Evaluation of a covered-rod silicone implant containing ivermectin for long-term prevention of heartworm infection in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate use of covered-rod (CR) silicone implants containing ivermectin for long-term prevention of infection with Dirofilaria immitisin dogs.

Animals: 145 adult male and female dogs.

Procedures: Dogs received implants of different sizes, and ivermectin concentrations and serum ivermectin concentrations were monitored for 16, 57, and 56 weeks, respectively, in 3 preclinical dose selection studies.

Determination of ceftiofur in bovine plasma by HPLC-DAD.

Ceftiofur sodium is a third generation broad-spectrum cephalosporin, formulated as an intramuscular injection, which is used to treat respiratory diseases in swine, ruminants and horses. The thioester bond on ceftiofur is rapidly cleaved to give desfuroylceftiofur which is further metabolized to a disulfide dimer and various desfuroylceftiofur-protein and amino acid conjugates. Methods of analysis of ceftiofur rely on cleavage by dithioerythritol to produce desfuroylceftiofur, which is further stabilized by derivatization to desfuroylceftiofur acetamide using iodoacetamide.

Vaccination practices in veterinary medicine: standardization versus tailored to needs?

Significant achievements have been made during the nineteenth century to improve animal health and welfare through vaccination. Vaccination standards and practices will change significantly in the next century. Vaccination programs need to be tailored to each livestock operation or individual animal in accordance with manufacturers' instructions, government regulations, scientific standards, professional organization guidelines, and veterinarian recommendations.

Risk assessment related to veterinary biologicals: side-effects in target animals.

Despite established control measures, the large-scale use of veterinary biologicals may involve side-effects. The most common side-effects observed include the following: injection site reactions, systemic reactions, allergic reactions, effects on the immune system, residual pathogenicity, inadequate inactivation, genetic recombination, contamination. New technologies, new harmonised regulations, and commitment to quality will ensure a continuous supply of safe and innovative products.

Panleukopenia-like syndrome of FeLV caused by co-infection with FeLV and feline panleukopenia virus.

To study the effect of interferon on feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection, 30 specific pathogen free (SPF) cats were infected with the apathogenic FeLV A Glasgow. Unexpectedly, between 5 and 8 weeks after FeLV infection, all 19 cats with persistent FeLV infection but not the FeLV-negative cats died from a panleukopenia-like syndrome. No feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV) antigen was found in feces by latex agglutination, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or immunoelectron microscopy.