Veterinary Medicine and Science最新文献

Background: Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be transmitted to humans through food and cause infection. This bacterium is a Gram-negative bacillus. Septicemia, significant financial losses in poultry production and respiratory diseases in humans are the complications of P. aeruginosa infection.

Objectives: This study assessed the antibiotic resistance, and distribution of virulence factors in poultry meat. Multiplex PCR used to investigate the distribution of exo T3SS genes in P. aeruginosa.

Material and methods: Bacteriological examination was performed on the 417 samples collected from poultry meat. The disc diffusion technique was employed to test antimicrobial susceptibility. The genetic pattern and distribution of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes of the isolates were studied. The T3SS genes (exo T, Y, S and U) were amplified by multiplex PCR with specific primers.

Results: P. aeruginosa was found in 153 out of 417 (36.69%) examined samples. Penicillin had the highest resistance rate (100%), tetracycline (96.07%), gentamicin (81.69%) and streptomycin (70.58%). The antibiotic resistance genes with the most common detection were bla_TEM (93.46%), bla_SHV (19.60%) and bla_DHA (18.95%). The virulence factor with the highest detection rate was nanI (69.28%), plcH (48.36%), plcN (37.90%), pilA (32.67%), phzM (32.02%), toxA (31.37%). The frequency T3SS genes (exoT, Y, S and U) of P. aeruginosa isolates were 100%, 97.38%, 94.77% and 73.85%, respectively.

Conclusion: In the present study, P. aeruginosa recovered from poultry meat is a very dangerous bacterium that can be transmitted to humans through food. Bacterium is resistant to most therapeutic agents and shows a pattern of multidrug resistance. It is considered very dangerous in the food industry and the consumption of poultry meat, as well as for public health.

Background: Neonatal diarrhoea is one of the most common diseases in lambs, causing economic losses and welfare issues. The endothelial glycocalyx (eGC) plays a crucial role in vascular integrity and inflammatory regulation. However, its involvement in neonatal lamb diarrhoea remains unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate eGC damage in neonatal lambs with diarrhoea by assessing biomarkers, including nitric oxide (NO), heparan sulphate (HS), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 15 (ADAM15).

Methods: A total of 68 neonatal lambs with diarrhoea (39 infected with Escherichia coli and 29 with Cryptosporidium parvum) and 20 healthy controls were included. Diarrhoea aetiology was confirmed via faecal antigen tests and microscopic examination. Blood samples were collected for hemogram and biomarker analysis using sheep-specific ELISA kits.

Results and conclusions: Lambs with diarrhoea showed significantly higher total leukocyte (white blood cell [WBC]), granulocyte (GRA) and monocyte (MON) counts (p < 0.01). Serum NO concentrations were significantly elevated in lambs with diarrhoea, whereas HS and Ang-2 concentrations were lower (p < 0.01). E. coli-infected lambs had significantly higher ADAM15 concentrations than those with Cryptosporidium infection (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that NO may have a protective and/or anti-inflammatory role in neonatal lamb diarrhoea, potentially maintaining eGC integrity despite the inflammatory process.

Background: Ticks are major ectoparasites affecting livestock health and productivity. Their sex ratio and host specificity influence pathogen transmission.

Objective: To identify tick species and determine sex ratios across different host animals in Tehran Province, Iran.

Methods: Ticks are one of the main risk factors in transmitting pathogens to livestock and humans. From a total of 1623 animals, 806 ticks were collected, of which 685 were hard ticks and 121 were soft ticks. Ticks were sexed and identified using morphological keys.

Results: Females comprised 57.99% and males 42.01% of ticks. Sheep had the highest infestation rate (60.04%), cattle the lowest (0.62%). Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato was the most prevalent species (39.96%).

Conclusion: High sheep infestation and dominance of R. sanguineus highlight the need for targeted tick control to reduce disease risks and economic loss in livestock.

Leptospirosis is a rapidly spreading and neglected zoonotic disease, whose transmission is interlinked between animals, humans and the environment. Even though leptospirosis is an endemic disease in East Africa, there is no updated information regarding the overall seroprevalence in humans, cattle, goats and sheep. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled seroprevalence of leptospirosis and associated factors among cattle, humans, goats and sheep in East Africa (from 2000 to 2024). Upon literature search from databases and registries, 36 articles reporting the seroprevalence of leptospirosis in humans, cattle, goats and sheep were included for the final meta-analysis. The pooled seroprevalence was higher in cattle at 23% (95% CI: 17.2-27.01), followed by 19.9% in goats (95% CI: 2.7-68.9) and 12.5% in humans (95% CI: 7.05-211). Regarding countries, there was the highest seroprevalence of leptospirosis in Ethiopia (25.7% [95% CI: 14.3-41.8]) and the lowest in Uganda (13.01% [95% CI: 2.11-50.97]). Seroprevalence of leptospirosis in different diagnostic methods was 16.5 (95% CI: 8.52-29.46) and 16.5 (95% CI: 12.3-23) in ELISA and MAT, respectively. The meta-regression analysis identified the sample size and study country as significant moderators (p < 0.1). The model incorporating sample size explained 58.89% of the heterogeneity. The observed high seroprevalence highlights the urgent need for improved diagnostic confirmation, as well as strengthened control and prevention strategies in the region.

Fibrocartilaginous embolic myelopathy (FCE) was diagnosed in a 15-year-old pony mare by histopathologic examination of the spinal cord. The horse was euthanized and submitted for necropsy following focal seizures and lateral recumbency for approximately 12 h. Histopathology of spinal cord segments C5-C7 revealed severe ischemic myelomalacia with intravascular amorphous material that stained positive with Alcian Blue, consistent with cartilaginous matrix. These features in addition to the acute onset of clinical signs are characteristic for FCE. This case report describes the clinical and histopathological findings of a horse with an FCE with confirmation via histochemical staining.

A 4-year-old female neutered crossbreed dog was presented for a 2-month history of intermittent vestibulo-cerebellar ataxia and right head tilt. On admission, she presented clinical signs compatible with right paradoxical vestibular syndrome. Haematology showed moderate lymphocytosis, thrombocytopenia and hyperproteinaemia with hyperglobulinemia. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed multiple, bilateral, ill-defined lesions involving the white matter of the brainstem, cerebellum and forebrain with strong diffuse meningeal contrast enhancement. Cerebrospinal fluid cytology showed lymphocytic pleocytosis, and Ehrlichia spp. serology was positive. Treatment with doxycycline showed clinical improvement within 24 h, treatment was continued for 6 weeks. A follow-up magnetic resonance imaging study was performed after treatment and showed complete resolution of the previous lesions. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed only albumin-cytological dissociation. Since treatment initiation, the patient remained asymptomatic. Three months after hospital discharge, no further episodes were reported.

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a globally prevalent zoonotic protozoan parasite that forms cysts and infects both animals and humans. Although there are reports on its seroprevalence, no comparative studies have validated the presence of this parasite in Ethiopian food animals.

Objectives: This study assessed and compared serological and molecular techniques for the detection of T. gondii in slaughtered domestic ruminants in the study area.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2019 to October 2020 by collecting 320 blood and corresponding tissue samples from purposively selected animals. The presence of this disease was identified using the latex agglutination test (LAT) and nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). SPSS version 25 with chi-square and logistic regression analyses was used to determine the relationship between associated risk factors and seropositivity of this disease.

Findings: The overall findings on the presence of this infection among slaughtered animals showed positivity rates of 180 (56.2%) through latex ATs, 68 (21.2%) in the first PCR run and 34 (10.6%) in the second PCR run. In latex ATs, positivity rates were recorded as 62% (62/100) in sheep, 52.7% (58/110) in goats and 54.5% (60/110) in cattle. The first PCR amplification detected positive cases in 34% (34/100) of sheep, 21.8% (24/110) of goats and 9.1% (10/110) of cattle. The second PCR amplification identified positivity in 20% (20/100) of sheep and 12.5% (14/110) of goats, whereas no positive cases were found in cattle. Seropositivity showed a significant association with sex and age in sheep and goats, origin in goats and breed and age in cattle (p value ≤ 0.05). A slight level of agreement was observed between latex agglutination and the first PCR test (Kappa = 0.230), whereas a fair agreement was noted between first PCR and nPCR (K = 0.338). Overall, nPCR demonstrated higher specificity (83.9%) compared to first PCR and the latex AT for detecting this disease.

Conclusions: Thus, comparative detection confirms its presence in slaughtered food animals, aiding in early effective prevention and control for food consumption. Further research on pathogen genotyping is strongly recommended.

Background: The considerable variability observed in genetic parameters for growth and carcass traits in Japanese quails necessitates a meta-analysis for their accurate estimation. Such a precise estimation is crucial for the successful optimisation of breeding programs.

Objectives: This pioneering comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to derive precise genetic parameters for growth and carcass traits in Japanese quail.

Methods: For this meta-analysis, data were systematically extracted from 50 eligible studies published between 1974-2024. Genetic parameters including, heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlations for body weight at different ages and carcass traits, were estimated using random-effects models within metafor package.

Results: Meta-analysis results showed that hatch weight had the highest heritability estimate (0.38 ± 0.003). Weekly body weights (W₁-W₆) demonstrated heritability estimates ranging from 0.23 to 0.30. Genetic correlations among body weights at different ages were consistently positive and strong, particularly between consecutive ages, whereas phenotypic correlations were comparatively weaker. The study found moderate to high heritability estimates (0.24 to 0.33) for carcass traits. Furthermore, positive genetic correlation was observed between slaughter and carcass weight (0.96 ± 0.07). Similar patterns were noted for other carcass traits, like breast weight and thigh weight. However, genetic correlation between slaughter weight and abdominal fat weight was notably lower. The heterogeneity index (I²) was over 90% for most estimates.

Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that selecting for increased body weight can improve carcass yield without promoting excessive adiposity. This study provides reliable genetic parameters to develop quail breeding programs for enhanced productivity and meat quality.

Brucellosis is one of the neglected zoonotic diseases (NZD) in the world that causes disease globally. Brucella melitensis, one of the organisms responsible for causing the disease in sheep and goat, is responsible for the disease in humans. The disease is transmitted mainly from sheep and goat to humans via ingestion (typically through milk), inhalation, abrasion and so on. Despite the zoonotic importance of the disease, there is lack of comprehensive data such as overall prevalence around the world is yet to be measured. The aim of this study is to review all the available articles on the prevalence of the infection in sheep and goats systematically and determine the overall prevalence around the world. Therefore, a literature search was conducted in PubMed for articles published from January 2010 to December 2023 on the relevant topic. The inclusion criteria were set to extract relevant data from the selected articles. A random effect meta-analysis model was used in analysing the data. The derived prevalence was presented in percentage along with 95% confidence interval (CI). The pooled prevalence of B. melitensis infection globally in goat was 2.46% (95% CI: 1.70%-3.21%) and in sheep was 8.07% (95% CI: 6.36%-9.78%); the combined pooled prevalence in both sheep and goat was 5.54% (95% CI: 4.63%-6.45%). Overall, on the basis of regions, the pooled prevalence in goat ranged from 0.07% (95% CI: -0.08% to 0.22%) to 16.82% (95% CI: 12.69%-20.95%). In sheep, the regional pooled prevalence ranged from 0.03% (95% CI: -0.03% to 0.08%) to 60.39% (95% CI: 58.50%-62.27%). This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated the global burden of B. melitensis infection in sheep and goat that would help better understanding the global distribution of the infection and the potential areas of zoonotic transmission. The data have been retrieved from various types of journals with different types of study designs and were analysed to highlight the variation of prevalence across the countries, among different species, diagnostic methods and sample sources. This knowledge would help in planning effective control measures targeting high risk species, areas and so on.

This case report documents the successful treatment of a cat with proliferative necrotizing otitis externa (PNOE) using oclacitinib. Novel to this report, two episodes of delayed relapses occurred prior to complete spontaneous resolution, with an apparent dose-dependent response to oclacitinib. Oclacitinib led to complete remission of the initial lesions and those of the first relapse, and the lesions of the second relapse resolved spontaneously. This adds additional evidence to support the use of oclacitinib as an alternative or adjunctive off-label treatment for PNOE, especially in refractory cases. Further studies are needed to assess the safety of long-term use, and to confirm ideal dose rates and treatment duration.