Detection of Fowlpox virus carrying distinct genome segments of Reticuloendotheliosis virus.

Fowlpox virus (FWPV), the type species of the genus Avipoxvirus family Poxviridae, is a large double-stranded DNA virus that causes fowlpox in chickens and turkeys. Notably, sequences of the avian retrovirus reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) are frequently found integrated into the genome of FWPV. While some FWPV strains carry remnants of the REV long terminal repeats (LTRs), other strains have been shown to contain insertions of nearly the full-length REV provirus in their genome.

Draft Genome Sequences of Three Flavobacterium psychrophilum Strains Isolated from Coldwater Disease Outbreaks at Three Production Hatcheries.

We report here the genome sequences of three Flavobacterium psychrophilum strains causing a bacterial coldwater disease (BCWD) outbreak, isolated from infected rainbow trout from hatcheries in Montana and South Dakota. The availability of these virulent outbreak-causing strain genome sequences will help further understand the pathogenesis of BCWD.

Hepatic element concentrations of lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) during spring migration in the upper Midwest.

High concentrations of some hepatic elements might be contributing to the decline of the continental lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) population. We evaluated hepatic element concentrations of male and female lesser scaup collected from the upper Midwest (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota) during the 2003 and 2004 spring migrations. We measured concentrations of 24 elements in livers of 117 lesser scaup.

Outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype Newport in a beef cow-calf herd associated with exposure to bovine viral diarrhea virus.

Case Description: Severe disease and death in cows and calves affected 1 of 3 separate groups (A, B, and C) of cattle on a commercial cow-calf operation.

Clinical Findings: Clinical illness consisting of severe watery and bloody diarrhea, dehydration, weakness, and death affected adult cows and calves in 1 group (group B). Salmonella enterica serotype Newport was recovered from tissues of cows and calves from group B.

Hepatic minerals of white-tailed and mule deer in the southern Black Hills, South Dakota.

Because there is a paucity of information on the mineral requirements of free-ranging deer, data are needed from clinically healthy deer to provide a basis for the diagnosis of mineral deficiencies. To our knowledge, no reports are available on baseline hepatic mineral concentrations from sympatric white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) using different habitats in the Northern Great Plains. We assessed variation in hepatic minerals of female white-tailed deer (n = 42) and mule deer (n = 41).

Bovine arsenic toxicosis.

A ranch in central South Dakota had a number of dead calves because of arsenic poisoning. The clinical picture included diarrhea, central nervous system signs, and death. Gross necropsy findings included adequate body fat, stomachs full of normal-appearing ingesta, and large amounts of greenish brown watery fluid in the intestine and colon.

Porcine enteritis associated with Eimeria spinosa Henry, 1931 infection.

Coccidia of the genus Eimeria are present in most pigs raised on dirt in the United States. They are generally considered nonpathogenic in weaned pigs. Oocysts of Eimeria spinosa Henry, 1931 were observed in tissue sections and intestinal contents of a weaned male pig that died suddenly on a farm in Iowa.