BMC Veterinary Research最新文献

Background: A normal visceral arrangement is called situs solitus, whereas a state of visceral arrangement in a mirror-like positional relationship is called situs inversus (SI). Among the SI, the state in which the positions of only some thoracoabdominal organs are reversed is called situs inversus partialis, and the state in which the positions of all thoracoabdominal organs are reversed is called situs inversus totalis (SIT). Clinical information on dogs with SIT is limited.

Case presentation: A 4-month-old Shiba Inu was referred with depression and neurological symptoms as the chief complaints. Computed tomography (CT) revealed the patient had SIT with an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (EHPSS) and azygos continuation of the caudal vena cava. In addition, complete reversal of the lung lobes and cardiovascular system in the thoracic cavity was confirmed. The patient underwent surgery for partial attenuation of the EHPSS on day 8 after the initial examination. On day 124, after the initial examination, a second surgery was performed for complete attenuation. Under celiotomy, the positions of all abdominal organs, except for the rectum, were inverted; thus, SIT was confirmed via gross observation. In addition, the use of braided nylon sutures partially attenuated the concurrent portocaval shunt. At the conclusion of this study, approximately 6 years had passed since the second surgery, and the patient had a good general condition without any medications.

Conclusion: In SIT, the complex anatomy of the abdominal organs and vessels is difficult to identify via gross observation. In contrast, CT is effective in detecting vascular abnormalities, confirming the anatomical position of each organ, and allowing for the definitive diagnosis of SIT.

Background: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are significant zoonotic protozoa causing gastrointestinal diseases in humans and animals. However, their prevalence and genotypic characterization in ostriches (Struthio camelus) remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and genetic diversity of these parasites in farmed ostriches by the Yellow River in Zhengzhou City, central China. A total of 156 fecal samples were collected and analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to determine the prevalence and assess the potential epidemiological roles of ostriches in transmission.

Results: The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp., G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi was 2.56% (4/156), 1.28% (2/156) and 12.2% (19/156), respectively. C. baileyi and G. duodenalis assemblage B were identified in ostriches. Six E. bieneusi genotypes were identified in this study, comprising four previously reported genotypes (EbpA, EbpC, Henan-IV, and Type IV) and two novel genotypes (designated as COW1 and COW2, which differed from known genotypes by two single nucleotide polymorphisms). Among these, EbpC was identified as the predominant genotype. All six genotypes were phylogenetically assigned to zoonotic group 1.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that ostriches harbor zoonotic genotypes of G. duodenalis and E. bieneusi, indicating they may serve as potential reservoirs for human infection. This underscores the need for effective control measures to prevent environmental contamination and reduce the risk of transmission to humans and other animals.

Background: The therapeutic potential of exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is increasingly recognized in veterinary medicine. This study explored the feasibility of a microcarrier-based three-dimensional (3D) culture system for producing the exosomes (cEXO). Investigations were conducted to enhance production efficiency, ensure stability, and evaluate the therapeutic potential of cEXO for anti-inflammatory applications while assessing their safety profile.

Results: The microcarrier-based 3D culture system improved efficient production of cEXO, yielding exosomes with acceptable profiles, including a size of approximately 81.22 nm, negative surface charge, and high particle concentration (1.32 × 10⁹ particles/mL). Confocal imaging proved dynamic changes in cell viability across culture phases, highlighting the challenges of maintaining cell viability during repeated exosome collection cycles. Characterization via transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and zeta-potential measurements confirmed the stability and functionality of cEXO, particularly when stored at -20 °C. Functional assays showed that cEXO exerted significant anti-inflammatory activity in RAW264.7 macrophages in an inverse dose-dependent manner, with no observed cytotoxicity to fibroblasts or macrophages. Acute toxicity testing in rats revealed no adverse effects on clinical parameters, organ health, or body weight, supporting the safety of cEXO for therapeutic use.

Conclusions: This study highlights the potential of a microcarrier-based 3D culture system for scalable cEXO production with robust anti-inflammatory activity, stability, and safety profiles. These findings advance the development of cEXO-based therapies and support their application in veterinary regenerative medicine.

Background: Calprotectin (S100A8/A9) is a protein related to innate immunity that is considered a biomarker of inflammation. Currently, there is a commercially available automated assay for the measurement of calprotectin concentration (Bühlmann fCal Turbo^® assay), which has been previously validated for saliva and serum of swine and for saliva of horses, and in the canine species it has been validated for use with fecal samples, but it has not been previously validated in canine saliva or serum. Thus, the aim of this study was to perform an analytical validation of an automated assay for the measurement of calprotectin in the saliva and serum of dogs. In addition, changes in this protein in saliva and serum of three diseases with different pathogenic mechanisms - leishmaniasis, pyometra and hyperadrenocorticism - were evaluated. Finally, in these diseases, the correlation of salivary and serum calprotectin with the serum levels of three acute phase proteins (APPs), including C-reactive protein (CRP), haptoglobin (Hp) and ferritin, was also assessed.

Results: The analytical validation results showed that the assay was precise (coefficients of variation < 15% in all cases), accurate (the dilutional parallelism for serum and salivary calprotectin showed observed-to-expected ratios with a mean of 96.9% and 97.2%, respectively), and presented a limit of detection of 0.038 mg/L. When this assay was applied to the different diseases, a significant increase in the concentration of salivary calprotectin in dogs with leishmaniasis (p = 0.0002) and in those with pyometra (p = 0.002), compared to healthy ones, was observed, whereas no significant differences were found in serum. Furthermore, a significant positive moderate correlation was obtained between salivary calprotectin and serum CRP (r = 0.5; p = 0.001) and haptoglobin (r = 0.5; p = 0.002), and between calprotectin and CRP (r = 0.67; p < 0.001) in serum.

Conclusions: Calprotectin (S100A8/A9) can be measured in dog saliva and serum samples by the automated method validated in this study, and when measured in saliva it could be used as a potential biomarker of inflammation and immune activation in the dog.

Background: Betaine is an effective antioxidant and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an inflammatory stimulus that can disrupt the antioxidant system. However, the precise mechanisms of betaine's antioxidant activity remain undetermined. This study aimed to examine the impact of betaine on growth, antioxidant capacity, and inflammatory cytokine production in LPS-challenged goslings. In this study, 168 healthy Jiangnan White Goslings (males, 15 days old) were selected and randomly categorized into four groups. There were 7 goslings per replicate and 6 replicates for each treatment. This study employed a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, the goslings were provided a diet containing 0% or 0.06% betaine and were injected with physiological saline or LPS.

Results: Subsequent analyses revealed that on day 21 of LPS treatment, there was a significant decrease in gosling's ADFI, ADG, and BW, whereas dietary betaine supplementation improved ADFI and BW in LPS-stressed individuals (p = 0.08, p = 0.09). LPS challenge significantly upregulated pro-inflammatory interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mRNA (p < 0.05), whereas betaine significantly lowered these levels (p < 0.05). During the LPS stress period (days 16-21), the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were significantly reduced, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were increased in the liver and jejunal mucosa (p < 0.05). Betaine administration reversed these changes and significantly increased SOD and T-AOC levels while decreasing the MDA content (p < 0.05). However, both LPS and betaine did not affect the mRNA levels of SOD1 or glutathione peroxidase 4 (GSH-Px4) in the liver or jejunal mucosa during the stress (days 16-21) or recovery (days 22-28) periods.

Conclusions: In summary, these analyses revealed that dietary betaine administration can effectively abrogate LPS-induced oxidative liver damage.

Background: Avian hepatitis E virus (HEV) has caused economic losses in the poultry industry and has shown a broad spectrum of infections. In 2022, a quail farm (YangLing, China) exhibited a decrease in egg production, an increase in mortality and hepatosplenomegaly. These characteristics were similar to those of avian HEV infection. To determine whether avian HEV existed on this farm and further clarify the pathogenicity caused by avian HEV under experimental conditions, the livers and spleens were collected from the diseased quails in the field for gross lesion observation and avian HEV detection; then, the pathogenicity was characterized.

Results: In the field, the results showed enlargement of the liver and spleen and hemorrhage spots on the liver, and the amplified fragment (330-bp length) of HEV shared 100% identity with the Chinese avian HEV strain. The pathogenicity of this virus in quail was characterized by decreased egg production, seroconversion, viremia, fecal virus shedding, liver lesions and HEV antigen in the liver under experimental conditions. These differences indicated that there may be other pathogens or factors causing this disease together on the quail farm in addition to avian HEV, and further detection should be performed.

Conclusions: Overall, this is the first study to detect HEV RNA in quails, and an avian HEV strain can successfully infect quails under experimental conditions.

Currently, control programmes for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) contemplate the use of vaccines to reduce disease incidence rates. The BCG vaccine and the culture filtrate protein extract (CFPE) of Mycobacterium bovis are strong candidates for vaccination against bTB. We conducted an analysis of the immune response and evaluated activation and memory markers in CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T-lymphocyte subpopulations in Holstein-Friesian calves immunised with different doses of M. bovis BCG-Phipps vaccine (1×10⁴ and 1×10⁶ CFU) or with CFPE (300 µg and 600 µg) in a natural transmission setting. The study was carried out in a dairy herd, selecting calves aged 1-4 months that tested negative in various bTB diagnostic tests. In the groups immunised with the BCG-Phipps vaccine, gamma interferon (IFN-γ) secretion levels increased significantly, with the highest increase observed in the group that received a dose of 1×10⁶ CFU (P ≤ 0.05). The CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio increased significantly over time in both vaccinated and unvaccinated groups, with no significant differences between them. However, notable differences were observed in activated (CD25⁺) and memory (CD45RO⁺) CD4 and CD8 T-cell populations across different times and treatments. Remarkably, the groups immunised with the BCG vaccine remained free of M. bovis infection, as evidenced by negative IFN-γ results using ESAT-6/CFP-10 antigens and negative PCR test results for bacterial detection. The comparative analysis of the immune response induced by the different doses of the BCG-Phipps and CFPE vaccines revealed that the group of animals vaccinated with the 1×10⁶ CFU dose exhibited greater production of gamma interferon and a higher percentage of CD4⁺ T cells, as well as activated and memory CD8⁺ T cells compared to the other vaccinated and control groups in the natural transmission environment.

Background: Quality of life is an essential component of decision-making in veterinary oncology. Poor management of adverse events during chemotherapy can impair dogs' quality of life and be life-threatening. Consequently, client-reported outcome measures (CROMs) are being proposed to help assess both clinical signs and quality of life. The purpose of this rapid review was to: (1) identify existing CROMs that have been used to assess dogs' clinical signs and quality of life during chemotherapy; and (2) evaluate their methodological development to inform adaptation or development of a CROM for use in routine clinical practice, including remote monitoring. Databases (Scopus, Web of Science, PUBMED/MEDLINE) were searched for CROMs (questionnaires) completed by a non-expert family member about their companion dog. CROM content (domains measured) and scale quality were appraised.

Results: Ten CROMs were identified and three were variations of the same tool. Content of the CROMs varied considerably (range 3-17 domains) with gastrointestinal being the most frequently measured clinical sign cluster (9/10 studies), followed by mobility/ambulatory activity (7/10) and global quality of life (6/10). No CROMs adhered to quality standards for the development of questionnaires and most failed to include qualitative design methods and basic psychometric assessment to ensure reliability and validity (such as internal consistency, test-retest reliability or factor analysis).

Conclusion: The validity and reliability of existing chemotherapy CROMs for dogs remains under-tested. Although CROMs combined with remote digital monitoring have the potential to enhance patient care, as has been demonstrated with physician-based oncology, there is a need to apply quality standards to ensure optimal validation. Interdisciplinary collaborations would likely improve CROM quality and clinical utility thereby allowing veterinary healthcare professionals to better support their patients.

Background: Animals serve as important models for exploring the pathology, diagnosis, and therapy of different diseases and injuries. While smaller animals are preferred for bulk cohort studies, larger animals offer opportunities to investigate surgical procedures at proportions close to the human situation. Therefore, in a feasibility study, we investigated urethral sphincter deficiency in German landrace gilts and Göttingen minipigs to develop a model of urinary incontinence as a basis for future preclinical studies of incontinence therapies. Urethral sphincter deficiency was induced surgically by transurethral electrocautery and balloon dilatation, and the deficiency was determined by urodynamics after injury and during follow-up. In cryosections, sphincter injury was visualized by histochemistry.

Results: Sphincter deficiency was induced in two cohorts and groups of four female Göttingen minipigs each (total n = 20) by two different treatments. One cohort of minipigs showed an initially significant urethral sphincter deficiency (treatment 1; n = 16, p < 0.001). However, spontaneous sphincter regeneration was observed within one to two weeks. The other cohort of minipigs (treatment 2; n = 4) displayed a non-significant reduction of urethral sphincter pressure and an increase in muscle strength over time as well. In contrast, German landrace gilts presented immediately after treatment with significant sphincter deficiency (treatment 1; n = 6, 21%, p < 0.001) and suffered from significant loss of sphincter function for at least five weeks (67%, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Göttingen minipigs inherit significantly superior sphincter regeneration capacities compared to landrace pigs. This difference may bias preclinical studies in urology and other fields and explain in part seemingly contradictory results from different animal studies.

The emerging field of canine cognitive neuroscience uses neuroimaging tools such as electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map the cognitive processes of dogs to neural substrates in their brain. Within the past decade, the non-invasive use of EEG has provided real-time, accessible, and portable neuroimaging insight into canine cognitive processes. To promote systematization and create an overview of framings, methods and findings for future work, we provide a systematic review of non-invasive canine EEG studies (N=22), dissecting their study makeup, technical setup, and analysis frameworks and highlighting emerging trends. We further propose new directions of development, such as the standardization of data structures and integrating predictive modeling with descriptive statistical approaches. Our review ends by underscoring the advances and advantages of EEG-based canine cognitive neuroscience and the potential for accessible canine neuroimaging to inform both fundamental sciences as well as practical applications for cognitive neuroscience, working dogs, and human-canine interactions.