The purpose of this study was to determine whether Freund's complete adjuvant causes adverse effects on the physiology, histology, and activity of rabbits used for polyclonal antibody production. Rabbits in the experimental groups were immunized intradermally and subcutaneously with keyhole limpet hemacyanin with or without Freund's adjuvant. Booster immunizations were administered 28 days after the initial immunizations. No immunizations were administered to rabbits in the control group. Body weight, food consumption, activity, rectal temperature, white blood cell count, corticosterone concentration, and induration around immunization sites were measured. Histologic changes in the lung, kidney, liver, lymph node, and skin were evaluated after euthanasia. There were significant differences in white blood cell count, induration around immunization sites, and lipid droplet deposition in pulmonary microgranulomas in some rabbits that received Freund's adjuvant. These differences did not affect well-being of the rabbits. Freund's complete adjuvant caused no adverse effects on physiologic parameters and activity levels in rabbits; thus, its use in polyclonal antibody production should not be discouraged.

We conducted the present study to evaluate various time and hot-water temperature combinations necessary to kill three common bacterial species in standardized cultures on stainless steel penicylinders, in accordance with methods approved by the Association of Official Analytical Chemists. Exposure for no more than 2 sec to water at 82.2 degrees C killed all three bacterial species, as did exposure for 3 sec to water at 80 degrees C, 4 sec at 77.8 degrees C, and 5 sec at 75.6 degrees C. We conclude that temperatures in the range of 75.6 degrees C to 82.2 degrees C will effectively kill vegetative bacteria in a matter of seconds and that failure to kill these bacteria in cagewash operations, with belt travel times in minutes rather than seconds, is due to other factors that prevent the effective application of sufficiently hot water to the bacterial load.

Although the use of Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA) has been discouraged for the production of polyclonal antibodies, little clinical evidence supports the belief that FCA necessarily affects the well-being of immunized rabbits. We designed the present study to determine whether immunization at multiple sites with small volumes of Freund's adjuvant affects rabbit well-being. We injected 18 female New Zealand White rabbits (six animals per group) with antigen in FCA, Freund's Incomplete Adjuvant, or physiologic saline in the following volumes and routes: 0.02 to 0.03 mL intradermally in each of 30 to 40 sites and 0.1 mL subcutaneously in each of two sites. The body weight, temperature, complete blood count, and behavior of the rabbits in the home cage, upon handling, and in an open field did not differ significantly among the immunization groups during the 7-week assessment period. Only the degree of induration around injection sites differed: as expected, FCA induced the greatest response at the injection sites, but the sites were neither ulcerative nor necrotic, nor did palpation of the sites induce any apparent discomfort to the rabbits. We conclude that FCA may be used safely and humanely in rabbits if small volumes are injected intradermally or subcutaneously in multiple sites.

Fifteen mice with Pasteurella pneumotropica orbital abscesses were noted in mice that were homozygous for a targeted Cd28 gene mutation. Only one mouse heterozygous for the Cd28 mutation was affected. According to phenotypic reactions and 16S rDNA sequencing, the isolates were most similar to biotype Heyl. This article provides evidence for an immunologic basis of susceptibility to P. pneumotropica infection. Fifteen mice with Pasteurella pneumotropica orbital abscesses were noted in mice that were homozygous for a targeted Cd28 gene mutation. Only one mouse heterozygous for the Cd28 mutation was affected. According to phenotypic reactions and 16S rDNA sequencing, the isolates were most similar to biotype Heyl. This article provides evidence for an immunologic basis of susceptibility to P. pneumotropica infection.

This report describes aplasia of the left uterine horn in two Syrian hamsters. We discuss the embryologic development and research implications of this mutation, which is heritable in piebald hamsters.

The purpose of this study was to determine plasma and tissue endothelin-1 (ET-1)-like immunoreactivity in a new rodent model of spontaneous hypertension. Plasma and tissues were procured from pentobarbital-anesthetized 16- to 18-week-old male hamsters with spontaneous hypertension and genetically/age-matched normotensive hamsters. We found that ET-1-like immunoreactivity in the plasma was similar in both groups. However, renal and cardiac ET-1-like immunoreactivity was 11- and 1.7-fold higher in spontaneously hypertensive hamsters relative to normotensive hamsters, respectively (P < .05). ET-1-like immunoreactivity was slightly, but significantly, lower in the lung and spleen of spontaneously hypertensive hamsters relative to normotensive hamsters (P < .05). ET-1-like immunoreactivity in the liver and brain was similar in both groups. We conclude that ET-1-like immunoreactivity is significantly higher in two target organs for hypertension, kidney and heart, but not in plasma or brain of adult male hamsters with spontaneous hypertension, relative to genetically/age-matched normotensive hamsters. We suggest that renal and cardiac ET-1 could play a role in the natural history of spontaneous hypertension in hamsters.

The purpose of this study was to begin to characterize a new inbred strain of adult male hamsters with established spontaneous hypertension along with their genetically/age-matched normotensive controls. We found that mean arterial pressure was 162+/-3 mm Hg in hypertensive hamsters and 94+/-4 mm Hg in controls (mean+/-SEM; P<.05). Body weight was significantly lower in hypertensive hamsters relative to normotensive hamsters (P<.05). Hypertension was associated with a significant increase in heart weight, thickness of the left ventricular wall, and amplitude of the QRS complex in standard electrocardiographic leads I and aVR (P<.05). No gross or microscopic abnormalities were observed in other organs. Plasma renin activity and the number of circulating neutrophils were significantly increased in hypertensive hamsters relative to controls (P<.05). Serum concentrations of creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, sodium, potassium, and calcium as well as urinalysis were similar in both groups. Overall, these data suggest that the spontaneously hypertensive hamster could be a suitable model for the study of spontaneous hypertension.

An adult female Oustalet's chameleon was examined to determine the cause of a fluctuant enlargement of the right superior eyelid. Surgical exploration of the subcutaneous tissues of the eyelid revealed live microfilarial parasites, which were identified later as Foleyella sp. These parasites, although seldomly reported, are fairly common in imported chameleons and can be detected during examination of blood smears. Surgical removal continues to be the treatment of choice for these parasites, because the efficacy and safety of many new anthelmintic agents have not been determined for use in chameleons.

Purpose: Our study determines and compares how the major organs of large animals handle exogenous halogenated bioactive sex steroids within the first minutes after their i.v. or i.a. injection, The rationale is that an understanding is needed of the acute physiological events because they affect decisions for how to optimize delivery of radiohalogenated sex steroid receptor ligands for purposes of medical imaging and modes of radiotherapy.Methods and Materials: We used an indicator dilution technique that allows monitoring of blood-tissue exchange of radioactivity in a continuous manner in anesthetized surgically prepared swine.Results: In swine, with by-passed liver circulation, the lungs allow the vast majority of [I-125]-16alpha-iodo-17beta-estradiol ([I-125]E) to be extracted from the blood perfusing the lung in the initial transit after i.v. injection in vivo. Similar outcome was observed for most major organs, including the CNS, intestines, spleen, peripheral appendages, and kidneys after i.a. injection of [I-125]E in vivo. However, within minutes the organs released the [I-125]E in its original chemical form back into the vascular system, with the exception of estrogen receptor (ER) rich tissues and the kidneys that retained the [I-125]E in its original form, although in the kidneys a nonpolar metabolite also accumulated.Conclusion: Our experiments confirm in a large animal model that radioiodoestradiol can be sequestered or concentrated in ER-rich sites. The liver and sex steroid receptor-rich organs modify considerably, by metabolism and sequestration, respectively, the acute distribution of bioactive steroids, Our data indicate potential for detection of ER in vivo in hormone-sensitive tumors, that is, in breast and endometrial cancers, and offer improved understanding of the recent studies in subjects with breast cancer that demonstrated that receptor imaging in vivo of steroid receptors with high-affinity radiolabeled ligands is possible in a clinical setting.