Early detection of cattle infected with bovine leukemia virus (BLV) through periodic testing is one of the most important measures for the prevention of BLV spread on farms. However, repeated blood sampling causes stress for the animals and increases labor costs. In this study, to resolve these issues, we established an ELISA for anti-BLV antibody detection with the undiluted whey portion of milk instead of sera by using the commercial serum ELISA (sELISA) kit available in Japan. The milk ELISA (mELISA) can detect anti-BLV antibodies from the milk samples of infected cattle regardless of differences in sampling time and lactation periods of sampling animals. The mELISA were also validated by the sELISA with sera from the same cow tested. The results of the two tests matched for all samples. In addition, we tested seven bulk milk samples collected from seven BLV-infected farms. Although further validation of the sensitivity and specificity of mELISA using bulk milk samples is required, all samples tested positive for mELISA in this study. Application of our established mELISA will reduce the stress on the animals and the labor costs in the periodic testing for BLV infected cattle.

This study examined the effect of probiotic administration of fecal lactic acid, butyric acid and immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentration in Japanese Black suckling calves. Forty clinically healthy calves, 8 days old, were separated into two groups. Probiotic product consisting of Streptococcus faecalis, Clostridium butyricum and Bacillus mesenteries were administrated at a dose of 30 g per day per head for 14 days to 20 calves (administrated group), and not administrated to another 20 calves (control group). Fecal butyric acid and IgA concentrations in the administrated group were significantly higher 7 and 14 days after the start of administration than the control group (P＜0.05). This result shows that dietary supplementation with probiotics in calves may have increase butyric acid concentration and IgA production in the intestinal tract.

Sialolithiasis is a salivary stone commonly related to salivary gland diseases such as salivary mucocele. It is rare in dogs and obstruction of a duct is very rare. A 13-year-old Papillon presented with swelling of the right cheek and purulent discharge into the oral cavity. High-viscosity discharge, mainly including inflammatory cells, was obtained a fine-needle aspiration. A cystic change in the right parotid gland and irregular radiopaque material was confirmed under the oral mucosa using computed tomography. From the above findings, we determined that the parotid gland duct had expanded due to the embolization caused by a sialolith at the opening of the salivary gland duct. The parotid gland was preserved and the sialolith was removed by dissecting and dilating the oral opening of the duct. The prognosis after treatment was good. From the clinical course of the present case, a sialoadenectomy is unnecessary, unlike in the case of salivary gland cysts, and the release of the obstructed duct was effective.