Comparative Clinical Pathology

The study aimed to examine the effect of turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder supplemented diets on semen and blood characteristics of rabbits. A total of 27, 9-month-old New Zealand white male rabbits were assigned randomly into 3 groups with 3 replicates of 3 rabbits. Each group was assigned to one of the experimental diet containing turmeric powder at 0 (control), 2 and 4 g/kg feed for 84 days in a completely randomized design. Blood and semen samples for analysis were obtained from each replicate and data obtained analysed statistically. Results revealed that there are significant (p < 0.05) variation in feed conversion ratio (FCR) and daily weight gain (DWG) among the groups. Turmeric powder (TP) supplementation at 2 and 4 g/kg feed increased (p < 0.05) the number of abnormal sperm on both treatments when compared with the control. The concentrations of seminal potassium, sodium, chloride, and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were increased (p < 0.05) by TP supplementation at 4 g/kg feed group. Seminal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) level was reduced (p < 0.05) by TP at 2 g/kg feed while alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was reduced (p < 0.05) by TP in both treatment groups compared to control. Serum sodium value was significantly increased (p < 0.05) at 4 g/kg feed while AST level was reduced (p < 0.05) by TP supplementation at 2 g/kg feed compared to control. There was significant (p < 0.01) regression effect on serum chloride value of rabbits fed diets supplemented with turmeric powder. The results indicated that turmeric powder had mild contraceptive effect in male rabbits without deleterious effect on blood characteristics.

Rare inherited coagulation disorders (RICDs) with a prevalence of ≤1/1,000,000 include deficiencies in factor II, factor V, combined factor V/factor VIII, factor X, factor XI and factor XIII. These abnormalities are associated with spontaneous haemorrhage and excessive bleeding after surgery or trauma. Management is complicated by limited information and variations in biochemical characteristics and bleeding phenotypes. The independently managed international registry, http://www.haemostasis.com , was established to collect data on investigational use of activated recombinant factor VII (rFVIIa) in preventing or treating severe bleeding episodes. Patients suffering from the rarest forms of RICDs and receiving rFVIIa as treatment were identified from the http://www.haemostasis.com registry. Case providers were contacted to verify data and obtain consent for inclusion in this study. Eleven patients were identified; permission for inclusion was declined in two cases. The nine cases reported in this study included patients with factor II, factor V, combined factor V/factor VIII, combined factor V/von Willebrand’s disease, factor X, factor XI, factor XI with inhibitors and factor XIII deficiencies. The median individual dose of rFVIIa was 105.9 μg/kg body weight (range: 55–508 μg/kg), whereas the median total dose was 327.3 μg/kg body weight (range: 78.4–880 μg/kg). rFVIIa treatment was associated with a decrease, cessation or prevention of bleeding in eight cases; bleeding after trauma remained unchanged in one case of factor XIII deficiency. Positive pro-coagulatory responses were shown to occur at a wide range of anatomical sites. No deaths or rFVIIa-related adverse events were reported. In conclusion, this study suggests that rFVIIa has a favourable safety profile and that it may be used to treat or prevent haemorrhage in patients with RICDs.

In the present study, the LaserCyte instrument, a fully automated flow cytometer for use in veterinary practice, was evaluated for dogs and cats. Precision (coefficient of variation, CV) for red blood cell (RBC) parameters was ≤3.9%, for reticulocytes between 14.9 and 102%, for white blood cells (WBC) between 3 and 9.5%, for neutrophils between 3.9 and 6.5%, for lymphocytes between 7 and 17.9%, for monocytes between 4.9 and 13.1%, for eosinophils between 10.4 and 32.1%, for basophils between 7.8 and 32%, for platelets between 3.1 and 13.2%, and for platelet indices between 0 and 28.2%. The range of linearity extended the reference ranges. The agreement with reference methods (coefficient of correlation, r) were ≥0.96 (RBC), ≥0.94 (hematocrit), ≥0.96 (hemoglobin), ≥0.95 (mean corpuscular volume), ≥0.94 (WBC), ≥0.93 (neutrophils), ≥0.77 (lymphocytes), ≥0.77 (monocytes), ≥0.29 (eosinophils), ≥0.03 (basophils), ≥0.13 (reticulocytes), and ≥0.86 (platelets). The LaserCyte allowed the correct assessment of RBC and WBC parameters with respect to clinical relevance in the majority of samples. Lymphocytopenia was detected in only 51 out of 89 cases and monocytopenia in one out of 11 cases. The reticulocyte counts were correctly estimated in 85 out of 149 cases. It was concluded that the LaserCyte allowed reliable determination of the RBC parameters, WBCs, neutrophils in both species and platelets in dogs. Based on its capability to reliably determine feline platelets and of the parameters mentioned above, this instrument is considered a useful in-house analyzer for the veterinary practice. Qualitative microscopic assessment of blood smears is still necessary for detecting abnormal cell morphologies, certain cell precursors and blood parasites.

Studies on canine respiratory diseases are scant in the literature especially in Africa, unlike the situation on ruminants. This study is on the pathology and bronchoalveolar cellular and oxidative stress changes in naturally occurring canine pneumonia in Nigeria. The dogs used were collected from cases submitted for necropsy in the institutional Department of Veterinary Pathology. Gross examination, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytology, oxidative biochemical assay of BAL fluid (BALf) supernatant and histology of sections from all the lung lobes were done using standard procedures. Grossly, 22 (31%) were normal while 48 (69%) were congested, haemorrhagic and/or pneumonic out of the 70 canine lungs examined. Microscopically, there were pulmonary congestion (4%), pulmonary oedema (20%), pulmonary haemorrhages (7%), atelectasis (4%), interstitial pneumonia (10%), bronchointerstitial pneumonia (14%) and bronchopneumonia (9%). The BALf cytology of pneumonic lungs showed increases in neutrophils, alveolar macrophages, lymphocytes and haemosiderophages including free and phagocytosed bacteria, and fungal hyphae. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione transferase (GST) activities increased in congested and bronchointerstitial pneumonic lungs but were reduced in other pneumonic lungs. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly reduced in the pneumonic canine lungs. Hydrogen peroxide generation increased in congestion and oedema, bronchopneumonia and bronchointerstitial pneumonia. Malondialdehyde (MDA) level increased in other congested and pneumonic lungs. There was also significant positive correlation of BALf pro-oxidant assay to the type and severity of pneumonia (+ 0.75, P < 0.05). Pneumonias account for 57.2% of the respiratory conditions of which bronchointerstitial and interstitial pneumonias are the prevalent types. The study also showed that oxidative stress markers in BALf may serve as predictors of pneumonia especially in the early stages. Since treatment recommendations for pneumonia often centre primarily on supportive care and anti-oxidant and antibiotic administration, further studies on causal agents, treatment and prevention strategies for canine pneumonia in Nigeria are warranted.

Paratuberculosis is an endemic disease and induces high economical losses in Jordan. There is no information available on genotypic variation of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) isolated from animals in Jordan. In this study, we investigated 150 fecal samples from sheep, goats, and cattle for the presence of paratuberculosis using bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-RFLP analysis of insertion sequence IS1311. Analysis of the results revealed that genotypic information from sheep, goat, and cattle could classify them into cattle or sheep strains. All culture isolates from cattle, 12.5% of the isolates from sheep, and 50% of the isolates from goats were cattle strain, while 87.5% of the isolates from sheep and 50% of the isolates from goats were sheep strain. Sequencing of the IS1311 268 bp PCR product from the three animal species confirmed the different MAP patterns.

This study was designed to determine the effects of continuous microamperage low-voltage electrical stimulation on cutaneous wound healing. Sixty mature rabbits were randomly divided into three equal groups (experimental, open control, and closed or sutured control groups). After routine surgical preparations, two 3 × 1 cm pieces of lumbosacral skin were excised on both sides in each animal. An incision was made over the fascia and muscle on the right side (deep wounds), and in the left side, only the skin was removed (superficial wound). Continuous direct electrical current (100 μA and 1.5 V) was applied to both wounds of the experimental group for 14 days. All rabbits were kept under observation for a period of 21 days, and their wound contraction and repair were measured daily. The rabbits then were euthanized, and biopsies were taken from the site of initial incisions. There was no significant difference in the rate of wound contraction between experimental group and open control. The yield and ultimate strength of the above mentioned specimens were lower than those of the normal skin, and the differences in biomechanical parameters between all groups were not statistically significant. There was a statistically significant decrease in the biomechanical properties of closed control lesions compared to those of the open control (p < 0.05). Hemorrhages were evident in the upper dermis just below the epidermis, and many macrophages and lymphocytes were infiltrated at the site of injury. Electron microscopic studies showed no significant difference in the collagen fibrils diameter and distribution between different groups. There was no significant difference in the percentage dry weight of the injured skin with those of the normal skin. Results suggest that continuous microamperage low-voltage electrical stimulation, as given, did not significantly improve wound healing.

The present communication report about the occurrence of Toxocara spp. eggs on the hair coat of cat and faeces reported. A Persian female cat about 14 months of age was presented to the hospital with a history of reduced food intake, vomiting, diarrhoea and alopecia. Microscopic examination of the faecal sample and skin scrapings revealed the presence of Toxocara spp. eggs. The cat was administered with pyrantel pamoate at 5 mg/kg body weight orally for three consecutive days along with the supportive therapy and showed uneventful recovery after treatment.