Presence of a unique parainfluenza virus 3 strain identified by RT-PCR in visna-maedi virus infected sheep.

The presence in farm sheep of a paramyxovirus closely related to parainfluenza virus type 3 (Pi3) from humans or cattle was confirmed using RT-PCR on RNA samples from lung cells from slaughtered animals. Sequencing and restriction enzyme patterns of the amplified fragment of the F gene confirms the distinctness of the isolate, and suitable PCR primers allow specific detection of the ovine virus. A study of the incidence of ovine Pi3 in samples from sheep with or without distinctive histopathological signs of maedi shows that it is uncommon in aged sheep with overt lentiviral disease, but it occurs at moderate frequency in lambs and may, in the presence of visna-maedi virus, contribute to early lesion formation.

[Reconstruction of the orbital floor using skull grafts obtained during the treatment of craniostenoses and irradiated by gamma rays].

The authors use skull grafts obtained during the treatment of craniostenoses and sterilized by gamma radiation to reconstruct the orbital walls. They describe the practical modalities of this technique and report a series of 26 cases in which no incidents of complications were observed.