Isolation of Abiotrophia spp. with Staphylococcus aureus in a case of mastitis in a cow.
Isolation of Streptococcus suis from a young wild boar C treptococcus suis is an important pathogen of pigs, which has also been recognized as a zoonotic agent (1). Streptococcus suis has been associated with sporadic infections in a variety of mammalian species, such as, cattle, bison, horses, sheep, goats, dogs, and cats (2). It has recently been isolated from psittacine birds, zebrafinches, canaries, bullfinches, and a duck (2). A 20-day-old, wild boar from a 30-sow herd was submitted to the Faculte de medecine vet6rinaire of the Universit6 de Montr6al with signs of pneumonia and diarrhea. The animal was alert and did not show any neurological signs. The boar was euthanized; at necropsy, the cranial lobes of the lung, particularly on the the right side, were firm textured. The caudal lobes of the lung were not affected. There was no evidence of arthritis. Microscopic examination of the lung revealed suppurative bronchopneumonia with hemorrhagic foci and fibrinous exudation. A moderate number of coccidia were seen in sections of the small intestine. Bacteriological cultures of lungs yielded Streptococcus suis capsular type 2 colonies in large numbers, as well as a comparable number of colonies of Escherichia coli. The E. coli isolated from the intestines did not possess any of the enteropathogenicity virulence factors, and tests for rotavirus and coronavirus were negative. A total of 3 litters in this herd showed signs of infection with Streptococcus suis. Marked clinical improvement was noted after pigs from these litters were injected with 300,000 units of procaine penicillin G. The origin of the infection was not determined, but there is speculation that it spread from a swine herd on the same farm.
Nutritionally variant streptococci from corneal ulcers in horses
Of 24 isolates of nutritionally variant streptococci recovered from equine corneal ulcers, 22 were tested for growth requirements, physiological and biochemical reactions, and susceptibility to different antimicrobial agents. Satisfactory growth was obtained by supplementing blood agar and Todd-Hewitt broth with pyridoxal hydrochloride, and all of the media for the culture and the biochemical testing were supplemented with 0.002% of this substance. Biochemical patterns of 12 of the isolates resembled those of two viridans streptococcal species, Streptococcus intermedius and Streptococcus constellatus. Patterns of 10 isolates did not resemble those of any recognized viridans species. All of the isolates were inhibited by less than or equal to 0.25 microgram of erythromycin per ml, less than or equal to 4 micrograms of chloramphenicol per ml, and less than or equal to 4 micrograms of gentamicin per ml, and all but two were inhibited by less than or equal to 0.1 microgram of penicillin per ml.
Instrumentation and Automated Photometric Titration Procedure for Total Acidity Determination in Red Wine Employing a Multicommuted Flow System
An automated procedure for photometric titration of red wine and associated instrumentation is described. The procedure was based on the flow-batch approach implemented employing multicommutation. The photometric detection was carried out using a homemade LED-based photometer. The mixing device, LED, and photodetector were attached to the titration chamber in order to form a compact and small-sized unit. The flow system comprised an automatic injector and three-way solenoid valves, which were controlled by a microcomputer through an electronic interface card. The software, written in Quick BASIC 4.5, was designed with abilities to accomplish all steps of the titration procedure including data acquisition and real-time processing to decide about the course of titration in the following step and so forth, until the titration endpoint was reached. The usefulness of the proposed titration system was demonstrated by analyzing red wine samples. When results were compared with those obtained using the AOAC reference method, no significant difference was observed at the 95% confidence level. A relative standard deviation of ca  2% (n=9 ) was obtained when processing a typical red wine sample containing 7.3 gl -1 total acidity expressed as tartaric acid.