Veterinary Quarterly最新文献

Primary pulmonary lung cancer is rare in dogs, and clinicians increasingly rely on advanced imaging for diagnosis and treatment planning. However, manual lesion segmentation can be time-consuming and subject to operator variability. This retrospective study compiled a multicenter dataset of canine CT scans containing at least one pulmonary mass measuring more than 2 cm. Data were collected from two university veterinary hospitals and a teleradiology service, encompassing varying acquisition protocols and scanner types. Lesions were manually segmented to create ground truth masks, and an AI model was trained and evaluated using the nnUNet v2 framework with a 5-fold cross-validation approach. Performance on a separate test set of 30 scans was quantified using the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) and Average Symmetric Surface Distance (ASSD). The databse was made of 217 cases. The training/validation set comprised 187 cases. The model's segmentation accuracy was tested on 30 cases. The trained model had a high segmentation accuracy on the test set, with a mean DSC of 0.91 and an ASSD of 1.88 mm. The model had high performance on homogeneous, well-defined masses, whereas the presence of intralesional mineralisation or pleural effusion had a negative impact on the model's performance.

Bluetongue (BT), caused by the Bluetongue virus (BTV), is a vector-borne disease that primarily affects domestic and wild ruminants and is recognized globally for its significant impact on animal health, livestock productivity, and the economy. While traditionally considered as a disease confined to ruminants, recent evidence reveals that BTV has a broader host range, expanding to atypical species, including carnivores. This review consolidates current knowledge on natural and experimental BTV infection in atypical hosts, with particular emphasis on carnivores. The occurrence of acute or subacute infections, together with the detection of BTV-specific antibodies and viral RNA in carnivores such as dogs and lynx, points to a broader ecological interface. Expanding our understanding of BTV infection beyond classical ruminant hosts is essential for refining surveillance and control strategies, and for anticipating shifts in disease ecology under changing environmental and epidemiological conditions.

Coccidiosis is a global disease caused by protozoans, typically including Eimeria spp., which pose a significant threat to the normal growth and development of young animals. Coccidiosis affects mainly the gut, where parasite proliferation occurs. The intestinal barrier, which consists of chemical, mechanical, biological, and immune defences, plays a crucial role in protecting the host against pathogens, xenobiotics, and toxins present in the gastrointestinal tract. When animals ingest sporulated Eimeria spp. oocysts, these parasites primarily reproduce in the intestinal tract, causing damage to the structure and function of the intestine. This disruption of intestinal homeostasis adversely affects animal health. Numerous studies have also revealed that Eimeria-infected animals experience slower bone growth rates, inferior meat quality, reduced egg production and quality, as well as impaired growth and development. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to examine the underlying mechanisms through which Eimeria spp. regulate intestinal damage and disturb the balance of the internal environment. Specifically, this review will focus on their effects on the structural basis of the host intestine's chemical, mechanical, biological and immune barriers. This understanding is crucial for the development of effective drugs to prevent the invasion of Eimeria spp. into the intestine, which is of paramount importance for maintaining host health.

Canine oral malignant melanoma (OMM) is an aggressive, spontaneously occurring tumor carrying a poor to guarded prognosis and relatively limited therapeutic strategies. In this landscape, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG)4 represents a promising immunotherapeutic target. The objective of this bi-center prospective study was to examine the clinical outcome of OMM-bearing dogs treated with surgery and adjuvant electroporation using a DNA vaccine (HuDo-CSPG4) encoding both human (Hu) and canine (Do) portions of CSPG4 through two different vaccination protocols. Dogs with stage I-III surgically resected CSPG4-positive OMM underwent HuDo-CSPG4 plasmid electroporation starting at the 3^rd-4^th post-operative week; electrovaccination was repeated after 2 weeks. In protocol 1, electrovaccination was then delivered monthly while in protocol 2, electrovaccination was performed monthly four additional times followed by semestral boosters. The survival rates of HuDo-CSPG4-vaccinated dogs were estimated and compared with a control group treated with surgery alone. Significantly longer overall survival times were observed in HuDo-CSPG4 vaccinated dogs as compared with non-vaccinated controls. Dogs receiving protocol 2 showed similar outcomes to those of dogs undergoing protocol 1, despite fewer vaccinations. The comparable humoral response against CSPG4 resulting from the administration of protocol 1 and 2 appears to have similar clinical relevance, highlighting protocol 2 as the optimal vaccination schedule.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of endothelial activation and glycocalyx degradation in the pathogenesis of feline panleukopenia (FPL) using biomarkers and to determine the diagnostic and prognostic significance of these biomarkers. Thirty cats with FPL and 10 healthy cats were enrolled. Clinical examination, blood gases, and complete blood count (CBC) were performed at enrollment. Endothelin-1 (ET-1), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), and syndecan-1 (Syn-1) concentrations were measured using feline specific commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits to assess endothelial glycocalyx damage. Nineteen (63.3%) of the cats with FPL recovered and survived, while 11 (36.7%) died. In cats with panleukopenia, acidemia was the most important blood gas finding, while leukopenia, lymphopenia, monocytopenia, granulocytopenia, and thrombocytopenia were the most dominant CBC findings. ET-1, ADMA, VEGF-A, and Syn-1 concentrations were significantly higher in cats with panleukopenia (p < 0.01). Serum Syn-1 and ET-1 concentrations were found to be useful in predicting mortality. In conclusion, the fact that the concentrations of all endothelial glycocalyx biomarkers (ET-1, ADMA, VEGF-A, Syn-1) were higher in cats with panleukopenia compared to healthy cats suggests that endothelial glycocalyx damage occurs during panleukopenia infection. In addition, Syn-1 and ET-1 were found to be potential prognostic factors with high sensitivity and specificity.

Sulfonamides (S) are old antibiotics combined with trimethoprim (TMP) for synergistic effects against pathogens responsible for a variety of infections in food-producing animals. In growing pigs, the TMP:S ratio is 1:5 based on human TMP/sulfamethoxazole (SMX) dosing which aims to obtain an in vivo ratio concentration of 1:19 considered as optimal against human pathogens. However, different sulfonamides with different pharmacokinetic profiles are used in pigs limiting this direct extrapolation from human. The aim was to conduct a PK study in pigs for three commonly used TMP/S combinations and to analyze data using population pharmacokinetic modeling. We found that a 2-compartment structural model fitted best the four drug PK data. TMP has the highest clearance values (0.48 L/h/kg) compared to SMX (0.21 L/h/kg), SDZ (0.12 L/h/kg) and SDMX (0.015 L/h/kg). SDMX has the longest plasma elimination half-life (14.8 h), followed by SDZ (3.7 h), TMP (2.9 h) and SMX (2.2 h). Monte Carlo simulations (n = 50,000 pigs) showed that only for 8.8%, 46.8%, and 76.5% of pigs for TMP/SMX, TMP/SDZ and TMP/SDMX, respectively, the free plasma concentration ratio fell within the range of 1:10-1:50 at the marketed doses administered. These results should be further linked to pharmacodynamics to optimize the use of these important antimicrobials drugs in veterinary medicine.

RNA-containing coronaviruses are widespread in nature and can infect a number of vertebrates. Animals are potential sources of human coronaviruses diseases, and interspecies infection by animal coronaviruses has been recorded several times. Such a transmission may have caused the COVID-19 pandemic. The study and control of the spread of farm animals' coronavirus infections is very important, due to the constant close contact between humans and farm animals. Vaccination remains the key to preventing animal diseases and limiting the further spread and transmission of coronavirus infections among poultry and livestock. This review considers coronavirus infections in farm animals, which pose a serious challenge to animal husbandry, and their zoonotic potential and epidemiological features. The review also discusses current vaccines and their limitations, as well as the latest developments and trends in veterinary vaccines aimed at preventing coronavirus infections in poultry and livestock.

Pigeon coccidiosis caused by Eimeria spp. is an important veterinary disease with a significant economic impact on the pigeon industry. Preventive measures for Eimeria columbarum in pigeons have been hampered by the lack of extensive genetic, morphological, and biological data on the oocysts. In this study, we examined the prevalence and identity of Eimeria spp. in domestic pigeons from seven cities in Guangdong Province, China. Data show that coccidiosis was prevalent in domestic pigeons in Guangdong Province, with an overall Eimeria spp. detection rate of 73.4%. Five Eimeria species were identified, including E. columbarum (73.4%), Eimeria kapotei (25.6%), Eimeria labbeana (19.6%), Eimeria duculai (19.6%), and Eimeria tropicalis (6.7%). We obtained single oocyst-derived lines of the dominant E. columbarum from fecal specimens. E. columbarum oocysts measured 20.06 ± 0.69 μm × 18.63 ± 1.03 μm, and sporocysts measured 10.29 ± 0.82 μm × 85.38 ± 0.46 μm. In infection experiment using obtained E. columbarum isolates, 60-day-old coccidia-free pigeons exhibited a prepatent period of 105 h and patent period of 9-10 days followed by severe diarrhea, depression, anorexia, and emaciation. Endogenous development of the parasite was observed mainly in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and rectum. Two generations of meronts developed on days 3 and 4 after infection, respectively, while gamont and gamete developed on day 5 after infection. The morphological, genetic, and biological data are expected to be useful in elucidating the biological characterization of pigeon coccidiosis to develop measures against the treatment and containment of this disease.

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) and a questionnaire were used as indicators of chronic stress status and quality of life (QoL), respectively, in cats. To date, there has been limited research on the simultaneous application of both indicators in unwell cats. Our aim was to evaluate HCC and questionnaire data obtained from a healthy cat cohort (n = 61) and cat cohorts with either chronic kidney disease (CKD) (n = 78) or suspected feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) (n = 24). Furthermore, we also investigated the correlation between HCC and clinical pathological data. For this study, hair from the abdomen of cats was collected and analyzed for HCC using a commercial ELISA kit. Owners also completed a questionnaire, from which average-item-weighted-impact-scores (AWISs) were calculated. Cats with late-stage-CKD (median, HCC = 330.15 pg/mg, AWIS = -0.43) presented with a significantly higher HCC (p < 0.01) and a significantly lower AWIS (p < 0.01) than cats with early-stage-CKD (HCC = 183.56 pg/mg, AWIS = 1.08). Similarly, there were significant differences in both HCC (p < 0.001) and AWIS (p < 0.001) between cats with suspected FIP (HCC = 896.27 pg/mg, AWIS = -1.97) and healthy cats (HCC = 181.24 pg/mg, AWIS = 1.24). The degree of consistency between the HCC results and the questionnaire results reminds us that the severity of a chronic disease or the presence of a life-threatening disease can significantly increase stress and thus can affect the QoL of cats.

Pancreatic alpha amylase (P-AMY) is used as a biomarker of acute pancreatitis (AP) in human medicine. To our knowledge, there are no studies evaluating the usefulness of P-AMY in dogs with AP. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic value of P-AMY, currently not verified in veterinary medicine. The AP group (n = 40) consisted of dogs with AP diagnosed using clinical signs and laboratory examinations, including abnormal canine pancreatic lipase (cPL) concentration, and compatible abdominal ultrasound examination at first presentation. Evaluation of the canine AP severity (CAPS) score was performed. The control group (n = 38) was composed of normal dogs without any abnormalities in clinical findings, blood exams or diagnostic imaging. The correlation of P-AMY with cPL was confirmed by Pearson's correlation analysis (r = 0.564, p < .001). The sensitivity and specificity for the most appropriate cut-off values of P-AMY were recorded similar to the values of DGGR. The dogs with AP and CAPS ≥11 had significantly higher serum P-AMY (p = .016) contrary to DGGR lipase and cPL. Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the median P-AMY dependent on the presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (p = .001). P-AMY showed similar level of diagnostic accuracy along with sensitivity and specificity compared to DGGR lipase. In addition, P-AMY showed a significant association with CAPS score, contrary to cPL and DGGR lipase. Along with other biomarkers associated with AP, P-AMY has the potential of usefulness as a supportive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of AP in dogs.