Veterinary Quarterly最新文献

Wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release is a global practice with a broad body of scientific literature; nonetheless, no studies have assessed and quantified the methodological rigour and reporting quality of this literature. In this PRISMA systematic review, we assessed and quantified the reporting of controls, randomisation, blinding, experimental animal data, and housing and husbandry data in 152 primary studies on wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and release published between 1980 and 2021. We then tested for associations between reporting and study characteristics. Of the 152 reviewed studies, one study reported a control, randomisation, and blinding; 17 studies reported species, age, sex, weight, and body condition; and 14 studies reported housing size, housing location, type of food, provision of water, and provision of enrichment. No study reported all 13 of these elements. Studies published in veterinary-focused journals reported lower methodological rigour and had lower reporting quality than studies published in other types of journals. Studies on mammals had higher reporting quality than studies on birds and on reptiles, and studies that included the word "welfare" had higher reporting quality than studies that did not. The overall low methodological rigour and reporting quality of the literature limits study replicability and applicability and impedes meta-analyses.

The performance of direct tests, such as bacteriological culture and qPCR, for the diagnosis of brucellosis has been evaluated in a limited number of studies, often based on small sample sizes. Moreover, the absence of a gold standard makes this assessment even more challenging. A potential alternative for evaluating the performance of direct tests is Bayesian latent class analysis (BLCA), which does not require prior knowledge of disease status or a gold standard. This study aimed to estimate the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of bacteriological culture for brucellosis diagnosis. In a brucellosis-endemic area, a large number of seronegative and seropositive buffaloes and cattle were tested using bacteriological culture and qPCR. BLCA was applied to estimate the performance of both tests. The median Se of bacteriological culture was estimated at 61.3%, compared to 70.9% of qPCR. The median Sp was 99.6% for bacteriological culture and 89.3% for qPCR. Bacteriological culture demonstrated a higher Positive Predictive Value (PPV) than qPCR in both buffaloes and cattle, whereas the Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of the two methods did not differ significantly. These results suggest that, in settings of low brucellosis prevalence, a positive bacteriological culture has a greater predictive value than qPCR .

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the epidemiology, clinical and pathological features, outcomes, and therapy for listeriosis in ruminants. PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched with no publication date limits. A random-effects meta-analysis model was used to calculate the pooled effect size using morbidity and case fatality rate data. 63 and 38 studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively. 56 out of 63 studies were published before 2016 when cgMLST was developed. A comprehensive analysis of historical data shows that the association of silage as a source of contamination in ruminants should be re-evaluated. The most common clinical presentation was encephalitis (64.8% of the animals, 1839/2837), followed by abortion (21.3% of the animals, 604/2837). The mortality rate was high despite treatment. Overall, the mean morbidity, case fatality rate, and abortion rate were 12.6%, 50.6%, and 12.8%, respectively. Meta-analysis of the subgroups revealed a Hedges' g value of -4.60 for the abortive form, indicating greater morbidity than mortality in this form. In contrast, the encephalitic form was characterized by a higher case fatality rate than morbidity (Hedges' g 9.46). Literature gaps exist since most reported outbreaks are from the twentieth century and only from a few countries. There is a lack of information on the current prevalence, consequences, and effectiveness of antimicrobial treatment of listeriosis in domestic ruminants. There is also an incomplete picture of the prevalence of Listeria infection worldwide.

Vaccination against paratuberculosis, before or after infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map), could affect the progression of paratuberculosis, the development of lesions, the peripheral and local immune response, or the colonization of Map in tissues and its elimination through feces. An experimental study was conducted with thirty-five 1.5-month-old kids, which were separated into 6 experimental groups that include different intervention combinations (vaccinated, non-vaccinated, challenged and non-challenged) at different points and slaughtered at 120 and 330 days post-infection. The use of an inactivated vaccine against paratuberculosis could avoid clinical disease manifestation but does not prevent the tissue colonization, even when applied before Map exposure, achieving a reduction in the presence of viable bacteria in tissues and limiting the progression toward diffuse lesions. The therapeutic effect in vaccinated animals could not be confirmed. In this sense, vaccination not only modulates the immune response in terms of the production of IFN-γ and antibodies in peripheral blood and reduces tissue damage but also contributes to limiting the spread of infection through reduced bacterial shedding especially in goats vaccinated before Map infection.

Heart rate variability (HRV) has been studied as an indicator of stress and welfare in various species, including dairy calves, where significant changes in HRV were linked to cow-calf separation, isolation and disbudding. Wearable bands with smart textiles biotechnology offer a promising, low-stress alternative due to their comfort and ease of use without shaving or taping. The aim of this study was to examine if smart textiles biotechnology could be compared to a Standard base-apex ECG for measuring HRV in dairy calves. Twenty healthy Italian Holstein calves aged (20-60 days old) were recruited. Standard base-apex ECG and Smartex ECG were simultaneously acquired for 16 min in the standing, unsedated, unclipped calves. After extracting HRV parameters, comparisons were made using time, frequency, and nonlinear analyses. Agreement between devices was assessed using the Bland-Altman test and Spearman's 𝜚 correlations. Sperman's 𝜚 showed a very strong correlation for Mean RR, SDNN and LF (p value < .001), and a strong correlation for RMSSD, LF/HF and SampEn, indicating the most stable relationship between the two systems. Smart textiles biotechnology can be used for HRV measurement in calves, offering a valuable tool for animal welfare assessment.

Weaning stress-induced diarrhea is a serious issue in pig production. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of glucose oxidase (GOD) as an antibiotic substitute to alleviate diarrhea and improve gut health in weaned piglets. According to a randomized complete block design, 250 piglets weaned around 21 d of age were allocated into 5 groups (5 replicates/group), which received a basal diet without or with supplemental 200 mg/kg antibiotic, 500, 1000 and 2000 U/kg GOD, respectively. Dietary treatments did not affect (p > 0.05) growth performance of piglets. However, supplemental all doses of GOD were equivalent or superior to antibiotic to reduce (p < 0.05) diarrhea as well as increase (p < 0.05) thymus index, hepatic and colonic antioxidant properties. GOD addition at 1000 and 2000 U/kg reduced (p < 0.05) cecal and rectal pH value, respectively. They also displayed similar or superior efficacy to antibiotic in improving (p < 0.05) duodenal and jejunal morphology along with certain tight junction proteins expression of jejunum and colon. Collectively, GOD represents an antibiotic alternative to reduce diarrhea of weaned piglets through associating with ameliorations of intestinal structure and functions.

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) presents a major threat to global poultry production, necessitating a thorough understanding of its evolutionary relationships for effective control measures. This study presents a novel distance-based Minimum Span Clustering (MSClustering) method to cluster 311 IBV strains, with a comparison of its results to the established IBV classification. Phylogenetic network and recombination analyses were employed to investigate IBV evolutionary relationships and transmission pathways. The phylogenetic network revealed distinct clusters reflecting relationships between IBV strains. Importantly, these network patterns, combined with recombination event analysis, suggest an unrecognized role for migratory birds in IBV dissemination, highlighting potential transmission pathways beyond established poultry trade routes. These findings contribute to advancing our understanding of IBV evolution and support the development of targeted strategies for controlling viral outbreaks in poultry populations. While statistical limitations may affect threshold estimation for smaller networks, our MSClustering method significantly accelerates processing speeds-approximately 100,000 times faster than PhyML when analyzing the dataset-enabling comprehensive-scale phylogenetic analysis of viruses.

This study aimed to classify the Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) infection outcomes in domestic cats in Thailand and determine the accuracy of conjunctival swabs for FeLV proviral DNA detection by comparing results to PCR testing of blood samples. Whole blood and conjunctival swabs were collected from 126 cats with and without clinical signs. Blood specimens were evaluated for p27 FeLV antigen using the SNAP Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)/FeLV Combo Test, IDEXX Laboratories. The 3'-LTR region of the proviral FeLV was amplified from both blood and conjunctival samples. The prevalence rates of progressive and regressive FeLV infections in this study were 14.3% (95% CI: 8.69-21.63) and 36.5% (95% CI: 28.12-45.55), respectively. Cats older than 12 months of age had a higher probability of being regressively infected than cats younger than 1 year (p-value = 0.039, OR =0.294, 95% CI: 0.092-0.942). Conjunctival swabs used for detecting FeLV proviral DNA demonstrated a sensitivity of 95.3% (95% CI: 86.91-99.02) and a specificity of 100% (95% CI: 94.22-100.00) compared to conventional blood samples. The observed kappa value of 0.956 indicates that conjunctival swabs are reliable and can be used as an alternative to blood venipuncture.

Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) is an important food-borne pathogen, particularly in chicken meat, making its rapid detection essential for food safety. Conventional detection methods are slow and equipment-intensive, creating the need for sensitive and portable alternatives. We developed a rapid, ultrasensitive, and portable electrochemical aptasensor platform for detecting ST in samples extracted from chicken meat. The sensor employed graphene oxide-bovine serum albumin (GO-BSA) nanocomposite to enhance electrode biocompatibility, stability, and aptamer immobilization. A specific NH₂-modified DNA aptamer targeting ST allowed direct binding without prior extraction. Fabrication steps included GO-BSA drop-casting, aptamer immobilization, and BSA blocking before ST binding. The sensor operates on a signal-off mechanism, measured via differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), where the aptamer-ST complex formation reduces the redox signal of [Fe(CN)₆]³^-/^4- due to insulation and electrostatic repulsion. The aptasensor demonstrated excellent sensitivity (limit of detection 3 CFU/mL) and high specificity. Performance validation using spiked samples extracted from chicken meat confirmed the effective detection of ST in a complex matrix, aligning with the results obtained through culture-based methods. The sensor also maintained good stability for up to 28 days at 4 °C. These results showed that aptasensors can be a rapid, cost-effective, and field-deployable tool for monitoring foodborne pathogens.

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) surveillance strategies, including the early diagnosis, are key for prevention and control of African swine fever (ASF). This work studies the effects of different doses of ASFV Georgia strain: high dose (10⁴ HAU); moderate dose (10^2.5 HAU) and low dose (10 HAU), inoculated intranasally in three groups with 20 pigs each. The qPCR was used to follow the infection dynamics in a wide sample panel (clinical, tissues, non-invasive and environmental), together with LAMP, serological tests and cytokine detection. After inoculation, the Georgia strain was lethal for all animals that resulted infected, including those in the low-dose group, where such low ASFV doses, as used in this study, have rarely been tested before. However, in the low dose group only one pig developed the ASF, while the rest remained negative despite being in contact with the infected one. Here, blood was confirmed as the gold standard sample but other matrices such as serum, spleen, tonsils, bone marrow, ear tip and tongue could be useful for the early ASFV diagnosis. We also showed the air and non-invasive samples as helpful monitoring tools for ASFV. No ASFV-specific antibodies were detected in most of the animals. Our data support the relevance of both molecular and serological diagnostic strategies for ASF control. The rapid detection together with strict biosecurity measures can efficiently minimize the ASFV dissemination.