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SUMMARY We compared the effects of epidural and intravenous morphine on analgesic effectiveness, vital signs, cortisol and catecholamine concentrations in dogs. Twelve healthy mongrel dogs undergoing experimental thora-cotomy under non-opioid general anaesthesia were randomly assigned to two groups: group A (n=6) received 0.15 mg/kg morphine epidurally, and group B (n=6) received 0.15 mg/kg morphine IV. Postoperatively, animals were observed hourly for the first 10 hours, then at 18 and 24 hours, and heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, respiratory rate and pain score were measured. Serum cortisol and plasma catecholamines were measured at 0, 2, 4, 8 and 24 hours postoperatively. Epidural morphine was associated with a significant reduction in pain, cortisol levels, systolic blood pressure (all p

The effects of fasting and of histamine (H2) antagonists on gastric volume and acidity were studied in 56 baboons undergoing various surgical procedures under general anesthesia and randomly allocated into 4 groups; group A--fasted for 14 hours; group B--given 100-120 ml of water 3 hours before surgery; groups C and D--also given 100-120 ml of water 3 hours before surgery; in addition, the former received cimetidine 10 mg/kg IM and the latter ranitidine 1.5 mg/kg IM 30-40 minutes before anesthesia. There were no significant differences between groups A and B with respect to the gastric volume and pH. Both ranitidine and cimetidine significantly (P < 0.02) reduced gastric volume and increased gastric pH. Thus, prolonged withholding of oral fluids does not reduce the gastric volume or increase gastric pH. H2-antagonists are effective in reducing both gastric residual volume and pH.

The ACLAM Analgesia Task Force was appointed by ACLAM President Diane Gaertner in 2003. The charge to the Task Force was to develop guidelines that could be used by veterinarians, scientists and IACUCs in helping to provide appropriate assessment and management of pain in rodents, with the understanding that ultimately the clinical veterinarian on site at the institution must make decisions relevant to a specific animal or animals and/or protocol. The guidelines were not to be developed as, and should not be used as, requirements. To complete its charge the Task Force reviewed and cited, in a comprehensive manner, available data-based literature in writing the paper. In the course of completion of the document, ACLAM Board of Directors (BOD) reviewed an early draft and at that time also appointed 3 ACLAM diplomates with particular expertise in assessment and management of pain in rodents to act as reviewers of the draft. The Task Force members responded to the critiques and comments submitted by both the BOD and the 3 reviewers. This revised draft was then placed on the ACLAM website for comments from the entire College. The draft was well received by responding diplomates. Comments from the membership were reviewed and discussed by the Task Force, and most were incorporated into the final draft manuscript. The draft then received final review and editing by the ACLAM Publications Committee Chairman, and was accepted in the format presented here. Despite this extensive vetting process through ACLAM, readers should nonetheless be aware that because this document represents the approved statement of an AALAS affiliate organization, it has not undergone the usual JAALAS peer review process. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of the Task Force and the leadership of ACLAM for supporting this comprehensive and informative synthesis. The document should serve as a resource to the research community for years to come.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the pertinent microbiological, pathological, diagnostic, and medical features of naturally occurring bacterial, mycoplasmal, and mycotic infections occurring bacterial, mycoplasmal, and mycotic infections of the laboratory rat. Several bacterial infections discussed in the chapter are streptobacillosis, spirochetosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, Enterococcus sp. infection, pseudomoniasis, Clostridium piliforme infection, Corynebacterium kutscheri infection, Salmonella sp. infection, and pasteurellaceae infection. Several mycotic infections discussed are dermatomycosis, deep mycoses, and pneumocystosis. Several mycoplasmal and rickettsial infections presented are respiratory mycoplasmosis, genital mycoplasmosis, and articular mycoplasmosis. There are several organisms isolated occasionally in the course of health surveillance with rats that are difficult to categorize as to pathogenicity and that do not recur often enough either as commensals or in periodic association with disease states as to be regarded as natural pathogens of the rat. Clinical conditions caused by such organisms as Bordetella bronchiseptica , Klebsiella pneumoniae , K. oxytoca , and Staphylococcus aureus fall within this group and might, more properly, be regarded as infections.

Decreased fertility was observed in a breeding colony of C57BL/6J mice. On examination, a dorsoventral vaginal septum was detected in many females. This defect was identified in 1976, with incidence of 4.0% in this strain. Our objective was to determine whether incidence of this condition has increased and whether this defect was associated with the observed infertility. We report incidence of 11.3%, nearly triple the original reported incidence. For comparison, incidence of vaginal septum in C57BL/6N females was determined and was found to be 1%. We performed a breeding study using normal and affected C57BL/6J females to evaluate fertility in affected females. Our data were consistent with those of the 1976 report; fertility was decreased in females with an intact vaginal septum. In 50% of affected females, the septum remained intact after breeding. The fertility for this subgroup of vaginal septum-retained females was 14.3%, compared with 85.7% in females whose septum ruptured and 75.0% in normal females (statistically significant, P = 0.02). On the basis of our results, we provide animal and financial loss data due to the defect. Lastly, we provide suggestions on how to minimize animal losses and be in accordance with the principles of the 3Rs (replacement, refinement, reduction).

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an understanding of the techniques, methodologies, and agents that have been reported in commonly used nonhuman primates. Preoperative assessment includes history of previous use, physical examination, pertinent laboratory data, and the influence of the current experimental protocol on anesthetic management. Despite the limitations associated with performing a thorough physical examination in the awake nonhuman primate, important signs of illness that can be readily identified are unusual posture or behavior, anorexia, and abnormal urine or feces. Physiological disorders that are most commonly encountered during postoperative recovery include pulmonary and circulatory complications, hypothermia, and pain. Intraoperative monitoring provides the means to assess physiological function during anesthesia and to ascertain the proper functioning of anesthetic equipment. It allows prompt recognition of adverse reactions and improves the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. However, the use of monitoring equipment is intended to enhance but not substitute for the awareness on the part of the anesthesiologist.

Oxymorphone was administered epidurally (0.1 mg/kg) or intramuscularly (IM) (0.2 mg/kg) to 16 dogs undergoing thoracotomy, to compare the analgesic effectiveness. Heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and pain score were measured hourly. Arterial blood gases were measured at hour 1. A single dose of oxymorphone injected epidurally provided analgesia for up to 10 hours, whereas the IM route provided a comparable effect for less than 2 hours. There were statistically significant increases in heart rate, and systolic and diastolic blood pressures at hour 2 in the dogs treated IM over the dogs treated epidurally. We conclude that epidurally administered oxymorphone is highly effective in alleviating pain after thoracotomy in dogs and provides longer lasting analgesia than the IM route.

Mycoplasma pulmonis was inoculated intracerebrally into neonatal rats. Hydrocephalus was induced, and the lateral ventricles and aqueduct were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Mycoplasmas were observed to be cytadsorbed to the ependymal surface.

Exogenous estradiol treatment of intact or ovariectomized rats causes accumulation of significant volumes of fluid in the uterine horns. In this report, evidence is presented showing the presence of mammalian cell growth factor(s) in uterine luminal fluid (ULF), along with other data showing that the exogenous estradiol treatment needed to cause significant accumulation of the fluid also facilitates the movement of vaginal origin bacteria into the uterine horns. It is shown that microorganisms infect the uteri of 80% or more of rats administered exogenous estradiol, and that the microorganisms are most probably of vaginal origin; procedures such as ligation of the uterine body above the cervix or antibiotic treatment did not suppress the infections. Administration of different doses of exogenous estrogen by either implantation of a single 25-mg estradiol/cholesterol pellet which causes a 20- to 50-fold elevation of estradiol levels above physiological plasma concentrations, or instead, by a Silastic tube delivery method that elevates levels only 2- to 3-fold above the normal range, resulted in equal frequency of uterine infections and in the appearance of infection at the same time after starting treatment. A number of bacterial species are present in the contaminated ULF, and these are the origins of intracellular products which are potent inhibitors of mammalian cell growth; the presence of these bacterial origin inhibitors interferes with the bioassay of the ULF growth factor activity, and hence, impedes the characterization of the growth factor(s) present in luminal fluid. Characterization of the origins of the growth-inhibiting activities showed that Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis are the predominant species present in infected uteri and that both produce exotoxin activities which inhibit growth of mammalian cells in culture; Pseudomonas appears to be the greater producer of cytotoxic activity. Evidence is presented that suggests that the well-known Exotoxin A produced by Pseudomonas may be responsible, in part, for the toxic effects of this organism. Other, as yet unidentified, cell growth inhibitors also may be produced by the bacteria found in ULF. Surgical separation of the uterine body from the cervix allows preparation of ULF which contains no bacteria and substantially reduced levels of growth inhibitors to mammalian cell lines.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the diseases caused by Mycoplasma neurolyticum, Mycoplasma pulmonis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Corynebacterium kutscheri, Pasteurella pneumotropica, and Mycoses. Mycoplasma neurolyticum is the etiological agent associated with the classic syndrome known as rolling disease. Neurological signs occur 30–60 min after intravenous inoculation of M. neurolyticum exotoxin. The earliest signs observed are spasmodic hyperextension of the head and rising of one foreleg, followed in a few minutes by intermittent rolling on the long axis of the body. The rolling becomes more constant with occasional periods in which the mice leap or move rapidly. Rolling disease because of M. neurolyticum is considered to be a naturally occurring disease, whereas all descriptions of it are associated with experimental inoculation of the organism or exotoxin. Mycoplasma neurolyticum has historically been the species associated with infections of the CNS; however, two reports indicate that M. pulmonis is probably present as often in the mouse brain as is the former organism. As M. pulmonis is principally a pathogen of the respiratory and genital tracts in rodents, few studies have been made on its prevalence in the CNS. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous bacterium in animals and is commonly found in the oropharynx and intestinal tract of the mouse. Infections are almost always latent.