J Gruszczynska

DIAGNOSTIC APPLICATION OF MULTIROW COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF THE HIP JOINT OF JAPANESE QUAILS (COTURNIX JAPONICA)

The morphological assessment of selected parts of the hindlimb of Japanese quails (Temminck & Schlegel, 1849), with particular emphasis on hip joint structures, was performed, using a 128-row scanner (GE Optima Aquilion, Toshiba, Japan). Eight dead 3-month-old Japanese quails were evaluated. During intravital examination of those birds, no hindlimb abnormalities or locomotion disorders were detected. Bird body, which hip joints and other structures of hindlimbs were studied, was examined in posterioranterior position. The following hip joint structures, on both sides, were assessed in this study: hip joint gap width, acetabulum width, femoral head diameter, and femoral shaft width. The applied imaging method allowed accurate assessment of the selected structures. There was low variability between left and right hindlimbs and among individuals. Modern imaging techniques, such as multirow computed tomography (MCT) allows quick intravital assessment of normal and pathological structures of poultry bones and joints.

Physiological Threshold of Somatic Cell Count in Milk of Polish Heath Sheep and Polish Lowland Sheep

Abstract The study was conducted on 320 sheep of two breeds: Polish Heath Sheep (PHS) and Polish Lowland Sheep (PLS). Udder health status was assessed based on somatic cell count (SCC) and bacteriological examination of milk. Cells of the immune system (leukocyte populations and lymphocyte subpopulations) were identified in the blood and milk of sheep by flow cytometry, using a panel of specific monoclonal antibodies and fluorescent dyes. The study showed that the highest proportion of neutrophils and a lower percentage of lymphocytes (CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, WC1-N2+) in milk and blood occurred in sheep of both breeds in which milk SCC ranged between 201 and 300×103 cells/ml. In light of existing research, these results suggest that fluctuations in somatic cell count of ewe milk are physiologically determined up to 200×103cells/ml and result from udder health disturbances above this level.