mycoides Large Colony (MmmlC) (3.70%; 1/27), Mycoplasma mycoides ssp. capri (Mmc) (7.40%; 2/27), Mycoplasma putrefaciens (22.2%; 6/27), Mycoplasma arginini (3.70%; 1/27) and Mycoplasma sp. (7.40%; 2/ 27), as well as Pasteurella multocida (14.8%; 4/27), associated with enzootic pneumonia lesions in younger animals, whereas Mycoplasma sp. was associated with enzootic pneumonia in adult goats (22.0%; 4/18). Cilia-associated respiratory (CAR) bacillus found by histochemical examination was associated with enzootic pneumonia in kids (25.9%; 7/27) and goats (44.4%; 8/18), being the first description of this bacterium in adult goats.

Animals↗

Serologic survey for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi in sheep, goats and dogs in Cordillera Province, Bolivia.

A serosurvey for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted on sheep, goat and dog serum samples collected in Cordillera Province, Bolivia, in 1992 Sera from 98 sheep, 218 goats and 43 dogs were tested. The observed seroprevalence in sheep and dogs was 0.0%, whereas the seropositivity rate for goat serum samples was 5.0%. Upon analysing 10 positive sera by Western immunoblotting, five reacted against the specific protein antigens and all of them met the criteria for positivity on the basis of immunoglobulin G (IgG) bands, indicating that goats in Cordillera Province were exposed to B. burgdorferi. These findings, which are further proof of the existence of B. burgdorferi infection in Bolivia, indicate the serologic analysis of goats as a suitable tool for Lyme borreliosis surveillance.

Animals↗

Influence of climatic and management factors on Eimeria infections in goats from semi-arid zones.

A survey of Eimeria infections was performed in dairy goats and kids (<6 months old) of six farms from a dry desert area of Gran Canaria Island (Spain). The number of oocysts per gram of faeces (OPG) was determined by a modified McMaster technique over a total of 2,616 individual faecal samples taken from the rectum in monthly intervals. Eimeria oocysts were found in 96.1% of the samples with OPG ranging from 1 x 10(2) to 1.4 x 10(6). Kid goats had significantly (P < 0.001) higher OPG counts (46,496 +/- 5,228) than dairy females (2,225 +/- 287). Eight Eimeria species were identified, with Eimeria ninakohlyakimovae (30.0%), Eimeria arloingi (28.6%) and Eimeria alijevi (20.5%) being the most frequent species followed by Eimeria caprina (9.1%), Eimeria christenseni (4.5%), Eimeria jolchijevi (3.4%), Eimeria caprovina (3.2%) and Eimeria hirci (0.7%). Although significant differences were observed among goat groups and herds, the eight species were present in the six farms in both dairy goats and kids. The intensity of oocysts shedding was related to some factors such as the size of the herd and was further influenced by the prevailing climatic conditions of the area. The highest OPG counts were recorded during the hot season in dairy goats and close to weaning time in kids reared in small farms having no prophylactic treatments against eimeriosis.

Animals↗

Prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica in goat herds from Northern Germany.

The prevalence of human pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica isolates in livestock farming is of paramount interest. Raw goat milk has been proposed as a source of human yersiniosis; however, no data on the prevalence of human strains of Y. enterocolitica in goat herds are available. Therefore, fecal samples (n = 575) were collected from 24 goat herds from Lower Saxony, northern Germany. Pre-enrichment in peptone, sorbitol and bile salts broth was followed by plating on cefsuloidin irgasan novobiocin agar. Yersinia enterocolitica was isolated from 17 (3%) samples of five (21%) goat herds. All isolates were biovar 1A, but represented various serovars. PCR assays targeting Yersinia adhesin (yad) gene and the yopT gene, both associated with pathogenicity, produced no amplification products. Therefore, the isolates can be regarded as opportunistic apathogenic bacteria. Consequently, milk, cheese or meat from goats should not be considered as an important source for human yersiniosis.

Animals↗

Enteritis in sheep and goats due to Yersinia enterocolitica infection.

Yersinia enterocolitica biotype 5, serotype 02,3 was isolated from the intestine of 38 sheep and 8 goats submitted to the laboratory for disease diagnosis. Infected animals were usually young, had diarrhoea and were in poor condition or emaciated. A number were moribund or dead when submitted. Characteristic microabscesses were demonstrated in the intestine of 5 of 38 sheep and 3 of 8 goats and no alternative cause of morbidity or mortality was established in these animals. Of the 33 sheep and 5 goats infected with Y. enterocolitica in which microabscesses were not demonstrated, a number of other diagnoses were made, including internal parasitism (18), selenium deficiency or white muscle disease (6) and cobalt deficiency (2), so that morbidity and mortality were possibly unrelated to Y. enterocolitica infection. Five of 6 sheep exposed experimentally by mouth to Y. enterocolitica biotype 5, serotype 02,3 developed an intestinal infection. Although infected sheep showed no clinical evidence of disease and haematological and biochemical indices remained normal, multiple intestinal microabscesses typical of yersiniosis were demonstrated in 3 of 5 infected sheep. It is concluded that Y. enterocolitica biotype 5, serotype 02,3 is an enteropathogen of sheep and goats. Since sheep and goats may be the specific hosts of this bacterium, its virulence for these species is apparently low. Morbidity and mortality may, therefore, be unusual manifestations of infection.

Animals↗

Pharmacokinetics and residues in milk of oxytetracyclines administered parenterally to dairy goats.

OBJECTIVE: To determine for two commercial preparations of oxytetracycline (OTC) the pharmacokinetic behaviour, the presence of detectable milk residues and the penetration in milk of OTC administered by intravenous (IV) (conventional formulation [CF]) and intramuscular (IM) routes (CF and long-acting [LA] formulations) in goats producing milk. The effects of these formulations on plasma activity values of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were also determined as indicators of tissue damage. PROCEDURE: Five healthy lactating goats producing 1.5+/-0.5 L/d milk and weighing 56.0+/-4.8 kg were used. Single doses of OTC chlorhydrate (CF) were administered (20 mg OTC/kg) by IV (Trial 1 IV) and IM (Trial 1 IM) routes and OTC dehydrate (LA) by the IM route. The same goats were first given IV CF, then IM CF followed by IM LA with 3 weeks between each treatment. Blood and milk samples were taken. The quantification of OTC was performed by HPLC and the plasma activities of CK and LDH enzymes were determined by spectrophotometry. The presence of OTC residues in milk was determined by a commercial reagent. The plasma pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using a two-compartment model. RESULTS: Estimates of kinetic variables following IV administration were: Vss= 400.0+/-120.0 mL/kg and CL= 110.0+/-14.0 (mL/h)/kg. The t(fi) for IV= 3.0+/-0.3 h; IM, CF = 10.5+/-2.1 h and IM, LA = 15.1+/-3.1 h. The concentration of OTC in milk at 48 h was: IV= 0.6+/-0.4; IM CF= 1.1+/-0.2 and at 72 h (IM LA)= 0.6+/-0.1 microg/mL and the penetration in milk of OTC was: IV= 70.0+/-18.0; IM CF= 79.0+/-14.0 and IM LA= 66.0+/-6.0%. The areas under the curve of CK and LDH activities in plasma were calculated by the trapezoidal method. Values of CK and LDH IM, LA were greater (P < 0.05) than those observed for IM, CF at 2 and 3 days after administration of the antibiotic. Finally, the bioavailability of OTC CF = 92.0+/-22.0 and LA= 78.0+/-23.0% was suitable for its usage by the IM route in lactating goats. CONCLUSION: Plasma concentration-time values of OTC administered parenterally in production dairy goats showed similar bioavailability for the two pharmaceutical preaprations. The presence of detectable residues in milk indicates that milk should not be used for human consumption for 2 and 3 days after administration of conventional and long-acting formulations, respectively. The increments in CK and LDH activities after the IM administration of LA are consistent with the presence of tissue damage provoked by the pharmaceutical preparations at the injection site.

Animals↗

Management of obstructive urolithiasis and concurrent urethral rupture in a goat.

A 4-month-old, male castrated Alpine White goat presented to the University of Guelph, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, with urolithiasis and a ruptured urethra. A tube cystostomy was performed using an indwelling Foley catheter. Postoperatively, the goat remained in good health, and was discharged with the cystostomy catheter in situ. Five weeks following surgery, the goat was noted to pass urine through its urethra. Seven weeks following surgery, the catheter became dislodged and the goat was observed to urinate normally. Six months following surgery, the goat was apparently healthy and urinating normally. Tube cystostomy may be a useful therapeutic option in the management of small ruminants with obstructive urolithiasis with concurrent rupture of the urethra, especially for cases in which treatment cost is a limiting factor.

Animals↗

A cohort study of Yersinia infection in goats.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the temporal pattern of Yersinia infections in three goat flocks and examine the influence of management and seasonal factors on the incidence of those infections over a 1-year period. METHODS: A longitudinal study involving monthly culture of faeces for Yersinia spp. from age groups of randomly selected goats on three farms in the Manawatu region of New Zealand. RESULTS: The incidence of excretion of potentially pathogenic Yersinia (Yersinia pseudotuberculosis and Y enterocolitica biotypes 2, 3 and 5) peaked in winter and fell in summer. In contrast, environmental Yersinia (Y enterocolitica biotype 1A, Y frederiksenii, Y intermedia and Y rohdei) showed no clear pattern of seasonal variation. Pathogenic Yersinia were more prevalent in young animals than in adults, while environmental Yersinia were more prevalent in adults. The same type was isolated from the same animal in two or more successive months in about 20 to 25% of cases, and in the remaining cases there was a gap of at least one month between successive isolations, with many animals yielding a particular type on only a single occasion. A notable difference was that with the potentially pathogenic types, no animal had more than one period of time when it was found to be excreting a particular type, suggesting that immunity develops following exposure. In contrast, it was common for environmental types to be isolated from the same animal throughout the study period. Two goats were suspected to have developed clinical yersiniosis but all remaining infected animals showed no clinical signs of infection. CONCLUSIONS: Asymptomatic Yersinia carriage was common in goats in New Zealand, with a clear seasonal and age group pattern of infection with potentially pathogenic types. There was evidence that immunity developed to potentially pathogenic types. This is the first time that Y rohdei has been isolated from goats.

Age Factors↗

Natural infection of domestic goats with Ehrlichia chaffeensis.

Thirty-eight domestic goats from an area of Ehrlichia chaffeensis endemicity were tested for antibodies reactive to E. chaffeensis and for E. chaffeensis-specific 16S rRNA gene fragments by an indirect fluorescent antibody test and a nested PCR assay, respectively. Twenty-eight of 38 (73.7%) goats had antibodies reactive to E. chaffeensis (>/=1:128), and 6 of 38 (15.8%) goats were positive by diagnostic PCR; E. chaffeensis was isolated in cell culture from one goat. Our data indicate that goats in areas of endemicity are naturally exposed to and infected with E. chaffeensis.

Animals↗

Direct evidence for natural transmission of small-ruminant lentiviruses of subtype A4 from goats to sheep and vice versa.

Small-ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV), which include the caprine arthritis-encephalitis and the maedi-visna virus, cause persistent inflammatory infections in goats and sheep. SRLV are mainly transmitted from mother to offspring through milk. Transmission after prolonged contact between adult animals has also been observed. The observation that certain SRLV subtypes are found in both goats and sheep suggests that interspecies transmission has occurred on several occasions in the past. We investigated seropositive goats and sheep that were kept together in small mixed herds. Phylogenetic analysis of long proviral sequences in gag and pol, combined with epidemiologic information, demonstrated natural sheep-to-goat transmission of the recently identified SRLV subtype A4 in two instances and goat-to-sheep transmission of the same subtype in one instance. In a further mixed cluster, the direction of the interspecies transmission could not be determined. These findings present for the first time direct evidence that natural interspecies transmission of SRLV is ongoing in both directions. The findings are of relevance to virus eradication programs in both species.

Agriculture↗

Lameness and foot lesions in adult British dairy goats.

In the first population-based study of lameness and foot lesions in adult goats in the UK, a random sample of 307 adult goats from four large commercial dairy farms was examined. The overall proportion of lame goats was 9.1 per cent (2.6 to 24.4 per cent). The abnormalities detected were horn separation (29.6 per cent), white line lesions (13.0 per cent) slippering (10.1 per cent), abscess of the sole (4.2 per cent), foreign body, and granulomatous lesions (1.0 per cent). Between 83.1 and 95.5 per cent of the goats had overgrown horn on at least one foot. The number of feet of individual goats with horn separation followed a Poisson distribution suggesting that it was associated with environmental rather than genetic or nutritional factors. Horn separation, abscess of the sole and footrot were significantly associated with lameness, but white line lesions, slippering and granulomatous lesions were not. There were differences between the farms in the prevalence of lameness and foot lesions. Routine foot trimming was associated with a lower prevalence of lameness.

Animal Husbandry↗

Relationships between infection with caprine arthritis encephalitis virus, intramammary bacterial infection and somatic cell counts in dairy goats.

Somatic cell counts, the bacteriological condition of the milk and antibodies against caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) were measured monthly throughout lactation in 121 lactating goats of the Murcia-Granada breed in four commercial dairy goat herds. The prevalence of bacterial intramammary infection was 5.6 per cent and the prevalence of CAEV infection was 20.6 per cent. An analysis of variance revealed a significant effect of herd, intramammary infection and the interaction between intramammary infection and CAEV on the somatic cell count. In udder halves free of intramammary infection, the somatic cell counts were significantly lower in seronegative goats than in seropositive goats (P<0.05), but the difference was not significant in udder halves persistently infected by bacteria. There was a significant increase in somatic cell counts due to bacterial intramammary infection (P<0.01) in the seronegative goats, but this effect was not present in the seropositive animals.

Animals↗

Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium parvum infections in adult goats and their implications for neonatal kids.

During the kidding season between January and April 2003, 10 farms were selected and divided into two groups of five. The farms in group A had had serious diarrhoeal illness and losses in neonatal kids the previous year, and there were Cryptosporidium parvum infections in kids associated with diarrhoea during the survey. On the farms in group B, there was no history of diarrhoeal disease the previous year and neither C parvum oocysts nor diarrhoea were detected in neonatal kids during the survey. Faecal samples were collected once from 10 adult goats aged between one and seven years on each farm. To assess more accurately the pattern of output of oocysts of C parvum and cysts of Giardia duodenalis by periparturient adult goats, one farm was selected from each group, faecal samples were collected weekly before and after kidding from 12 goats on the farm in group A and from 10 goats on the farm in group B. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of G duodenalis cysts between the group A farms (14 per cent) and the group B farms (12 per cent), and the numbers of cysts excreted ranged from 143 to 400 cysts per gram of faeces (cpg) on the group A farms and 72 to 334 cpg on the group B farms. There was a significant difference (P=0.03) in the prevalence of C parvum oocysts at the group level between the group A farms (20 per cent) and the group B farms (6 per cent). All the adult goats excreted cysts and oocysts at some date around the kidding period; the number of animals excreting cysts of G duodenalis or oocysts of C parvum increased when they gave birth, and seven to 10 times more cysts and oocysts were shed in the three weeks around kidding than in the period more than three weeks from kidding (P<0.001).

Animals↗

A Pilot Study: Developing a Lactating Dairy Goat Model to Study Staphylococcus aureus Mastitis in Women.

INTRODUCTION: Lactational mastitis is common in lactating women, with Staphylococcus aureus as the most commonly isolated agent associated with infectious lactational mastitis. Currently, there are no evidence-based guidelines for antimicrobial treatment due to barriers in obtaining pharmacokinetic data from lactating women. To overcome this barrier, a suitable large animal model is needed. Goats are an ideal translational model for human mastitis due to their anatomical and physiological similarity to humans. The objective of this pilot study was to assess if goats would develop clinical mastitis following intramammary inoculation with a clinical human isolate of S. aureus with the goal of establishing an alternative in&#xa0;vivo model for future research. The hypothesis was that the infected mammary gland half would show similar clinical signs to women with mastitis and demonstrate a similar local immune response when compared to the control mammary gland half. METHODS: One half of the mammary gland of two healthy lactating does was inoculated with a clinical human isolate of S. aureus. The other half of the mammary gland was sham inoculated with sterile buffered saline. Physical examinations, mammary gland assessments, and sterile milk samples were collected every 12 hours post inoculation. At 96 hours post inoculation, the goats were euthanized, and the mammary glands were examined for pathological changes. RESULTS: Goats did not develop systemic signs of disease following inoculation. Focal infected mammary gland changes included warmth, swelling, redness, discoloration, and reduced milk production; the other mammary gland half remained normal throughout the study period. S. aureus was enumerated from only the infected mammary gland half. The microscopic findings of the infected half showed neutrophilic inflammation and cell necrosis consistent with acute mastitis. DISCUSSION: This pilot study demonstrated lactating does can develop clinical signs like those observed in women. Goats have the potential to be a promising animal model to study infectious lactational mastitis.

Animals↗