Canine babesiosis is a disease caused by infection with parasites of the genus
. These protozoa are classified as either large (e.g.,
) or small (e.g.,
). So far, only three small
species of clinical ...importance, able to infect dogs, have been described:
,
, and
. This review presents the current epidemiological situation of
infections in dogs in Europe. In most European countries where
has been reported, the percentage of infected dogs is around 1%. The higher prevalence of the
infection among American Pit Bull Terriers suggests breed susceptibility. An analysis of the available data makes it possible to conclude that
infections may appear in the future in other non-endemic regions of Europe, which may pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges for veterinary practitioners.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Various prescription diets prescribed by veterinarians for specific diseases in dogs have been developed and introduced to the market. Trace element and mineral levels, which are essential for ...healthy living conditions in animals, can differ in both prescription and non-prescription foods. In our study, it was aimed to determine the levels of some elements and minerals in various prescription and non-prescription dry foods used in dog nutrition and to evaluate their therapeutic importance.In the study, a total of 100 different prescription dry food formulated for hepatic diseases (H, n=25), renal diseases (R, n=25), gastrointestinal diseases (GI, n=25) and, allergic diseases (HA, n=25) were used. Non-prescription dry foods from different flavors and brands in the market were considered as the control group (C, n=50). Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Selenium (Se), Calcium (Ca), and Phosphorus (P) levels of all dry foods were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES, Thermo iCAP 6000 series) and the results were compared between groups. Statistical analysis was evaluated using SPSS 21.Cu levels in GI and HA groups were higher than in the control group (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). Fe levels were higher in the GI group and lower in the HA group than in the control group (p<0.05). Mn level was significantly higher in the H group compared to the control group (p<0.001). The Mn levels in GI and HA groups were higher than the control group (p<0.01). There was no statistical difference in Se and Zn levels between prescription and non-prescription dry foods. Ca and P levels in all groups were statistically lower than in the control group (p<0.001).There are significant differences in element and mineral levels in prescription and non-prescription dry foods. These values may be out of the legal limits determined by EU Regulation. Considering the therapeutic purpose of these prescription formulas, some element and mineral amounts were determined as inappropriate. Vrednotenje vsebnosti nekaterih elementov in mineralov v predpisani in nepredpisani prehrani za pse Izvleček: Na trgu so prisotne različne diete na recept, ki jih veterinarji predpisujejo za določene bolezni psov. Vsebnost elementov v sledovih in mineralov, ki so bistveni za zdravo življenje živali, se lahko razlikuje tako v hrani na recept kot v hrani brez recepta. V naši študiji smo želeli določiti vsebnost nekaterih elementov in mineralov v različnih predpisanih in nepredpisanih suhih vrstah hrane za pse, ter oceniti njihov terapevtski pomen.V študiji je bilo uporabljenih 100 različnih vrst suhe hrane, formulirane za jetrne bolezni (H, n=25), ledvične bolezni (R, n=25), bolezni prebavil (GI, n=25) in alergijske bolezni (HA, n=25). Suha hrana brez recepta različnih okusov in blagovnih znamk na trgu je bila obravnavana kot kontrolna skupina (C, n=50). Vsebnost bakra (Cu), železa (Fe), mangana (Mn), cinka (Zn), selena (Se), kalcija (Ca) in fosforja (P) v vseh vrstah suhe hrane smo analizirali z optično emisijsko spektroskopijo z induktivno sklopljeno plazmo (ICP-OES, serija Thermo iCAP 6000) in rezultate primerjali med skupinami. Statistična analiza je bila narejena v programu SPSS 21.Vsebnost Cu v skupinah GI in HA je bila višja kot v kontrolni skupini (p<0,05 oziroma p<0,01). Vsebnost Fe je bila višja v skupini GI in nižja v skupini HA kot v kontrolni skupini (p<0,05). Raven Mn je bila bistveno višja v skupini H v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino (p<0,001). Ravni Mn v skupinah GI in HA so bile višje kot v kontrolni skupini (p<0,01). Med suho hrano na recept in suho hrano brez recepta ni bilo statistične razlike v vsebnosti Se in Zn. Vsebnosti Ca in P so bile v vseh skupinah statistično značilno nižje kot v kontrolni skupini (p<0,001).Vsebnost elementov in mineralov v suhi hrani na recept in suhi hrani brez recepta se je bistveno razlikovala. Te vrednosti so lahko izven zakonsko določenih mejnih vrednosti, ki jih določa uredba EU. Glede na terapevtski namen diete na recept smo nekatere količine elementov in mineralov določili kot neustrezne. Ključne besede: elementi; minerali; pes; hrana; recept
Abstract Introduction The aim of the study was to monitor the occurrence of selected vector-borne diseases in anaemic dogs arriving in or returning to Poland from areas endemic for these diseases. ...Material and Methods The study involved 497 dogs, of which 184 came to Poland from Ukraine with their owners fleeing the war. Other animals returned to the country from holidays spent in Croatia (n = 96), Turkey (n = 79), Italy (n = 48), Bulgaria (n = 42), Albania (n = 36) and Romania (n = 12). Molecular biology methods were used for detection of pathogens transmitted by the vectors. Results Molecular tests revealed the presence of vector-borne pathogens in 79 dogs. The most commonly diagnosed infection was caused by Babesia canis (27 dogs), followed by infections with Anaplasma phagocytophilum (in 20 dogs), Mycoplasma haemocanis (15 dogs), Bartonella henselae (7 dogs), Ehrlichia canis (4 dogs), Hepatozoon canis (3 dogs), Babesia gibsoni (2 dogs) and Leishmania infantum (1 dog). Most of the sick dogs (n = 39) came from Ukraine. In dogs spending holidays with their owners outside Poland, vector-borne diseases were most often detected after their return from Turkey (n = 16), and next in descending order from Croatia (n = 7), Italy (n = 6), Albania (n = 4), Bulgaria (n = 4) and Romania (n = 3). Conclusion The wider migration crisis and increasingly frequent trips of owners with their dogs to areas of endemic infectious and parasitic diseases observed in recent years are the main risk factors for the occurrence of these diseases in Poland. Therefore, constant monitoring of vector-borne diseases, especially in dogs returning from holidays and arriving in Poland from abroad, seems to be crucial for their early detection and introduction of appropriate therapy.
The aim of the study was to demonstrate a link between uncomplicated
infection in dogs and blood concentrations of zinc and copper and erythrocytic antioxidant defence - activities of glutathione ...(GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT).
The study was based on 15 naturally occurring cases of canine babesiosis with anorexia, pyrexia, depression, pale mucous membrane, splenomegaly and dark red urine. Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained peripheral blood smears and the results of PCR confirmed
infection. Seven apparently healthy dogs brought in for either a check-up or vaccination were used for comparison.
The levels of the erythrocytic antioxidant enzymes - SOD and CAT - were significantly higher in the infected dogs than in cytologically negative dogs. The levels of blood micronutrients were significantly lower in the infected dogs (0.478 μg of zinc per mL
1.241 μg/mL and 0.722 μg of copper per mL
1.392 μg/mL).
Oxidative stress can be posited as one of the mechanisms leading to anaemia in dogs with babesiosis, and therefore antioxidant biomarker and copper and zinc concentrations could be used as indicators of disease severity and prognostic markers.
The return to pasture use as an alternative to intensive livestock farming implies some risks with the lack or the excessive presence of potentially toxic elements; in this regard, wild animals have ...been used as bioindicators for decades. Thus, the purpose of this study is quantifying Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn, Se, As, Cd, Ni, Pb, Al, Fe, and Mg in fur from roe deer and understanding if it is a valid bioindicator tool. Hair was collected from 39 hunted roe deer and divided by age (<36 months old/≥36 months old), sex (male/female), and area of origin (urbanized/rural area). The mean concentrations of Fe, Mg, Mn, Al, Cr, and Pb were higher (p < 0.05) in the urbanized group; the mean levels of Mg and Cr were higher (p < 0.05) in older animals; and Cu, Fe, Mg, Cd, and Cr showed a higher accumulation in females. Our findings showed an age-related variation of elements, with higher concentrations in adult animals and females. In conclusion, our findings prove that hair is a valid matrix for this type of survey, and wild animals are good bioindicators for monitoring the presence of trace elements in pastures.
Exotic animal medicine is a dynamic part of veterinary medicine. It is very important to publish rare cases in order to share experience. Diseases in the sinuses and nasal cavities are common. ...Seemingly ordinary upper respiratory tract infections can have very different causes, i.e. foreign bodies, abscesses or neoplastic lesions. The latter are among the extremely rare ones. Their diagnosis is difficult due to the need for specialised examinations, i.e. tomography or rhinoscopy. The case described in this report concerns a rabbit in which extensive diagnostics were performed to determine the cause of chronic nasal discharge. Bacteriological cultures, CT scans and rhinoscopy were performed to remove the lesion. To determine its nature, a histopathological examination was also performed, which revealed the presence of a nasal carcinoma. A rabbit with a recurrent bilateral nasal discharge was brought to the clinic. It was initially diagnosed with bacterial rhinitis and treated with antibiotics. During the next 6 months, the discharge recurred and then became unilateral and whitecoloured. In a further diagnostic procedure, the rabbit had a skull radiograph, which excluded sinus infections and the presence of a foreign body in the nasal cavity. After the following 6 months, the rabbit appeared to have a louder than usual respiratory murmur and snoring during sleep. A radiograph showed a lesion in the nasal conchae. A rhinoscopy further revealed a mass within the right nasal cavity. The lesion was removed and submitted for histopathological examination, which confirmed nasal carcinoma. Radiation therapy was suggested, which the owners declined. After removal of the lesion, the nasal discharge decreased and did not contain any blood. Further treatment of the rabbit after the rhinoscopy consisted of nebulisation with a solution of budesonide and enrofloxacin 2 × 2 daily for 5 days, after which the condition began to stabilise. A follow-up clinical examination 3 months after the rhinoscopy revealed no recurrence of the clinical symptoms.
Objectives
The aim of this study was to investigate the use of procalcitonin (PCT) as a biomarker in differentiating bacterial infections from viral infections in cats. In addition, the relationship ...between PCT and mortality rate was also examined.
Methods
Forty-five cats were included in the study. The cats were categorised into two groups: bacterial (n = 20) and viral (n = 25) infection. Serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression were analysed from blood samples collected before treatment.
Results
Serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression of the cats with presumed bacterial infection were higher than those with viral infection (P = 0.001 and P = 0.001, respectively). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed an area under the ROC curve value of 0.888 for serum PCT and 0.850 for PCT mRNA expression. There was no statistically significant difference among respiratory, urinary and gastrointestinal tract infections regarding serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression in the presumed bacterial infection group (P = 0.741 and P = 0.141, respectively). In the presumed bacterial infection group, serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression in the non-surviving cats were higher than those of the surviving cats (P = 0.021 and P = 0.026, respectively).
Conclusions and relevance
Serum PCT level and PCT mRNA expression were considered efficient biomarkers in cats to distinguish a bacterial infection from a viral infection. Moreover, ROC curve analysis was highly accurate in the discriminative capacity of these two parameters. PCT level and PCT mRNA expression offer substantial assistance in an efficient therapeutic approach and in avoiding unnecessary antibiotic use in feline clinical practice, particularly in emergency patients and those with non-specific clinical signs, decreasing the mortality rate. However, it should be noted that these data are only research data. More detailed future studies are needed.
Autochthonous breeds of livestock are considered a pivotal genetic resource for agriculture, rural development, and food and nutrition security. In the Italian Alps, local livestock breeds are ...maintained using the traditional alpine farming system based on vertical transhumance, with the use of alpine pastures from late spring to autumn and indoor housing with a hay-based diet for the remaining part of the year. Because of their tight link with the territory of origin, local breeds could be used to biomonitor environmental contaminations. Moreover, animal welfare should also be monitored during transhumance in animals, which are exposed to a sudden farming system change and different types of stressors. For these reasons, this investigation hypothesized that the content of trace elements, heavy metals, and cortisol in the hair of goats changes during vertical transhumance, possibly reflecting different dietary contents and activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. This study aimed to assess the response of an Italian local goat breed to the change from indoor housing to alpine pasture in summer in terms of hair concentrations of (i) trace elements and heavy metals and (ii) cortisol. The regrown hair of Frisa goats was monthly collected for 2 consecutive years (
n
= 10 for heavy metals and trace elements and
n
= 6 for cortisol in 2021,
n
= 17 for both analyses in 2022), once before vertical transhumance and twice after that event. Hair was then analyzed for trace elements, heavy metals, and cortisol by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrophotometer (ICP-OES) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA), respectively. Data were analyzed by multilevel models. The results showed an increase in As content during alpine pasture (
p
< 0.01), probably reflecting the soil and water As contents of the grazing area, while Mg, Zn, and Al (
p
< 0.01) followed the opposite trend, decreasing in the second month after vertical transhumance. Hair cortisol concentrations increased during 2 months of alpine pasture (
p
< 0.001), indicating an increase in the activation of the HPA axis, in agreement with previous studies. Future investigations can consider a longer study period and the development of
ad hoc
animal welfare indicators.
In this study, it was aimed to determine the treatment efficacy of oxytetracycline and tylosin combination in Saanen goat kids with Dermatophilus congolensis infection. Samples, were collected from ...the 27 of 4-5-month-old Saanen goat kids, and analyzed from bacteriological, mycological and ectoparasitological aspects. D. congolensis was isolated from the samples as pure culture. In the mycological analysis of the samples, no microorganisms were found, while flea was detected in ectoparasitological examinations. A combination of oxytetracycline and tylosin was recommended for dermatophilosis treatment, and the lesions regressed 5 days after the treatment and disappeared over time. It was concluded that D. congolensis infection in Saanen goats kids were observed for the first time in Turkey and can be treated successfully with oxytetracycline and tylosin combination.
The aim of this study was to compare canine and feline thyroxine (T4) results obtained by the Vcheck method with those obtained by the IMMULITE 2000 immunoassay, which had previously been validated ...for canine serum. The concentration of T4 in 53 canine and 44 feline serum samples was determined concurrently by the Vcheck and IMMULITE methods, the latter as the reference method. The T4 values were compared using the IMMULITE Youden plot and Deming regression analysis. According to the regression analysis, the two methods gave comparable results. Spearman’s correlation shows a very high consistency of the results obtained by the two analyzers. The results of the Vcheck method were comparable to those of the IMMULITE 2000 reference method, so Vcheck may be used as an alternative assay to evaluate the serum thyroxine concentration in dogs and cats for the diagnosis of thyroid gland disease.
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