Veterinary Research Communications最新文献

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is known to be a reservoir host of various vector-borne protozoan parasites. However, the impact of infections caused by Babesia canis on the health status of the red fox remains unknown, and research on this topic conducted on fox populations in Poland and worldwide has been fragmentary. It is known that these animals can become infected with Babesia canis, but it is unclear whether a clinical form of the disease can develop in them. This study aimed to present for the first time the cases of clinical babesiosis in foxes in Poland. The observations covered four foxes aged 3-6 years with apathy, anemia, brown color of urine and thrombocytopenia. The PCR and sequencing results confirmed that all the animals had been infected with Babesia canis protozoa. The diagnosis of clinical cases of babesiosis due to B. canis in foxes from this region of Europe suggests a contribution of red foxes to the establishment of this animal species as a new reservoir of B. canis. These animals may play a role as a host for B. canis, and previously unexposed red fox populations may be more prone to infection in areas colonized by D. reticulatus.

The intensive mariculture of S. aurata can promote aquaculture development, although it can also pose challenges because of predatory behavior and environmental stressors caused by intensification. The objective of this study is to alleviate stress and prevent cannibalism, thereby improving the fish's performance and welfare. A 90-day growth experiment investigated the dietary inclusion of melatonin (ML) on Sparus aurata performance, physiology, immunity, histopathology, and welfare when grown in saline groundwater (36 ppt) at stocking densities (SD) of 50 fish/500 L‒tank (SD₅₀) and 100 fish/500 L‒tank (SD₁₀₀). Six fish groups in triplicate were fed three increasing levels of ML (0, 25, and 50 mg/kg^- 1 diet) expressed as T1, T2 and T3 under SD₅₀, and T4, T5, and T6 under SD₁₀₀. Fish (n = 1350) weighing 16.46 ± 0.18 g/fish were grown using a flow-through system and a daily feeding rate of 4%. The results revealed significant declines in nitrogen by-product (NH₃ and NO₂) levels of fish fed ML in a dose density-dependent manner. Fish fed ML under both densities showed significantly improved growth indices, FCR, growth hormone, and crude protein content compared with those fed the control diet, with T2 and T6 groups achieving the highest values. ML augmentation enhanced serum lipase, protease, immunoglobulin, albumin, globulin, antioxidants, and proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β and lowered serum cortisol, glucose, ALT, AST, and ALP. Under both densities, the ML-fish presented healthier livers and intestines than those fed the control diet, which showed marked liver vacuoles and steatotic changes. The ML-SD interaction showed superior fish performance, particularly in groups T2 and T6; thus, it is recommended to administer dietary melatonin at 25 mg/kg for seabream reared at 50 fish per 500-liter tank and 50 mg/kg for those cultivated at 100 fish per 500-liter tank using groundwater.

Total hip arthroplasty effectively restores near-normal gait in most dogs with hip dysplasia unresponsive to conservative treatment. Total hip replacement (THR) requires high surgical accuracy for all surgeons, though errors and deviations are more common during the learning phase (Hayes et al. Vet Surg 40(1):1-5, 2011a). This study aimed to evaluate the technical performance and identify common intraoperative deviations in cemented THR performed by a novice surgeon using canine cadavers. Twelve adult cadavers underwent unilateral THR following a standardized protocol, with implant sizes determined through both radiographic and CT-based preoperative templating. All procedures were performed under expert supervision, with intraoperative corrections made when necessary. Postoperative radiographs were obtained not to detect missed errors but to objectively quantify final implant orientation after correction, thereby documenting technical inaccuracies, including those corrected intraoperatively. Postoperative radiographs were assessed for acetabular cup orientation, femoral stem alignment, canal fill, cement mantle quality, tip-to-cortex distance and cement quality. Overall, > 80% agreement was noted between templated and implanted components. A statistically significant association (p = 0.04) was observed between the matched acetabular cup and femoral stem. While implant positioning, including stem orientation, canal fill, and cement mantle thickness, cementation quality was within acceptable limits, increased canal fill correlated with mild varus or valgus deviations (r = 0.702, p = 0.01). These findings suggest that novice surgeons may achieve reproducible and acceptable outcomes through cadaver-based training with structured mentoring. However, optimal implant placement was not consistently achieved, indicating that further refinement is needed. Larger-scale cadaveric studies and more intensive surgical training protocols are recommended to enhance accuracy, reduce variability, and improve learning outcomes clinically in canine THR.

Bronopol (C₃H₆BrNO₄) is newly used as an antimicrobial in aquaculture. Our study investigates the time-dependent effects of the antimicrobial Bronopol during Aeromonas hydrophila infection on Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Fish were divided into four groups: a control (G0), Bronopol (0.333 µl/L) water additives (G1), A. hydrophila-injected (G2), and the combined A. hydrophila-injected and Bronopol-added (G3) for 7 days. G2 generally led to significant (P < 0.05) decreases in RBCs, Hb, PCV, monocytes, lymphocytes, and digestive enzyme activities (amylase, lipase, and protease), alongside significant (P < 0.05) increases in heterophils, liver enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP), kidney markers (creatinine, urea), and indicators of oxidative stress (MDA). G1 often induced an initial inflammatory response (increased WBCs and RBCs at 6 h) and higher (P < 0.05) levels of immune parameters (lysozyme, phagocytic activity, and IgM). G3 exhibited some mitigation of pathological effects in histopathology compared to G2 but also showed significantly (P < 0.05) higher NBT reduction and distinct gene expression patterns. Gene expression analysis revealed tissue- and time-specific changes; notably, G3 showed significant upregulation (P < 0.05) of hsp70, cox-2, il-1β, and tnf-α in the liver at 6 h, but downregulation in the kidney. Conversely, in 7 days, all gene expressions were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the G3 group in the liver, while in the kidney, they were lower in the same group. The study explores Bronopol's efficacy in enhancing fish immunity to fight A. hydrophila, dependent on exposure timing and dose (0.333 µl/L), necessitating careful management in aquaculture practices.

A 10-year-old lioness (Panthera leo persica), weighing 130 kg, was referred from Madrid Zoo to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Complutense University of Madrid for evaluation of a lumbar soft tissue mass, previously diagnosed by biopsy as a chondrosarcoma, with potential surgical excision planned. A coordinated safety protocol was established between zoo and hospital staff, including predefined emergency routes and continuous supervision by experienced personnel and animal keepers. Anaesthetic premedication included intramuscular medetomidine (0.05 mg kg⁻¹) and ketamine (3 mg kg⁻¹), followed by propofol induction (1.2 mg kg⁻¹ IV) and maintenance with isoflurane in oxygen. Mechanical ventilation and comprehensive monitoring (ECG, non-invasive blood pressure, pulse oximetry, capnography, oesophageal temperature) were used. After computed tomography evaluation, the lion was elected for the chondrosarcoma surgical excision. Perioperative analgesia included intravenous methadone (0.1 mg kg⁻¹) and a sacrococcygeal epidural block with bupivacaine (0.3 mg kg⁻¹) and morphine (0.1 mg kg⁻¹). This epidural technique was integrated into a multimodal analgesic protocol that proved effective, as no intraoperative nociceptive responses were observed and recovery was uneventful, aside from transient and self-limiting neurological deficits. This case illustrates the feasibility of incorporating sacrococcygeal epidural analgesia into a multimodal anaesthetic and analgesic plan for major surgical procedures in large felids.

This study investigated the effects of dietary Hydrilla verticillata extract (HVE) on growth performance, physiological responses, and disease resistance in Labeo rohita fingerlings subjected to Aeromonas hydrophila challenge. Following acclimatization, the fish were divided into 15 tanks at random (30 fish per tank) and given five different diets that contained 0, 75, 150, 300, or 600 mg/kg HVE for 60 days. Growth was significantly (P < 0.05) boosted by dietary HVE, with 300 mg/kg showing the maximum weight gain and protein efficiency ratio, however, higher dose (600 mg/kg) reduced the growth performance. In HVE-fed groups, malondialdehyde levels dropped and antioxidant enzyme activity (SOD, CAT, and GPx) significantly increased, suggesting improved oxidative state. Elevated ALP, decreased AST and ALT activity, and decreased serum glucose and cortisol levels all indicated enhanced hepatic function and less stress. At 300 mg/kg, nonspecific immunological responses, such as lysozyme activity and total immunoglobulins, were markedly increased. Cumulative mortality decreased dramatically in HVE-supplemented groups after the A. hydrophila challenge, with fish fed 300 mg/kg exhibiting the lowest cumulative mortality. The optimal dietary HVE level was calculated as 252.46 mg/kg based on weight gain%. These results show that dietary HVE, especially 300 mg/kg, significantly enhances Labeo rohita growth, antioxidant defence, immunological function, and resistance to A. hydrophila.

Waterborne trace elements (TE), such as mercury (Hg) and zinc (Zn), are environmental contaminants that often co-occur in aquatic ecosystems. Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin peel; PP) is a medicinal plant with diverse pharmacological properties. Accordingly, this innovative trial looked at the efficacy of PP, administered as powder (12.00 g/kg diet), in mitigating the toxicological effects of a mixture of trace elements (MTE) containing Hg (0.05 mg/L) and Zn (7.00 mg/L) in Oreochromis niloticus. A total of 160 fingerlings (28.50 ± 1.33 g) were randomly assigned to four groups, with four replicates per group: control, PP, MTE, and PP + MTE. The experiment was conducted over two months. The findings disclosed a reduced fish survival rate (72.50%) and a pronounced neuro-stress response following MTE exposure, as indicated by elevated cortisol, norepinephrine, and glucose concentrations, along with decreased acetylcholinesterase activity. The MTE exposure also induced oxidative stress in gills, evidenced by increased malondialdehyde concentration and diminished glutathione peroxidase activity, and reduced glutathione content. Additionally, MTE caused extensive histopathological alterations in both brain and gill tissues. Furthermore, MTE exposure induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and activated apoptotic pathways, as evidenced by the significant upregulation of cysteine-aspartic acid protease-3 (casp-3), eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 A (eif-2a), C/EBP homologous protein (chop), and X-box binding protein 1(xbp-1) and inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (ire-1α), activating transcription factor 6 (atf-6), and glucose-regulated protein 78 (grp-78) genes in both the brain and gills. Remarkably, dietary supplementation with PP improved these parameters and restored normal tissue histology. These findings suggest that PP can be effectively incorporated into the diet of O. niloticus to mitigate the toxic effects of MTE exposure.

In order to develop non-antibiotic therapies to treat dermatological diseases it is urgent to spread knowledge on composition and properties of skin bacteria in healthy animals. Since horses are popular companions of humans, it is necessary to know what risk skin bacteria pose to humans. Therefore the aim of this work was to analyse species composition of staphylococci isolated from skin swabs of 50 healthy horses using MALDI-TOF (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight) spectrometry and to characterize their virulence properties. Swabs were collected from five body areas (neck, dorsal back, abdomen, pastern and muzzle). Among 19 different staphylococcal species identified, the most common species were Staphylococcus succinus, S. xylosus, S. vitulinus and S. warneri. The most frequent antimicrobial resistance in staphylococcal isolates was observed for penicillin G (48%). The blaZ gene was detected in 90% of penicillin resistant isolates while mecA and mecC genes were not observed. Only low level resistance was noted for erythromycin (12%), tetracycline (6%), linezolid (4%) and oxacillin (4%). No multidrug-resistant strain was found, the MAR (multiple antibiotic resistant) index in average was 0.048 ± 0.039. Biofilm production was observed in 90.1% of isolates whereas 62% of them showed strong production. Gelatinase, DNase, protease and lipase activity was found in 50.4%, 41.3%, 22.3% and 46.3% of isolates, respectively. The results of enzyme activities testing using API ZYM kits (BioMérieux) revealed common production of acid and alkaline phosphatase, esterase, esterase lipase and napthtol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase. The caution when interacting with horses is important especially in the case of injury since their staphylococci showed many virulent characteristics however they were not multi-resistant.