Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Respiratory problems are common in horses, and are often diagnosed as a cause of poor athletic performance. Reliable, accurate and sensitive spirometric tests of airway function in resting horses would assist with the diagnosis of limitations to breathing and facilitate investigations of the effects of various treatments on breathing capacity. The evaluation of respiratory function in horses is challenging and suitable procedures are not widely available to equine practitioners. The determination of relative flow or flow-time measures is used in paediatric patients where compliance may limit conventional pulmonary function techniques. The aim of the current study was to characterise absolute and relative indices of respiratory function in healthy horses during eupnoea (tidal breathing) and carbon dioxide (CO2)-induced hyperpnoea (rebreathing) using a modified mask pneumotrachographic technique well suited to equine practice, and to evaluate the reliability of this technique over three consecutive days. Coefficients of variation, intra-class correlations, mean differences and 95% confidence intervals across all days of testing were established for each parameter. The technique provided absolute measures of respiratory function (respiratory rate, tidal volume, peak inspiratory and expiratory flows, time to peak flow) consistent with previous studies and there was no significant effect of day on any measure of respiratory function. Variability of measurements was decreased during hyperpnea caused by rebreathing CO2, but a number of relative flow-time variables demonstrated good agreement during eupnoeic respiration. The technique was well tolerated by horses and study findings suggest the technique is suitable for evaluation of respiratory function in horses. The use of relative flow-time variables provided reproducible (consistent) results, suggesting the technique may be of use for repeated measures studies in horses during tidal breathing or rebreathing.

The aim of this case report was to describe the clinical findings, treatment and outcome of lumbosacral discospondylitis in a calf. A 5.5-month-old calf was presented with difficulty in rising, a stiff and slightly ataxic gait in the hind limbs and a shortened stride. The lumbosacral region was severely painful on palpation. Radiographic examination confirmed lumbosacral discospondylitis. Medical treatment with stall rest was instituted over six weeks. Radiographic and ultrasonographic follow-up examinations showed lysis of the endplates initially, then collapse of the intervertebral space at the lumbosacral junction and progressive sclerosis in the periphery of the lytic zones. Four weeks after institution of treatment, the calf could rise normally and the general condition gradually had returned to normal. The calf was discharged after 6 weeks and was sound at 3.5 months clinical and radiographic follow up examination. Thereafter, it was kept on alpine pastures without problems and was pregnant 1 year after the last examination. This report shows that recovery from lumbosacral discospondylitis is possible in heifers, provided that treatment is started before major neurologic deficits have developed and is continued for an extended period of time.

Helminthiasis is a major limitation to the livestock industry in Africa. Haemonchus contortus is the singular most important helminth responsible for major economic losses in small ruminants. The high cost of anthelmintics to small farmers, resistance to available anthelmintics and residue problems in meat and milk consumed by humans further complicates matters. The use of plants and plant extracts as a possible source of new anthelmintics has received more interest in the last decade. Our aim was not to confirm the traditional use, but rather to determine activity of extracts. Based on our past experience acetone was used as extractant. Because it is cheaper and more reproducible to evaluate the activity of plant extracts, than doing animal studies, the activity of acetone leaf extracts of thirteen plant species used traditionally in ethnoveterinary medicine in South Africa were determined using the egg hatch assay and the larval development test. Cytotoxicity of these extracts was also evaluated using the MTT cellular assay. Extracts of three plant species i.e. Heteromorpha trifoliata, Maesa lanceolata and Leucosidea sericea had EC50 values of 0.62 mg/ml, 0.72 mg/ml and 1.08 mg/ml respectively for the egg hatch assay. Clausena anisata; (1.08 mg/ml) and Clerodendrum glabrum; (1.48 mg/ml) extracts were also active. In the larval development assay the H. trifoliata extract was the most effective with an EC50 of 0.64 mg/ml followed by L. sericea (1.27 mg/ml). The activities in the larval development test were generally lower in most plant species than the egg hatch assay. Based on the cytotoxicity results C. anisata was the least toxic with an LC50 of 0.17 mg/ml, while Cyathea dregei was the most toxic plant with an LC50 of 0.003 mg/ml. The C. anisata extract had the best selectivity index with a value of 0.10 and 0.08 for the two assays, followed by H. trifoliata and L. sericea with values of 0.07, 0.07 and 0.05, 0.04. The C. dregei extract had the worst selectivity index with a value of 0.00019 for both assays. The result of this study indicates which species should be further investigated in depth for isolation of compounds.

In Europe, Babesia infections in cats are sporadic and only partial knowledge is currently available since the number of described cases including both the clinical presentation and the molecular identification of the Babesia species involved is limited. In the present case report, the clinical signs, the epidemiological data and the molecular results suggest that this is the first reported fatal case of feline babesiosis caused by Babesia canis. A six month old female European shorthair cat from north-western Spain died after being hospitalized for two days. This animal was pregnant and showed anorexia, lethargy, weakness, jaundice and fever with increased respiratory and heart rates. Haematological analysis revealed haemolytic regenerative anaemia, thrombocytopenia and leukocytosis. The presence of piroplasms was assessed using a PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp.; the sample resulted positive and B. canis was identified by DNA sequence analysis. The possible existence of co-infections with other vector-borne pathogens such as Anaplasma spp., Bartonella spp., Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., Cytauxzoon spp., Ehrlichia spp., Hepatozoon canis, Mycoplasma spp. or Rickettsia spp. was excluded by qPCR. Our results together with previous reports on Babesia infections in cats from Europe suggest that feline babesiosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of animals with anaemia, thrombocytopenia, anorexia and lethargy, especially in young or immunocompromised animals from endemic areas for canine babesiosis.

Loss of dorsal acetabular rim (DAR) is a common sequela to canine hip dysplasia. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of DAR loss on the initial stability of the cementless (BFX) acetabular cup. BFX cups were implanted into foam blocks reamed to resemble acetabulae with simulated 0, 25, 50, and 75% DAR loss. Models were tested in edge loading of the lateral surface of the cup with an indenter, and in centered loading with an articulated femoral prosthesis. Additionally, cups were implanted into paired cadaveric canine hemipelves with either no DAR depletion, or removal of 50% of the DAR, and acutely loaded to failure with an articulated femoral prosthesis. Mean load measured at 1 mm cup displacement during edge loading was not significantly different in foam blocks with loss of 0, 25, 50, and 75% DAR (360 ± 124 N, 352 ± 42 N, 330 ± 81 N, 288 ± 43 N, respectively; P = 0.425). Mean load to failure with centered loads was greatest in blocks with 0% DAR loss (2828 ± 208 N; P < 0.001), but was not significantly different between 25, 50, and 75% DAR loss (2270 ± 301 N, 1924 ± 157 N, 1745 ± 118 N). In cadaveric testing, neither mean load to failure (P = 0.067), stiffness (P = 0.707), nor energy (P = 0.228) were significantly different in control hemipelves and those with 50% depletion of the DAR. Failure in all acetabulae occurred due to acetabular bone fracture at forces in supraphysiologic ranges. BFX cup stability under normal physiologic loads does not appear to be compromised in acetabulae with up to 50% DAR loss.

The present study aimed to evaluate the potential of chitosan coating silver nanoparticles to enhance the growth performance and immune status of broilers without inducing oxidative stress-related pathological lesions in any organs or leaving residues of silver in the edible parts. Five clusters of Cobb one-day-old chicks (n = 10/group in each replication) were given oral therapy, once a week for 36 days as follows: (1) distilled water, (2, 3) 0.5- and 5 ppm silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), respectively, (4, 5) 0.5- and 5 ppm chitosan/silver nanoconjugates (CS/Ag-NCs), respectively. The results demonstrated a marked elevation in the body weight gain with a decline in the food conversion ratio and marked improvement in feeding and drinking behavior of all nanoparticles treated groups, but higher in CS/Ag-NCs groups than AgNPs groups and control group. In contrast to the 0.5 ppm AgNPs receiving group, the group receiving 5 ppm AgNPs noticed remarkable histological changes in some organs, including the liver, kidneys, spleen, and heart. Moreover, the administration of CS/Ag-NCs at two dosage levels didn’t influence any histological changes. The AgNPs groups’ antibody titers against the ND and AI viruses were almost identical to those of the control group. Otherwise, CS/Ag-NCs groups recorded the highest antibody titers. Additionally, there was a significant increase in silver content in most edible organs of AgNPs groups at a dosage level of 5 ppm. Otherwise, the coating of AgNPs by CSNPs could decrease the aggregation of silver in the biological organs. Thus, we recommend utilizing 0.5 ppm CS/Ag-NCs in broiler farms to promote their growth performance and strengthen their immune defense.

In recent decades there has been a growing concern about animal stress on intensive pig farms due to the undesirable consequences that stress produces in the normal physiology of pigs and its effects on their welfare and general productive performance. This review analyses the most important types of stress (social, environmental, metabolic, immunological and due to human handling), and their biological consequences for pigs. The physio-pathological changes associated with stress are described, as well as the negative effects of stress on pig production. In addition an update of the different biomarkers used for the evaluation of stress is provided. These biomarkers can be classified into four groups according to the physiological system or axis evaluated: sympathetic nervous system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and immune system. Stress it is a process with multifactorial causes and produces an organic response that generates negative effects on animal health and production. Ideally, a panel of various biomarkers should be used to assess and evaluate the stress resulting from diverse causes and the different physiological systems involved in the stress response. We hope that this review will increase the understanding of the stress process, contribute to a better control and reduction of potential stressful stimuli in pigs and, finally, encourage future studies and developments to better monitor, detect and manage stress on pig farms.

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is a common pathogen causing respiratory disease in cattle and a significant contributor to the bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex. BRSV is widely distributed around the world, causing severe economic losses. This study we established a new molecular detection method of BRSV pathogen NanoPCR attributed to the combination of nano-particles in traditional PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) technology. In this study, the BRSV NanoPCR assay was developed, and its specificity and sensitivity were investigated. The results showed that no cross-reactivity was observed for the NanoPCR assay for related viruses, including the infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), and bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 (BPIV3), and the assay was more sensitive than the conventional PCR assay, with a detection limit of 1.43 × 102 copies recombinant plasmids per reaction, compared with 1.43 × 103 copies for conventional PCR analysis. Moreover, thirty-nine clinical bovine samples collected from two provinces in North-Eastern China, 46.15% were determined BRSV positive by our NanoPCR assay, compared with 23.07% for conventional PCR. This is the first report to demonstrate the application of a NanoPCR assay for the detection of BRSV. The sensitive and specific NanoPCR assay developed in this study can be applied widely in clinical diagnosis and field surveillance of BRSV infection.