Veterinary Sciences最新文献

Background: Madariaga virus (MADV), formerly known as the South American variant of Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV), is an alphavirus that belongs to the Togaviridae family and has been periodically infecting equids in Venezuela since its first identification in 1975. This study reports the isolation and molecular characterization of MADV isolated from a horse in December 2024 in the context of MADV cases reported in Venezuela.

Methods: Antibodies to the rabies virus were detected by indirect immunofluorescence, and to the Equine Infectious Anemia virus (EIAV) by passive immunodiffusion. MADV RNA was detected by qRT-PCR. The sequence of the complete viral genome was obtained by next-generation sequencing.

Results: The sequence of this virus was highly similar to that of the only human case of MADV reported in the country in 2016, as well as to a sequence of a virus isolated from a horse in Colombia in 2002. The horse was found to be co-infected with EIAV.

Conclusions: The continuous circulation of MADV in Venezuela warrants reinforcing the preventive measures against these alphaviruses, which ignore borders, and may cause important animal and human health concerns.

Emerging antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in companion animals represents a global health concern as they serve as potential reservoirs for multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria, which can be transmitted to humans. Herein, we provide comprehensive surveillance data on resistance patterns in veterinary hospital settings, focusing on urinary tract infection. A total of 23 bacterial strains were isolated from urine specimens of hospitalized companion animals suspected of urinary tract infections (UTIs) between 2022 and 2024. 16S rRNA sequencing analysis revealed that Escherichia coli (47.8%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (21.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8.7%) were predominant uropathogens. Minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration tests were employed to analyze AMR patterns across different classes of antibiotics. Moreover, antimicrobial susceptibility test exhibited 73.91% MDR according to the standard definition given by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) M100 guidelines. Most Gram-negative bacteria have been shown to be resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics, especially carbapenems. Notably, an E. coli strain was confirmed to possess the bla_NDM-1 gene encoding the carbapenemase New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase. These findings support the implementation of targeted infection control measures and evidence-based treatment protocols to preserve antimicrobial efficacy in companion animal medicine to minimize potential public health risks through the One Health approach.

Pneumonia caused by the facultative intracellular pathogen Rhodococcus equi stands out as one of the most significant infections associated with a notably high mortality rate in foals worldwide. Limited therapeutic options and inadequate control and prevention measures result in substantial economic losses, underscoring the need for enhanced interventions. A cross-sectional, multi-province study was conducted on racehorse-breeding farms in Türkiye to estimate prevalence and index virulence, assess relatedness, and summarize antimicrobial susceptibility within a farm management context. Nasal and fecal swabs and environmental samples (soil and water) were cultured and confirmed; virulence was assessed with vapA-specific PCR, genetic relationship determined with PFGE, and antimicrobial susceptibility using disk diffusion. R. equi was detected in 10% of nasal swabs, 22.9% of fecal swabs, 29.4% of soil samples, and 5.9% of water samples; 46.2% of confirmed isolates were vapA-positive. Susceptibility patterns were favorable overall, with frequent ampicillin resistance, infrequent resistance to macrolides and rifampin, rare multidrug resistance, and no vancomycin resistance was detected. PFGE demonstrated substantial genotypic diversity, with 12 clusters and 29 distinct pulsotypes. Farm-level observations were exploratory. More frequent mechanical paddock cleaning coincided with the absence of foal deaths, and vapA-positive isolates were observed on farms with prior infection. Taken together, these findings support routine paddock hygiene, prompt isolation of clinically affected foals, culture-guided therapy, and continued surveillance, and they indicate a need for longitudinal and genomic studies to evaluate the impact.

This study aimed to assess cytokine levels in blood plasma and serum, and saliva of juvenile pigs in response to acute systemic inflammation. The objectives were to: (1) validate an analytical method for quantifying cytokines in serum; (2) assess the reliability of serum compared to plasma for cytokine quantification; and (3) explore the potential of saliva as a non-invasive alternative for cytokine measurement. Changes in 13 cytokines (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-18 and GM-CSF) were analyzed in serum and saliva samples collected over a 72 h period following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) infusion to induce an acute inflammatory response in 10 juvenile pigs (~28 kg BW). EDTA plasma was collected over the same time period, and a subset of four cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ) was analyzed to assess correlations with serum concentrations. A strong positive correlation was observed between serum and EDTA plasma levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ (r = 0.91-1.00, p < 0.001), indicating that both serum and EDTA plasma can be used to obtain reliable measurements of cytokine concentrations in blood of juvenile pigs. Among the 13 analyzed cytokines in serum, TNF-α and IL-6 appeared as the most reliable cytokines during acute inflammation, peaking at 1 h and between 2 and 3 h post LPS infusion, respectively. In general, saliva did not correlate with serum for most cytokines, suggesting limited application of such a non-invasive matrix for systemic cytokine monitoring. However, IL-1α was detected at higher concentrations in saliva than in serum, suggesting that saliva may be useful for monitoring specific cytokines under certain inflammatory conditions. Further research is needed to clarify the origin and physiological role of salivary cytokines following LPS stimulation. Serum and plasma were suitable for cytokine analysis; however, serum may offer practical advantages by facilitating blood sample handling. Saliva may be useful for monitoring specific cytokines under certain inflammatory conditions.

Splenic lesions are common in dogs and can have important clinical implications due to the risk of rupture causing life-threatening hemorrhage, or, for neoplastic lesions, potential metastatic spread. This retrospective study analyzed 682 canine spleen samples submitted to the Regional Canine Cancer Registry in Umbria, Italy, between 2014 and 2023, aiming to characterize lesion types and explore associations with demographic factors and clinical outcomes. Lesions were classified as neoplastic or non-neoplastic. Non-neoplastic lesions were predominant (54.3%), mainly nodular hyperplasia, hematoma, and congestion, while neoplastic lesions accounted for 45.7%, with hemangiosarcoma (HSA) being the most frequent neoplasm (54.5%), followed by other sarcomas, lymphomas, and rare tumors. The mean age at diagnosis was 10.4 years, and medium-sized dogs living in urban areas were most affected. No significant differences in lesion type were observed between sexes or between purebred and mixed-breed dogs, although purebreds were more represented overall. HSA risk varied by size, sex, and breed, with large dogs and certain pure breeds showing elevated risk. Survival analysis revealed markedly reduced outcomes for dogs with HSA. These findings emphasize the utility of histopathologic diagnosis in guiding clinical management and provide insight into the epidemiology and prognosis of splenic lesions in dogs.

Spirometra mansoni is a zoonotic parasite that inhabits the intestines of dogs and cats. The plerocercoids (spargana) parasitize several vertebrates, including humans, resulting in a food-borne zoonosis known as sparganosis. In this study, it has been established that a LAMP assay can detect S. mansoni eggs in dog feces. A total of 97 fecal samples were collected from Changsha City, Hunan Province. The fecal DNA was extracted before designing primers for LAMP based on the S. mansoni cox1 gene. The specificity of this method was verified by PCR using LAMP outer primers or inner primers and nested PCR with S. mansoni-specific cox1 primers. DNA samples from five control dog worms were analyzed using the LAMP assay to evaluate the specificity. The detection rate of LAMP for S. mansoni eggs was 70.21% in stray dogs. PCR and nested PCR produced specific bands on agarose gel electrophoresis consistent with the expected length. When the LAMP assay was conducted using S. mansoni-infected samples, negative samples, and genomic DNA from control worms, only the S. mansoni-infected samples showed a typical ladder pattern. The samples were stained with SYBR Green I, and only the S. mansoni-infected samples had a fluorescent signal. In addition, compared with PCR and microscope, LAMP method can detect eggs in the shortest infection days, and its detection rate was higher than that of PCR. These results suggest that the established LAMP method have many advantages in detecting Spirometra mansoni.

In this study, we examined the influence of dietary PFS powder supplementation on production performance, egg quality, and yolk fatty acid profile in laying hens. A total of 192 Hy-Line^® Brown hens, 30 weeks of age, were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments containing 0, 30, 60, and 90 g/kg of PFS powder, administered over a 12-week period. No significant differences were observed in egg weight, feed intake, or feed conversion ratio among the treatment groups (p > 0.05). However, supplementation with 60 and 90 g/kg PFS significantly enhanced egg production and total egg mass (p < 0.05), particularly during weeks 41-44. Egg quality parameters-including albumen height, Haugh unit, yolk color, shell thickness, and shell strength-remained unaffected across treatments (p > 0.05). Serum analyses revealed that PFS supplementation significantly reduced levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides, and yolk total cholesterol compared with the control diet (p < 0.05). Moreover, yolk fatty acid composition was notably altered: total PUFAs and n-3 PUFAs increased (p < 0.05), whereas total monounsaturated fatty acids and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio decreased (p < 0.05) with rising PFS inclusion. In conclusion, dietary PFS powder improved laying performance and favorably modulated yolk fatty acid composition, without compromising egg quality in laying hens.

Background: Effective communication is a fundamental competency in veterinary medicine that shapes the quality of veterinarian-client relationships, shared decision-making, and animal welfare. However, consistent and systematic integration of communication training across veterinary curricula remains uneven worldwide.

Methods: This scoping review mapped and analyzed educational programs aimed at developing communication competencies in veterinary education and professional practices. A systematic search was conducted according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, identifying 37 eligible studies published between 2005 and 2024.

Results: Most publications were in English and originated from North America, particularly Canada (n = 15) and the United States (n = 8). Regarding target populations, 15 studies (40.5%) focused on veterinary students, 12 (32.4%) on practicing veterinarians, 8 (21.6%) on animal owners or clients, and 2 on veterinary educators. 18 studies (48.7%) described structured programs that used active learning strategies such as role-play, clinical simulations, peer-assisted learning, and formative feedback. The competencies frequently emphasized include empathy, active listening, nonverbal communication, conflict resolution, and rapport building. Notable best practices included the Calgary-Cambridge model, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and reflective video analysis.

Conclusions: The available evidence indicates a growing emphasis on clinical communication within veterinary education, primarily implemented through experiential and practice-based approaches. However, substantial gaps persist in the representation of Latin American contexts and in the systematic, longitudinal integration of communication skills across veterinary curricula. Addressing these gaps may contribute to more coherent, equitable, and context-sensitive communication training in veterinary education.

The review deals with the current knowledge on the global panzootic spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs), with an emphasis on the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus. It describes the viral structure, replication, pathotypes and molecular determinants of host range, including sialic-acid receptor usage and key genetic mammalian-adaptation markers (PB2-E627K and PB2-D701N mutations). The host spectrum nowadays extends from wild waterfowl and poultry including seabirds, terrestrial and marine mammals and, based largely on experimental studies or molecular detection, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Recently, the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus has shown marked tropism for lactating mammary epithelium in dairy cattle, with virions shed in raw milk. The review reports epidemiology, geographical expansion, clinical presentation, pathogenesis and pathology, diagnosis, immune responses and vaccination approaches across species. It also analyses European Union (EU) and Italian regulatory frameworks, surveillance strategies and biosecurity measures from a One-Health perspective. The review highlights how climate change, wildlife-livestock interfaces, intensive farming and global trade favor viral persistence and genomic reassortment and concludes by stressing strategic actions to limit further host adaptation and panzootic/pandemic risks.

S. suis is a prominent zoonotic pathogen responsible for diseases such as arthritis in piglets, swine septicemia, and meningitis. The emergence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) underscores the urgent need for the development of novel antibacterial strategies. In this context, a systematic evaluation of the antibacterial potential of the bacteriophage lytic enzyme Ply900 was conducted in this study, along with an analysis of its domain functions and an in vivo study of its therapeutic dynamics. Ply900 exhibits potent in vitro lytic activity against multiple bacteria, including Streptococcus suis, Streptococcus agalactiae, and Staphylococcus aureus. Notably, it possesses broad biochemical stability, with tolerance to diverse environmental conditions. In a mouse model of S. suis serotype 2 SC19 infection, both the direct Ply900 treatment group and the triple therapy group achieved effective eradication of S. suis, with markedly improved survival rates. The remaining bacteria remained susceptible to Ply900, with no evidence of induced resistance development. Mechanistic analysis revealed that the SH3B domain of Ply900 enhances targeted cleavage efficiency by binding synergistically to peptidoglycan with the CHAP domain, with CYS-34, HIS-59, and ASP-28 serving as key amino acid sites for Ply900's cleavage activity. Collectively, these findings lay the foundation for the potential dual applications of the lysin Ply900, both in the clinical treatment of S. suis infections and in the prevention and control of these pathogenic bacteria in livestock farming.