Veterinary Quarterly最新文献

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is one of the most common conditions affecting felines, yet the metabolic alterations underlying its pathophysiology remain poorly understood, hindering progress in identifying biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive view of metabolic changes in feline CKD across conserved biochemical pathways and evaluate their progression throughout the disease continuum. Using a multi-biomatrix high-throughput metabolomics approach, serum and urine samples from CKD-affected cats (n = 94) and healthy controls (n = 84) were analyzed with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. Significant disruptions were detected in tryptophan (indole, kynurenine, serotonin), tyrosine, and carnitine metabolism, as well as in the urea cycle. Circulating gut-derived uremic toxins, including indoxyl-sulfate, p-cresyl-sulfate, and trimethylamine-N-oxide, were markedly increased, primarily due to impaired renal excretion. However, alternative mechanisms, such as enhanced bacterial formation from dietary precursors like tryptophan, tyrosine, carnitine, and betaine, could not be ruled out. Overall, the findings suggest that metabolic disturbances in feline CKD are largely driven by the accumulation of gut-derived uremic toxins derived from precursors highly abundant in the feline diet. These insights may link the strict carnivorous nature of felines to CKD pathophysiology and highlight potential avenues for studying preventive or therapeutic interventions.

Study advances current diagnostic efficiency of canine/feline (sub-)cutaneous tumors using machine learning and multimodal imaging data. White light (WL), fluorescence (FL) and ultrasound (US) imaging were combined into hybrid approaches to differentiate between malignant mastocytomas, soft tissue sarcomas and benign lipomas. Support Vector Machine and Ensemble classifiers were optimized via sequential feature selection. US radio-frequency signals were quantitatively analyzed to derive the colormaps of six US estimates, corresponding to spectral and temporal domains of the acoustic field. This resulted in the quantification of 72 morphological features for US; as well as 24 and 12 - for WL and FL data, respectively. Resulting classification efficiency for mastocytoma and sarcoma using US data was >75%; US+FL - 75-80%; US+WL - 85-90% and US+OPTICS - 90-95%. ∼100% classification efficiency was achieved for the differentiation between benign and malignant tumors even using single WL feature for Ensemble classifier. US features, resulting in inferior classification efficiency, were competitive to superior optical, as they were selected during optimization to be added to or replace optical counterparts. Additional tissue differentiation was performed on z-stacks of US colormaps, obtained using 3D arrays of US radio-frequency signals. This resulted in ∼70% differentiation efficiency for mastocytoma and sarcoma as well as >95% for benign and malignant tissues. The obtained additional metric of classification efficiency provides complementary diagnostic support, which for Support Vector Machine can be expressed as: 90.3 ± 1.9% (US+WL)×71.2 ± 0.6% (US_{Depth Profile}). This hybrid criterion adds robustness to diagnostic model and may be very beneficial to characterize heterogeneous tissues.

Senecavirus A (SVA) is the causative agent associated with porcine idiopathic vesicular disease (PIVD), a condition indistinguishable from other foreign vesicular diseases affecting pigs. This complicates differential diagnosis and impacts the global swine industry. A diagnostic ELISA based on a non-structural viral protein has been developed, capable of distinguishing infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). Different expression systems (eukaryotic and prokaryotic) were used to express recombinant proteins. The baculovirus-expressed SVA 3AB DIVA ELISA demonstrated a sensitivity of 96.67% and specificity of 96.67%. In contrast, the E. coli-expressed SVA 3AB DIVA ELISA achieved 100% sensitivity and 93.33% specificity. Both ELISAs strongly correlated with the reference method and showed no cross-reactivity with other pig pathogens. The E. coli system also provided a higher yield of expressed protein than the baculovirus system. These findings indicate that SVA DIVA ELISAs are effective alternatives for detecting SVA antibodies. They can be valuable tools for sero-surveillance and for evaluating immunity status tests to support and approve vaccination programs for pig herds in the future.

Since their emergence in Guangdong, China, in 1996, Gs/GD H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIVs) have diversified into multiple clades, spreading globally through wild bird migrations and causing substantial losses in poultry and wildlife. In South Korea, HPAIVs, including H5N1, H5N8, and H5N6 subtypes, have been repeatedly introduced since 2003. This review examines the epidemiology, genetic characteristics, and pathobiological features of these viruses in South Korea. Outbreaks typically occur between October and December, aligning with the arrival of wintering migratory birds. While outbreaks in poultry farms dominated before 2018, wild bird cases became more prevalent in subsequent years. Seasonal outbreaks in poultry have declined, but large-scale mortality events in wild birds emerged biennially from 2020. Genotypic diversity has increased since 2014 due to reassortment with low pathogenic viruses, with novel genomic traits detected in recent seasons. Infection studies show consistently fatal outcomes in chickens, while high mortality in domestic ducks was observed only with two of the studied strains, despite efficient transmission. Wild bird studies reveal species-specific roles in viral shedding and transmission. This review underscores the dynamic nature of HPAI outbreaks, highlighting the importance of surveillance, biosecurity, and genetic and pathogenicity analyses to mitigate future risks.

In this study, a commercially available Salmonella Typhimurium vaccine (Vaxsafe ST) reconstituted in either water or nutrient broth, was tested to understand its effects on the in vitro invasion of Caco-2 cells and its transcriptional regulation post-reconstitution. Over time, the invasiveness of Vaxsafe ST was significantly higher following reconstitution in nutrient broth compared with water. Incubation temperature post-reconstitution did not significantly affect the invasion rate. Transcriptome data showed that Vaxsafe ST reconstituted in nutrient broth upregulated genes involved in the two-component system and flagella activity pathways; however, genes involved in host colonization and invasion were unaltered. Genes involved in host colonization and invasion were downregulated after reconstitution in water. Vaxsafe ST reconstituted in a nutritive diluent improved the metabolic activities of the vaccine. The animal experiment demonstrated that vaccine colonization was significantly higher in caeca compared with ileum irrespective of the diluent. Incubating the vaccine in nutrient broth for 30 min before administration did not significantly increase its colonization or organ invasion in chicks. Overall, the findings support the use of nutritive media for the reconstitution of Vaxsafe ST, warranting further investigation to optimize vaccine performance. This study provides a foundation for future work on vaccine reconstitution strategies.

Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) is a significant threat to cattle, particularly in countries like Thailand, where outbreaks have necessitated the importation of diagnostic kits and vaccines. This study aimed to evaluate several recombinant extracellular enveloped virion (EEV) protein candidates, including F13L, A33R, A34R, and B5R, for their potential use in serological detection assays for LSDV specific antibodies in cattle. Given the challenges associated with LSDV research, such as its classification as a Class III biological agent in Thailand, gene synthesis was employed to produce these proteins. The recombinant proteins were expressed in a prokaryotic system and analyzed using SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Among the candidates, F13L demonstrated the highest correlation with the results from a commercially available and validated ELISA, yielding 85.7%, and 75% positive for the infected and vaccinated groups, respectively, identifying it a promising candidate for serosurveillance activities during active LSDV outbreaks. Sequence analysis confirmed a 100% match between the F13L designed from the Neethling type strain 2490 and various Thai LSDV strains from the 2021 outbreaks, underscoring its potential as a conserved diagnostic marker. The availability of recombinant F13L and its reactivity with cattle sera from LSDV infected or vaccinated animals, demonstrated in this study, suggests it could also serve as a potential candidate for vaccine development. The study concludes that recombinant F13L shows great promise for the development of LSDV serological assays, though further optimization and validation are necessary to harness its diagnostic potential.

Mycobacterium orygis, a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), has emerged as a significant contributor to tuberculosis (TB) in cattle, wildlife, and humans. However, understanding about its pathogenesis and severity is limited, compounded by the lack of reliable TB biomarkers in cattle. This study delves into the comparative pathology and transcriptomic landscape of pulmonary granulomas in cattle naturally infected with M. orygis, using high-throughput RNA sequencing. Histopathological analysis revealed extensive, multistage granulomatous, necrotic, and cavitary lesions, indicative of severe lung pathology induced by M. orygis. Transcriptomic profiling highlighted numerous differentially expressed genes and dysregulated pathways related to immune response modulation and extracellular matrix remodelling. Additionally, cell type enrichment analysis provided insights into the multicellularity of the granulomatous niche, emphasising complex cell-cell interactions within TB granulomas. Via comparative transcriptomics leveraging publicly available bovine and human TB omics datasets, 14 key immunomodulators (SOD2, IL1α/β, IL15, IL18, CCL2/MCP-1, CCL3/MIP-1α, CCL4/MIP-1β, CCL8/MCP-2, CCL20/MIP-3α, CXCL2/MIP-2, CXCL10/IP-10, CXCL11, and IFN-γ) were identified as potential biomarkers for active TB in cattle. These findings significantly advance our understanding of M. orygis pathogenesis in bovine TB and highlight potential targets for the development of diagnostic tools for managing and controlling the disease.

There is little information in veterinary literature on the perioperative pharmacological management of small animal patients, despite the existence of common protocols and the importance of properly managing this period to reduce anaesthesia-related detrimental effects. This study aimed to analyse the current use of perioperative drugs in companion animals treated at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of León (HVULE) in Spain over a period of 5 years (2018-2022), describe the prescription patterns of these medicines, and identify the main variables associated with their prescription to explore possible strategies to promote their appropriateness. A total of 3438 cases were included in this study. The animals that most frequently underwent surgery were dogs (58.2%), females (57.0%), and adults (73.0%). The primary procedures performed were reproductive (56.6%) and traumatological (19.8%) surgeries. Regarding pharmacological treatments, more than half (62.3%) belonged to the ATCvet classification QN group (nervous system), and the most common compounds were isoflurane (13.5%), methadone (13.5%), and propofol (12.7%). Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (3.7%) and marbofloxacin (2.8%) (categories C and B in the European Medicines Agency categorisation, respectively) were the most prescribed antibiotics. These findings provide detailed data to help veterinary policymakers improve drug use during surgical procedures.

The stability of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies is critical for diagnostic and research applications in veterinary medicine. This study evaluated the long-term stability of anti-Leishmania infantum IgG in canine serum samples under different storage conditions (-20 °C and -80 °C) over 2.5 years. Fifty-six serum samples were classified based on antibody concentration into low, medium, and high positive groups using an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Each sample was divided into aliquots and analyzed after different storage times (6 months, 1 year, 1.5, and 2.5 years). No statistically significant differences were observed in IgG concentrations across storage durations or between storage temperatures. Median antibody levels remained consistent, with minor variations attributed to assay-related variability. Correlation analyses showed strong agreement between initial and final measurements (R² = 0.859 at -20 °C, R² = 0.957 at -80 °C). The study underscores the suitability of -20 °C and -80 °C storage for preserving anti-Leishmania antibodies, providing valuable insights for serological diagnostics and research in veterinary science. Proper sample handling and aliquoting are recommended to maintain antibody integrity in routine diagnostics and long-term studies.

Salmonella Pullorum, the causative agent of pullorum disease, posing a significant threat to the global production of poultry meat and eggs. However, existing detection methods have substantial limitations in efficiency and accuracy. Herein, we developed a genomic deletion-targeted TaqMan qPCR assay for identification of Salmonella Pullorum, enabling precise differentiation from other Salmonella serovars. The assay's detection limit was 5 copies/μL of plasmid and 4 CFU/μL of bacterial DNA. Furthermore, we collected 676 chicken samples from an established infection model to compare the performance of the TaqMan qPCR assay with traditional bacterial culturing and antibody-based detection approaches. With superior sensitivity and specificity, the newly developed method detected over 80% of positive chickens, significantly outperforming the two conventional methods. Moreover, we proposed a combined framework that incorporates the advantages of TaqMan qPCR assay and antibody detection method, further enhancing the detection rate of positives to 92%. Additionally, to address the frequent aerosol contamination of amplification products in laboratory settings, we devised an easy-to-deploy anti-contamination system based on T7 exonuclease. Overall, the T7 exonuclease-assisted TaqMan qPCR assay will not only upgrade the current detection for pullorum disease, but also exemplify the feasibility of targeting specific genomic deletions for pathogen detection.