Contents page of the issue January 2006




WELCOMING OF THE NEW YEAR


EQUINE
S. Izing, G. Bodó, F. Szabó, A. Tóth, J. Molnár, K. Machay, J. Kovács: Radial shock wave therapy in equine orthopedics / 6

POULTRY
B. Lomniczi: History of Newcastle disease. 2. Ecology of Newcastle disease virus and the origin of the disease / 13

SMALL ANIMALS
T. Neuberger: Radiosynoviorthesis: new method for the treatment of inflammatory-rheumatoid and degenerative arthritic diseases in small animals / 28
F. Höhner: Safety and efficiency of meloxicam (Metacam®) as perioperative analgesic on the basis of 3714 cases in dogs / 31

LABORATORY DIAGNOSTICS
L. Szeredi: Detection of Listeria monocytogenes by immunohistochemistry method from domestic ruminants and chinchilla / 35
P. Zs. Fekete, N. Nógrády, F. Olasz, B. Nagy: The role of mobile genetic elements in the horizontal spread of tetracycline resistance and virulence of certain Escherichia coli and Salmonella bacteria / 39
D. Kálmán, L. Egyed: Detection of bovine herpesviruses from wild ruminants, goats and sheep. Secondary communication and short literature review / 48

ZOONOSES
V. Kopřiva: Oral immunisation against rabies and its effect on the epidemiological situation of rabies in Slovakia / 54

VETERINARY-HISTORY
A century of alma mater – told in statues (1905–2005) (F. Kutas) / 58

EVENTS
21th Symposium of the European Embryo transfer Society (Keszthely, 9–10 September 2005) (J. Rátky, F. Flink) / 5
Phytotherapeutic Day (Biatorbágy, 22 October 2005) (Á. Mátray) / 61

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Start of official meat inspection in Sopron (1507) (F. Havas) / 62

IN MEMORIAM
István Kőházi (1942–2005) (K. Busák) / 63
György Szenttornyay (1929–2005) (Gy. Bodolai) / 64

S. Izing – G. Bodó – F. Szabó – A. Tóth – J. Molnár – K. Machay – J. Kovács:
RADIAL SHOCK WAVE THERAPY IN EQUINE ORTHOPEDICS

The authors describe a new treatment method used in the field of equine orthopedic disorders. This technique is known as „shock wave therapy” in the English and „Stoßwellen Therapie” in the German literature. It opens new opportunities for treating different tendon injuries, like periarticular exostoses, calcification in tendinous tissues, and different chronic changes of the suspensory ligament. Preliminary data of 4 suspensory ligament, 3 superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT), 2 deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and one proximal interpharangeal joint injuries are described by the authors.

B. Lomniczi:
THE HISTORY OF NEWCASTLE DISEASE. 2. ECOLOGY OF NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS AND THE ORIGIN OF THE DISEASE

Present relationships of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and its hosts are used to infer events in the ancient history of the virus. In addition to reservoirs that are taken as evolutionary units of virus–host associations, common ancestors are also used as tools in the reconstructions (Figure). Primordial (wild water-bird species) and artificial (chickens) reservoirs are distinguished in which the evolution of primitive (apathogenic) and derived (pathogenic) viruses, respectively, are followed. It is hypothesized that the chicken reservoir was seeded with apathogenic viruses of the primary reservoir and pathogenic strains emerged in the chicken host. Prior to the immunization period, at least two independent colonisations could taken place (with genotype I and II) whereas after introduction of vaccination a novel strategy of generating virulent genotypes must have emerged. It is noteworthy that tertiary reservoirs were established by seeding novel hosts (cormorants, pigeons and geese) only with viruses of recent genotypes (V, VI and VII, respectively).

L. Szeredi:
DETECTION OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES BY IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY METHOD FROM DOMESTIC RUMINANTS AND CHINCHILLA

The author describes the detection of Listeria (L.) monocytogenes with immunohistochemistry (IHC) in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples of chinchilla in one case, cattle in 10 cases, sheep in 9 cases and goat in 2 cases. L. monocytogenes was found in 8 cattle, and in all sheep and goats of the 21 ruminants with suspected listeriosis in the brain. The bacterium was observed in large number in and around the necrotic foci accompanied with inflammation in the brain of the ruminants, and in the liver and spleen of chinchilla. The IHC gives the opportunity to detect L. monocytogenes also in such cases, where beside of formalin-fixed material no unfixed material is available for bacteriological examination.

P. Zs. Fekete – N. Nógrády – F. Olasz – B. Nagy:
THE ROLE OF MOBILE GENETIC ELEMENTS IN HORIZONTAL SPREAD OF TETRACYLIN RESISTANCE AND VIRULENCE OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AND SALMONELLA BACTERIA

Several mobile genetic elements (transposons, integrons, pathogenicity islands) are playing important parts in the horizontal transfer of virulence genes of pathogenic bacteria. The prevention and therapy of the disease due to these bacteria is often hampered by antibiotic resistance of these bacteria that may also be due to horizontal gene transfers.
The author's investigations were directed to the two farm animal species being under most intensive antibiotic treatments. They aimed at the PCR detection and typing of tetracycline resistance (tet) genes of Salmonella (S. Hadar and S. Typhimurium) and of E. coli (enterotoxigenic, verotoxigenic, and enteroptahogenic) from swine, as well as of avian E. coli. Furthermore, they aimed to investigate the possible genetic links between tetracycline resistance and enterotoxicity in porcine enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC).
Altogether 43 Salmonella (from Hungary), and 172 E. coli strains (from USA, Austria and Hungary) were tested by using PCR primers for the following tet typing genes: tetA, tetB, tetC, tetD, tetG, believed to be most frequent in these bacteria.
As a result, the antibiotic resistance genes of almost all Salmonella and E. coli bacteria have been determined. The tetA gene dominated the Salmonella Hadar and the Hungarian and Austrian E. coli strains. In contrast, tetB was the most frequently occurring type of tet genes among the the porcine enterotoxigenic, and verotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC, VTEC) from the US. The S. Typhimurium strains (approx. half of them DT104) contained the tetG gene known to be part of the Salmonella genomic island (SGI), and to be characteristic to DT104 strains.
A series of their studies (7, 21) is briefly reviewed here, where the possible genetic links between tetracycline resistance and enterotoxicity in porcine postweaning ETEC the tetB gene was found to be located on a large (approx. 90 kb) virulence plasmid (pTC). Results of sequencing studies indicated that tetB was part of a Tn10 transposone, while the virulence genes (encoding sta and stb enterotoxins) were localized on a 10kb toxin specific locus (TSL) of the same plasmid. This TSL was proven to be part of a larger pathogenicity island (PAI). These results indicated that the large virulence plasmid (pTC) of porcine ETEC does not only carry the genes of heat stable enterotoxins (sta, stb), but also carries the gene for tetracycline resistance thereby being responsible for joint transmission of tetracycline resistance and virulence between bacteria.

V. Kopřiva:
ORAL IMMUNISATION AGAINST RABIES AND ITS EFFECT ON THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION OF RABIES IN SLOVAKIA

The author presents the epidemiological situation of rabies in the Republic of Slovakia, briefly summarising the period elapsed until the introduction of oral vaccination of foxes, and the recent period and current situation. The first rabies cases in domestic animals were diagnosed at the end of 19th century. During the period between 1919 and 1937 132 persons died of rabies and 90% of rabies cases were in dogs. After the 2nd world war, following the introduction of compulsory vaccination of dogs, the number of rabies cases decreased significantly but from 1967 among wild animals, especially among foxes rabies spread dramatically. Oral vaccination of foxes started in 1992 in limited areas, and from 2000 it was extended for the whole territory of the country by using Lyssavac and Lysvulpen vaccines, at he beginning placing by hand, and from 2000 mainly by aircrafts. In 2004 64 rabies cases were diagnosed altogether, among which 4 were domestic animals, 54 were foxes and 6 were other wild animals, opposite to those in 1994 when rabies was diagnosed in 113 domestic and 402 wild animals. Data of the last 15 years proves the significant improvement in the epidemiological situation.