Veterinary Record Open最新文献

Background: An outbreak of salmonellosis due to Salmonella Typhimurium was detected coincidentally in a Swiss meat rabbitry, given that surveillance of Salmonella in rabbits is not mandatory in Switzerland.

Methods: To assess the extent of potentially subclinical Salmonella carriage in meat rabbits, faecal pool samples of 50 farms (90% of Swiss commercial rabbitries) with ground covering litter and group housing were bacteriologically tested. Additionally, 236 rabbits showing clinical signs compatible with intestinal diseases, such as salmonellosis, were examined postmortem and analysed bacteriologically. Salmonella isolates were serotyped and analysed by whole genome sequencing (WGS).

Results: Salmonella Typhimurium was detected in three commercial farms (6.0% of all tested farms). The affected farms were directly linked to the animal trade and Salmonella isolates were shown to be identical by WGS.

Conclusion: There is no increased hazard for Salmonella carriage in the animal welfare-friendly Swiss husbandry systems in general, despite risk factors such as ground covering litter.

Background: Insulinomas are the most common tumour of the endocrine pancreas in dogs. These malignant tumours have a high metastatic rate and limited chemotherapeutic options. The multi-receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor sunitinib malate has benefit in the treatment of metastatic insulinoma in people. Toceranib phosphate, an analogous veterinary agent, may provide benefit for dogs.

Methods: A retrospective study describing the extent and duration of clinical outcomes and adverse events (AEs) in dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and receiving toceranib.

Results: Records for 30 dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and having received toceranib were identified from a medical record search of five university and eight referral hospitals. The median progression-free interval and overall survival time were 561 days (95% confidence interval (CI): [246, 727 days]) and 656 days (95% CI: [310, 1045 days]), respectively. Of the dogs for which the canine Response evaluation criteria for solid tumours tool could be applied, the majority (66.7%) showed either a complete response, partial response or stable disease. Time to clinical progression was associated with prior intervention and type of veterinary practice. Larger dogs were at increased risk for disease progression and death. No novel AEs were reported.

Conclusions: Most dogs diagnosed with insulinoma and receiving toceranib appeared to have a clinical benefit. Randomised, prospective studies are needed to better elucidate and objectively quantify the potential effect and survival benefit of toceranib therapy for management of insulinoma in dogs.

Background and aims: In Europe, the antimicrobial use (AMU) for food-producing animals has decreased rapidly. However, studies indicate that a too strict policy, with too restrictive AMU, is potentially problematic for veterinarians because it threatens animal welfare and creates tensions between farmers and veterinarians. The AMU in Sweden is among the lowest in Europe, and regulation of AMU in farm animals is strict. The aim of our study was to explore how Swedish veterinarians describe the relations between (1) being restrictive with antibiotics due to the risk of AMR and (2) concerns for animal welfare and/or the veterinarian-client relationship.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 21 veterinarians, working with dairy cattle, were performed. The transcripts were analysed, and a number of dominant patterns which recurred in all, or most of, the interviews were identified.

Result: The interviewed veterinarians described AMR prevention and tackling the threat AMR poses towards public health, as central for their profession and as influencing their everyday practice and decisions on AMU. Importantly, veterinarians described accounting for AMR in everyday practice as fairly unproblematic, both in relation to animal welfare as well as in relation to farmers. The veterinarians generally perceived that they could treat animals with antibiotics when justified, and being restrictive with antibiotics was described as an expression of professional skill and not as challenging as animal welfare. Moreover, they stated that restrictive AMU seldom or never caused conflicts with farmers.

Conclusion: Strict AMU policy and restrictive AMU do not necessarily put veterinarians in a problematic position where they are caught between conflicting demands and risks.

Background: Effective clinical communication can aid veterinarians in building good client relationships, increase adherence to recommendations and, ultimately, improve patient health and welfare. However, available information on veterinary communication in the equine context is limited. The objective of this study was to describe the communication of veterinary students in the equine environment who had previous communication training. Additionally, we assessed the suitability of the Roter Interaction Analysis System (RIAS) for the analysis of audio-video recordings of equine wellness consultations.

Methods: Twenty-seven equine wellness consultations performed by second-year Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine students were recorded in rural Kentucky, United States of America. Recordings were submitted to a professional coder who applied the RIAS to the equine context by expanding or adjusting code definitions.

Results: A substantial amount of utterances (i.e. segments of speech) were allocated to core communication skills including building rapport (30%), facilitation and client activation (24%) and education and counselling (23%). There was a large variation in utterances used among consultations of the same veterinary student and students; they did not appear anxious or nervous.

Conclusions: Students made use of core communication skills, indicating that experiences from pre-clinical training could be transferred to equine practice. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that the RIAS could be considered for consecutive studies aiming to provide observational data on clinical communication in the equine context.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) in the horse is an economic and welfare issue and there are no current disease modifying drugs available. Stem cells have been suggested as a therapeutic intervention for OA, originally on the basis of their regenerative capacity. However, it is hypothesised that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) exert their effects via paracrine factors including the production of extracellular vesicles that can themselves recapitulate the MSC effects in the joint.

Objectives: To isolate extracellular vesicles from bone marrow MSC and investigate their anti-inflammatory effects on chondrocytes.

Study design: An in vitro assessment of the effect of direct culturing extracellular vesicles on artificially inflamed chondrocytes.

Methods: Extracellular vesicles were isolated from bone marrow MSC using differential sequential ultracentrifugation. Vesicles were characterised using electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracing analysis and protein analysis. Vesicle internalisation was carried out via vesicles being pre-stained and co-cultured with equine chondrocytes before analysis using confocal microscopy. The effects of vesicles on artificially inflamed chondrocytes was examined using quantitative PCR.

Results: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to isolate and characterise extracellular vesicles from equine bone MSC. Vesicles were taken up by autologous chondrocytes and had anti-inflammatory effects on gene expression following chondrocyte exposure to tumour necrosis factor α and Interleukin 1β.

Main limitations: Only three independent biological repeats were performed and the work was done in vitro.

Conclusion: Extracellular vesicles can be isolated from equine bone marrow MSC; they may be taken up by chondrocytes and have an anti-inflammatory action.

Background: Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (AP) is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. Apx exotoxins are the most important virulence factors associated with the induction of lesions. ApxI is highly cytotoxic on a wide range of cells. Besides the induction of necrosis and apoptosis of ApxI on porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), its role in pyroptosis, a caspase-1-dependent form of cell death, has not been reported. The aim of this study was to analyse if NLRP3 inflammasome participates in cell death induced by ApxI.

Methods: PAMs, the porcine alveolar macrophage cell line 3D4/21 and a porcine aortic endothelial cell line were used in this study. We used Z-VAD-FMK and Ac-YVAD-cmk to inhibit caspase-1. Glyburide and MCC950 were used to inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome. A lactate dehydrogenase release assay was used to measure the percentage of cell death. Caspase-1 expression was analysed by immunofluorescence. End-point RT-PCR was used to analyse the expression of NLRP3 mRNA.

Results: Rapid cell death in PAMs, 3D4/21 cells and the endothelial cell line were induced by ApxI. This cell death decreased by using caspase-1 and NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors and by blocking the K⁺ efflux. Expression of NLRP3 mRNA was induced by ApxI in alveolar macrophages while it was constitutive in the endothelial cell line. Detection of caspase-1 in alveolar macrophages was higher after ApxI treatment and it was blocked by MCC950 or heat inactivation.

Conclusions: To the best of the authors' knowledge, we have described for the first time in vitro induction of ApxI associated pyroptosis in alveolar macrophages and endothelial cells, a rapid cell death that depends on the activation of caspase-1 via the NLRP3 inflammasome.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1002/vro2.14.].

Background: Epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is a hereditary heterogeneous group of mechanobullous disorders caused by mutations in several structural skin proteins observed in both humans and animals. In this work, we report the incidence and the genetic trend of the junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB), a major type of EB, in the Italian German Shorthaired Pointer (GSPs) population in a 10 years span.

Methods: In this study, we monitored the genetic trend of JEB in the Italian population of the GSPs from 2009 to 2018 in 750 animals. The studied mutation was the insertion (4818+207 ins 6.5 kb) of repetitive satellite DNA within intron 35 of the LAMA3 gene.

Results: Allele frequencies showed a reduction of the mutated (C) allele during the years, with the only exception of 2017, when 13 dogs were diagnosed as carrier for the genetic pathology. A regression logistic analysis was performed, including sex, coat colour and their interaction. Our results showed that there was a statistically significant association with coat colour.

Conclusions: The simplicity and the low cost of the analysis for the detection of this pathology suggests that a deeper identification of carrier dogs will allow better breeding strategies and management, leading to a rapid JEB eradication.

Background: Heart girth tapes (HGTs) are often used as an alternative to weight scales for calves. This study investigated the accuracy of HGT in estimating bodyweight and daily liveweight gain (DWLG) of pre-weaned calves, and the impact of inter-observer variation.

Method: In Study 1, 119 calves were weighed using HGT and electronic scales on multiple occasions. Mixed-effects models for both bodyweight and DLWG were used to determine the accuracy of HGT compared to the electronic scales. Simulation data were used to further analyse the accuracy of DLWG estimation including for factors such as the effect of group size on group DLWG estimates.In Study 2, 10 observers weighed 20 pre-weaned calves, using HGT and electronic scales. Mixed-effect model was used to investigate the impact of different observers on the accuracy of HGT on measuring bodyweights.

Results: Mixed-effects model results suggest HGT provides a relatively accurate estimation of weight (MAE: 2.66 kg) and relatively inaccurate estimation of DLWG (MAE 0.10 kg/d). Simulated data identified associations between time between weight dates and error in DLWG estimation, with MAE of individual DLWG estimation decreasing from 0.43 kg/d when 14 days apart to 0.08 kg/d when 70 days apart. Increased calf numbers reduced error rates of group DLWG estimation, with <0.05 kg/d error achieved in >90% of simulations when 12 calves were weighed 70 days apart.

Conclusions: HGTs are relatively accurate at estimating individual bodyweights but are unreliable methods for measuring DLWG in individual calves, particularly weighed within a short-time period. Estimates at group level however are relatively accurate, providing there is a suitable period of time between weigh dates and an appropriate number of calves per group.

Background: Pharmacovigilance based on spontaneously reported suspected adverse events (AEs) from veterinary professionals is a powerful tool for detecting potential risks of using medicinal products. However, it is heavily dependent on the voluntary participation of veterinary professionals. Estimates suggest that over 90% of suspected AEs remain unreported. This survey was conducted to accumulate information on current practices and attitudes of Swedish veterinary professionals in relation to AE reporting and their perceptions of the accessibility of updated product safety information.

Methods: Swedish veterinary professionals were surveyed using a web-based questionnaire prepared by the Swedish Medical Products Agency (SMPA). The survey included three sections with 13 questions and was distributed via several communication channels, including the Swedish Veterinary Association.

Results: The survey was answered by 412 veterinary professionals, including veterinarians and licensed veterinary nurses. The survey identified that most veterinarians comply with national legislation by reporting directly to the SMPA, but not all observed AEs are reported. Veterinary professionals indicated that it is important to have an easy and efficient reporting system, preferably directly from an electronic medical records system. Feedback is considered important. Veterinary nursing staff could potentially improve the reporting rate of suspected AEs in Sweden. The degree of knowledge relating to the reporting of AEs varies among professionals, thus impacting on reporting frequency. A single source of product safety information is mainly used, and improvements are required to enhance accessibility and distribution of updated product safety information.

Conclusions: The insight gained from this survey will be used to influence attitudes and facilitate adaptations needed to fulfil the requirements of the European Union regulations. To reduce underreporting of AEs and facilitate access to updated product safety information, various approaches are required including educational interventions, new digital reporting tools and adaption of communication strategies.