农林科学最新文献

This retrospective case series describes a combined ventral extraoral and intraoral approach for mandibulectomy in cats and highlights the importance of prompt management of the postoperative iatrogenic malocclusion through dental extraction, crown height reduction with vital pulp therapy or root canal therapy of the contralateral mandibular canine tooth. Nine cats were reviewed for signalment, history and physical examination, diagnostic workup, tumor type, mandibulectomy extension, lymph node removal as well as both intraoperative and postoperative complications. The performed surgical procedure was a combination of an extraoral approach ventrally to the mandible and an intraoral approach to remove the whole or a part of the mandible. Lymphadenectomy was achieved using the same surgical access. None of the cats had intraoperative complications. Postoperative complications were limited to regional swelling and drooling lasting a week. Seven cats were able to eat immediately after the surgery. Of the other 2 cats, 1 regained the ability to eat within a month and 1 only ate from the owner's hands. The surgical approach for mandibulectomy described allowed better access and visualization of the caudal part of the mandible and direct access to regional lymph nodes. Moreover, if the expected postoperative malocclusion is managed during the same surgical procedure, there is a higher rate of postoperative eating ability compared to what is reported in the literature.

A photographic and computed tomography (CT) scanning study was carried out on 295 molar teeth of 18 adult male Babyrousa babyrussa skulls and 8 skulls of Babyrousa celebensis including seven adult males and one adult female. The occlusal morphology of the permanent maxillary and mandibular molar teeth of B. babyrussa was very similar to that of B. celebensis. Most B. babyrussa maxillary molar teeth had six roots, with small numbers of teeth having four, five or seven roots. A similar pattern was suggested in B. celebensis. Mandibular molar teeth had between four and eight roots. Tooth roots of maxillary and mandibular first and second molar teeth were largely tapering, rod-like structures. The roots of the right and left maxillary third molar teeth had a more complex arrangement; some were inserted almost vertically into the maxilla; others were orientated in a more distal direction. The mesial and distal roots were splayed in appearance. The right and left mandibular third molar tooth roots retained elements of the open 'C' shape and were generally orientated distally. The pulp chambers were arched to fit under the main cusps in all molar teeth. Pulp canals were variable in number.

Case history: A gland of a cow with a high somatic cell count (385,000 cells/mL at 116 days in milk) was enrolled in a therapeutic subclinical mastitis study following a positive pre-enrolment culture. One week later, the quarter was treated with 1 g of procaine penicillin on three occasions, 12 hours apart (Day 0 and 1). A further milk sample was obtained from the quarter on Days 6, 14, and 21 after initiation of treatment.

Clinical findings: Milk samples were submitted for routine bacteriological culture and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionised time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF) analysis. A Gram-negative motile rod was isolated from all samples which could not be speciated using the laboratory's standard panel of biochemical tests. The isolates were identified by MALDI-TOF as Bordetella bronchiseptica. Whole genome sequencing and comparison with publicly available genomic sequences showed that the bovine isolate did not cluster with any previously published B. bronchiseptica sequences.

Diagnosis: Subclinical mastitis caused by infection with Bordetella bronchiseptica.

Clinical relevance: Only one other case report could be found of this organism being identified in milk samples. Greater use of advanced identification systems will likely increase the number of organisms identified from mastitic milk samples. Appropriate identification is important to aid decision-making as, given the response to therapy and laboratory findings, there is a poor likelihood of bacteriological cure with beta-lactam therapy for this organism.

Case history: Three human leptospirosis cases from a case-control study were recruited for in-contact animal and environment sampling and Leptospira testing between October 2020 and December 2021. These cases were selected because of regular exposure to livestock, pets, and/or wildlife, and sampling was carried out on their farms or lifestyle blocks (sites A-C), with veterinarians overseeing the process for livestock, and cases collecting environmental and wildlife samples.

Laboratory findings: Across the three sites, a total of 137 cattle, > 40 sheep, 28 possums, six dogs, six rats, three pigs and three rabbits were tested. Herd serology results on Site A, a dairy farm, showed infection with Tarassovi and Pomona; urinary shedding showed Leptospira borgpetersenii str. Pacifica. Animals were vaccinated against Hardjo, Pomona and Copenhageni. The farmer was diagnosed with Ballum. On Site B, a beef and sheep farm, serology showed infection with Pomona; animals were not vaccinated, and the farmer was diagnosed with Hardjo. On Site C, cattle were shedding L. borgpetersenii; animals were not vaccinated, and the case's serovar was indeterminate. Six wild animals associated with Sites A and C and one environmental sample from Site A were positive for pathogenic Leptospira by PCR.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the complexity of potential exposures and the difficulty in identifying infection sources for human cases. This reinforces the need for multiple preventive measures such as animal vaccination, the use of personal protective equipment, pest control, and general awareness of leptospirosis to reduce infection risk in agricultural settings.

Clinical relevance: Farms with unvaccinated livestock had Leptospira infections, highlighting the importance of animal vaccination. Infections amongst stock that were vaccinated emphasise the importance of best practice vaccination recommendations and pest control.

Equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis (EOTRH) is a widespread dental disease with an unknown aetiology, mainly affecting the incisors and canine teeth of senior horses. Being clinically asymptomatic in early stages but progressively destructive and painful in many cases highlights the need for improvements in early diagnosis of EOTRH. This study describes how clinical and radiological findings correlate with distinguishing EOTRH-specific symptoms from non-specific findings. Clinical and radiographic examinations of the rostral oral cavity were performed in 154 Icelandic horses. Each horse received a separate assessment of clinical and radiographic findings and was clinically and radiographically classified as either EOTRH Stage 0 (no findings), Stage 1 (suspicious), Stage 2 (mild), Stage 3 (moderate) or Stage 4 (severe). Analysis revealed statistically significant association between non-age-correlated bite angle, fistulae, gingival swelling, gingival recession as well as gingivitis and radiographic EOTRH diagnoses. Meanwhile, no statistical association was found between the occurrence of calculus or tooth mobility and EOTRH diagnosis. Understanding the interaction of the different symptoms enables further diagnostics (e.g., radiography) to be conducted at an early stage, and therefore EOTRH can be diagnosed and treated at its earliest possible stage.

Aims: To use a narrative inquiry approach to explore animal owner experiences and feelings during engagement with veterinary services with the goal of understanding what a "good experience" looks and feels like from a client perspective.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 animal owners, primarily companion animal owners of New Zealand European ethnicity, via video call or telephone. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: The participants narrated both positive and negative experiences with veterinary professionals, the impacts of those experiences and subsequent actions by the client. Four main themes emerged. The first identified features of the practice, beyond the standard provision of veterinary services, that had attracted participants, e.g. specific services offered. The next theme concerned the overall experience for the participants, where clients felt welcomed and cared for at all stages of the interaction. The third theme focused on building and maintaining quality relationships. We found that the principles of relationship-centred care apply and that when these factors were absent, conflict appeared more likely. The fourth theme considered factors that impacted the client-veterinary professional relationship. Our findings suggest that clients were more forgiving of poor outcomes if there was a good match and a strong existing relationship between the veterinary clinic and the client, and if the poor outcome was managed well by the veterinary practice. Managing poor outcomes well was strongly aligned with having honesty and integrity.

Conclusions: The narratives provided insights into client experiences and what is important to them when seeking animal healthcare in terms of the features that a specific veterinary practice offered them and the connections with the personnel at the veterinary practice. Relationship-centred care was key but required a good client fit to the practice to begin with.

Clinical relevance: The themes outlined in this article offer a framework for veterinary practices to assess their current performance against client priorities. By identifying areas for improvement, practices can develop plans to enhance both client satisfaction, and staff and overall practice well-being.

This case describes a previously unreported complication of maxillary canine root canal therapy in a cat. A 5-year-old Russian Blue cat was presented with a complicated crown fracture (pulp exposure) of its left maxillary canine tooth (204). To salvage the tooth, root canal therapy was initiated but not completed due to hemorrhage within the canal. The procedure was staged. On recovery from the procedure, unilateral facial swelling and corneal ulceration were observed. This was consistent with retrograde passage of sodium hypochlorite through the nasolacrimal duct, inducing chemical injury to the cornea. The patient was treated with topical antibiotics, ophthalmic lubrication and systemic analgesia. After seven days of treatment, vast improvements to the eye were noted, with a full recovery confirmed at subsequent follow-up. Rather than complete stage two of the root canal therapy, the affected tooth was extracted; due to progression of pathology affecting the periapical bone. Clinicians should be aware of retrograde chemical irrigation as a potential complication when undertaking root canal therapy of maxillary canine teeth in cats. The close association between the maxillary canine tooth root and the nasolacrimal duct in cats needs to be taken into consideration and may require further evaluation prior to undertaking endodontic treatment. Advanced imaging should be considered. Immediate management of chemical corneal injuries should include copious flushing of the corneal surface, followed by swift referral for ophthalmic assessment.

This review summarises up-to-date research on the diagnosis of gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infection in livestock and anthelmintic resistance in GIN. It was commissioned to assist funding bodies to prioritise and guide research and extension efforts to improve the health, welfare and productivity of grazing ruminants in the face of challenge with GIN. A comprehensive review of published articles from journals, books and websites was undertaken, with a focus on peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2024 involving genera of GIN in grazing sheep and cattle with economic importance to New Zealand. Suggestions for articles to include were received from 14 experts in GIN diagnostics. This review is a summary of a longer report submitted to the sponsoring organisation. Clinical signs of GIN infection in grazing ruminants in temperate grazing systems are inadequate as triggers for management interventions including anthelmintic treatment as they are visible only after economically significant pathological changes have occurred. Livestock producers benefit from monitoring GIN burdens using faecal egg counts (FEC) or associated signals such as weight gain. In future, they may use remote monitoring devices for activity in animals, as well as estimating pasture larval contamination. Methods of diagnosing GIN infections using automated FEC devices have improved the convenience of monitoring parasite burdens compared with traditional laboratory methods. However, a lack of quality control measures and a gap in training of skilled technicians for larval differentiation may lead to a shortage of diagnostic capability. Current methods of diagnosing anthelmintic resistance, particularly FEC reduction tests, are not likely to be replaced by laboratory assays in the near future and attention should be focused on facilitating application of new FEC technologies for both animal monitoring and resistance diagnosis. Extension and application of currently available methods and technology will improve animal health and productivity in ruminant grazing systems in the short term. Adoption of novel technologies for remote animal monitoring, practical tools for estimating pasture larval contamination and promoting genetic selection for immunity and resilience to GIN in both sheep and cattle will further enhance productivity in the long term.

Case history: In early summer, a wild fledgling kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) was admitted to a wildlife hospital in Dunedin after falling from its nest and being found on the ground.

Clinical findings: The bird was underweight, weighing only 391 g (expected weight > 450 g), and determined to be in poor body condition based on palpation of pectoral muscle mass. There was bilateral periorbital swelling and ocular discharge with caseous material blocking the choana. Samples of the ocular and choanal discharge were collected and submitted for molecular testing. General anaesthesia was required for further radiographic assessment, and the bird was stabilised for 48 hours with oral electrolytes and antimicrobial and analgesic therapy with doxycycline, meloxicam, and tramadol administered orally twice daily via crop tube and voriconazole administered once daily. Chloramphenicol was applied topically to the eyes twice daily. Subsequently, due to the severity of the gross and radiographic lesions, the likelihood of the need for an extended period of treatment, the age of the chick, its weakened and underweight condition and the risk of imprinting, the bird was euthanased while under general anaesthesia.

Laboratory and pathological findings: PCR testing ruled out Chlamydia psittaci as a cause of morbidity and instead identified Mycoplasma columborale. On gross post-mortem examination, there was caseous material in the periorbital tissues, sinuses and choana. Samples of the choanal discharge grew a moderate mixed growth of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis.

Diagnosis: Severe pyogranulomatous sinusitis associated with infection with M. columborale.

Clinical relevance: This report describes the first isolation of M. columborale in any species in New Zealand and the first diagnosis of mycoplasmosis in a native kererū. The significance of this finding has not yet been determined.

Aims: To describe progress in the reduction of the consumption of antimicrobial drugs by food-producing animals in New Zealand to 2022 and to identify the animal production sectors where progress has been greatest, and those where opportunities remain.

Methods: Data were sourced from official government and industry reports to update previous estimates of consumption (as sales) of antimicrobial products applied to food-producing animals in New Zealand, European countries and the USA. Antimicrobial consumption (AMC) was estimated based on the amount of active ingredient sold, per kg of animal biomass standardised to the probable weight at time of treatment or lifetime mean weight but not slaughter weight (population correction unit; PCU). This methodology is widely used for international comparisons.

Results: The estimated gross consumption of antimicrobials in food-producing animals in New Zealand increased steadily from 2005 to 2013 (from 7.54 to 11.28 mg/PCU). From 2014 to 2018 the estimate flattened to a 5-year rolling mean of 10.40 mg/PCU. In 2019-2021 the consumption dropped. The NZ consumption in 2022 was substantially lower, estimated at 5.84 mg/PCU, 29% less than in 2005 and 45% less than the peak that occurred in 2017.

Conclusions: The use of antimicrobials in food-producing animals in New Zealand is at the lowest rate for nearly 20 years, at 5.8 mg/PCU. Key progress has been made particularly by the poultry industry. Clear future areas to be targeted include prophylactic use of intramammary products applied when drying off dairy cows and a more widespread strategic use in treatment of clinical mastitis.

Clinical relevance: Veterinarians in New Zealand should leverage the significant reduction achieved in AMC by food-producing animals by continuing to improve strategies for antimicrobial use to further reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance.