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The gas composition of the rumen and the abomasum were investigated in 71 cows including 25 cows with displaced abomasum. The ratio of methane (CH4) to CO2 in the abomasum gas was higher than that in the rumen. In the incubated mixtures of fresh rumen fluid, CH4 was detected at a high concentration, while a small amount of CO2 and CH4 was found in incubated mixtures of fresh abomasum fluids. Hence, it was suggested that the gas in the abomasum originated not from the abomasum itself but from the rumen. In cows fed with mixed roughages and concentrates, the rumen CO2:CH4 ratio was higher compared with cows fed with roughages alone. Marked changes in rumen gas composition were presumed to be associated with changes in abomasum gas composition. Consequently, it is possible that feeding a large quantity of concentrates may increase the flow rate of the ingesta through the forestomach, so that the return rate of gas separated from the ingesta in the abomasum to the forestomach may also increase. Therefore, the frequent accumulation of a large amount of gas with concomitant changes in the total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration in the abomasum caused abomasal atony and subsequently displaced abomasum.

A case of dermatophytosis caused by Trichophyton equinum is reported. A 25-year-old man employed at a breeding center of a horse racing course was infected on the left arm in August, 1981. The lesion had a vesicle or a small pustule accompanied by severe itching. The fungal elements of the scale were identified by microscopic observation. Griseofulvin administration was found to be very effective for treating this infection. In a mycological examination, T. equinum was isolated mainly on cycloheximide-chloramphenicol Sabouraud's dextrose agar and chloramphenicol potato dextrose agar. Equine dermatophytosis was quite prevalent at this race course, so that this area as well as equipment used for the maintenance and care of the horse was very likely to be the source of the patient's infection.