© 2007 The Authors

Australian Veterinary Journal

Volume 85, No 7, July 2007Journal compilation © 2007 Australian Veterinary Association

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Blackwell Publishing Asia

In this issue

A

JACKSON

and

M

REVINGTON

Production animals

Review of identification and traceability legislation of pig productionin Australia

A study from the University of Queensland assesses Australiancapability to track pig movements and reviews the relevantlegislation in different states and territories. Pigs are potentially amajor species for introduction and spread of exotic diseases, includ-ing foot and mouth disease. The study followed on from preliminarydata that suggested gaps in disease surveillance and the ability totrack and identify movements of pigs. This comprehensive reviewhighlights a number of key deficiencies to meet National perform-ance standards, including current brand registers particularly in smallpig producers. This was particularly obvious compared with theEuropean Community methods of pig identification and traceability.

The authors recommend refinement of legislation governingregistration of pig properties to protect the high health status ofthe pig industry and to improve market access.

A review of kikuyu grass

(Pennisetum clandestinum)

poisoning in cattle

All kikuyu plants in Australia originate from a single seed broughtfrom the Belgian Congo in 1919. There have been spasmodicincidents of poisoning in cattle but the aetiology and pathogenesisis unclear. This review assesses the unpublished reports of an out-break in New South Wales in summer and autumn of 2003,where 143 of 278 at risk animals were affected and 89 died. Italso reviews published reports of previous incidents. Clinicalsigns include excessive drooling, dehydration, abdominal pain,sham drinking, incoordination and recumbency. The rumen isoften distended, with inflammation of the forestomach mucosa,mainly in the omasum; myocardial haemorrhages have also beenseen. The review also discusses biochemical and physiologicalchanges; the association with rainfall, use of fertiliser and thepasture season of growth; and the possible involvement ofpathogens, including a variety of beetles and caterpillars, andfungi. There is no evidence that bacteria or viruses are involved.The author suggests that future studies should assess the isolationand identification of the causal toxin. More extensive examina-tion of heart muscle of clinical cases to confirm if there is a dualorgan toxicity, may be more indicative of the specific toxin.

Equine

Epidemiological perspectives on Hendra virus infection in horses andflying foxes

This paper highlights the close relationship that exists betweenanimal and human health. Hendra virus was first describedin 1994 after an outbreak of acute respiratory syndrome in

Thoroughbred horses in a Brisbane racing stable. A stable handand the trainer were also infected and the trainer died. The paperreviews the epidemiology of Hendra virus infection in horsesand flying foxes. It describes the different cases, including theneutralising antibody results of at risk people, and discusses thebasis of a long term serological study of flying foxes. Colonieswere identified near the paddocks of the index cases, and sero-prevalence of Hendra virus will be used to identify patterns ofinfection in this reservoir host. This will test the hypothesis of anepisodic pattern of infection in flying foxes.

Small animals

Olfactory esthesioneuroblastoma treated with orthovoltage radiotherapy in a dog

Olfactory esthesioneuroblastomas are rare malignancies arising inthe caudal nasal cavity. In this case report a 13-year-old dog wasdiagnosed with olfactory neuroblastoma on the basis of CT scansand histological examination of biopsy samples. Partial surgicalresection, followed by courses of orthovoltage radiation therapyon two separate occasions, led to regression of the tumour for atotal of 11 months. Longer survival times in previous reports mayhave been due to the more aggressive surgical debulking that wasemployed. In humans, surgical resection, high dose radiotherapyand simultaneous chemotherapy have been recommended, andmay improve outcomes if employed in veterinary patients.

Surgical management of recurrent spinal meningioma in a cat

Meningiomas are rare in the spinal cord of cats, and because of theirsporadic occurrence, survival and recurrence rates are unknown.Complete surgical resection of feline spinal meningiomas is challeng-ing. In this 13-year-old cat presented for fluctuating hind limbparesis and ataxia, an extradural mass at the level of T9 was evidenton myelogram. It was surgically removed with a narrow margin ofdura and histologically consistent with a psammomatous menin-gioma. The cat recovered its ability to walk for 3 years, but neuro-logical signs recurred and the regrown tumour was again resected.A third resection was necessary 16 months later, and the cat has hadno recurrence of neurological signs for over a year. The slow growthrates of this tumour may make it suitable for management by repeatedsurgeries, although this does carry the risk of iatrogenic damage.

Education, ethics and welfare

Longitudinal study of veterinary students and veterinarians: the first 20 years

A series of three papers reports results of a longitudinal study ofveterinary graduates who first completed a questionnaire when

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Australian Veterinary Journal

Volume 85, No 7, July 2007 © 2007 The AuthorsJournal compilation © 2007 Australian Veterinary Association

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they were in first year at the University of Queensland in the mid1980s. Participants have since answered questions when they werefinal year graduates, and 1, 5 and 10 years after graduation. Thisseries follows 137 of them 15 years after graduation. A total of 57%were in private practice, 32% were sole or joint owners, and 80%of their workload was with dogs and cats. Only 49% were workingfull time, 28% part time and 23% were not involved in veterinarywork. There had been overall exodus from mixed practice over time.There were major differences in income between employees andowners of practices, and low income was reported as a majorcause of negative feelings about their veterinary careers. Morethan half the participants reported significant levels of stress.

Longitudinal study of veterinary students and veterinarians: familyand gender issues after 20 years

This analysis showed that the main difference between genders wasthe amount of veterinary work being performed; 68% of malesand 37% of females were working full time, similar numbers weredoing no veterinary work and more females were working parttime. There were no real differences in the type of veterinary work.

A similar percentage of males and females were practice owners.This seemed to contradict a previously published Veterinary Life-style survey, so data were analysed further and compared with thecurrent data. This showed that similar proportions of males andfemales owned their own practices if they were working full time. Menearned significantly more than women, and more men than womenconsidered that their careers had lived up to their expectations.

Longitudinal study of veterinary students and veterinarians: effectsof growing up on a farm with animals

An important aspect of maintaining rural veterinary services is thediscussion about whether veterinarians who have a backgroundin rural industries are more likely to stay in farm animal practice.This portion of the longitudinal study showed that 42% of thosewho grew up on farms were doing no veterinary work after 15 years,compared with 21% of those with non-farm backgrounds, and12% and 32% respectively were working part time. Most left mixedpractice, irrespective of where they grew up. Those who were bornin a rural area were more likely to stay living there, suggesting thatit was the work that they were leaving rather than the location.

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