Abdominal compartment syndrome in a dog with babesiosis

Objective: To describe a case of abdominal compartment syndrome in a dog with babesiosis. Case summary: A 9‐year‐old female Bull Terrier presented with complicated babesiosis. Additional findings including respiratory distress, abdominal distension, and a decrease in urine output associated with an elevated abdominal pressure (23.5–25 cmH₂O) led to a further diagnosis of abdominal compartment syndrome. This case report describes the clinical course of both conditions through resolution. New information provided: Abdominal compartment syndrome is not well described in the veterinary literature, but clinicians should be aware of this potential complication in critically ill patients. The pathophysiology and veterinary literature of abdominal compartment syndrome are reviewed.     

Results from an indirect fluorescent antibody test using three different strains of Ehrlichia canis

An indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test is usually performed to detect antibodies in dogs naturally infected by Ehrlichia canis. In this work, results obtained using three different E. canis strains as antigen (a commercial antigen, the E. canis Oklahoma strain and the E. canis Madrid strain) were compared. One hundred and forty-nine serum samples obtained from dogs living in the centre of Spain were analysed. When qualitative results were evaluated, identical results were detected in 87.2% of samples for the three antigens tested. When comparing antibody titre results, differences between the Madrid strain and the commercial antigen, and between the Madrid and Oklahoma strains were statistically significant (P < 0.0001). No differences were found when comparing the Oklahoma strain with the commercial antigen (P = 0.562). Subtle intra-laboratory variations shown in this study suggest a higher sensitivity of the IFA test when an autochthonous strain is used as antigen.     

Regulation of bone mass in mice by the lipoxygenase gene Alox15

The development of osteoporosis involves the interaction of multiple environmental and genetic factors. Through combined genetic and genomic approaches, we identified the lipoxygenase gene Alox15 as a negative regulator of peak bone mineral density in mice. Crossbreeding experiments with Alox15 knockout mice confirmed that 12/15-lipoxygenase plays a role in skeletal development. Pharmacologic inhibitors of this enzyme improved bone density and strength in two rodent models of osteoporosis. These results suggest that drugs targeting the 12/15-lipoxygenase pathway merit investigation as a therapy for osteoporosis.     

Ecotoxicological Assessment of Contaminated River Sites as a Proxy for the Water Framework Directive: an Acid Mine Drainage Case Study

Metal contamination of freshwater bodies resulting from mining activities or deactivated mines is a common problem worldwide such as in Portugal. Bra?al (galena ore) and Palhal (pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, and pyrite ore), located in a riverside position, are both examples of deactivated mining areas lacking implemented recovery plans since their shutdown in the early mid-1900s. In both mining areas, effluents still flow into two rivers. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the potential hazard posed by the mining effluents to freshwater communities. Therefore, short- and long-term ecotoxicological tests were performed on elutriates from river sediments collected at each site using standard test organisms that cover different functional levels (Vibrio fischeri, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, Lemna minor, and Daphnia sp.). The results show that elutriates from the sediments of Palhal were very toxic to all tested species, while in contrast, elutriates from Bra?al showed generally no toxicity for the tested species. Our study highlights the usefulness of using an ecotoxicological approach to help in the prioritization/scoring of the most critical areas impacted by deactivated mines. This ecotoxicological test battery can provide important information about the ecological status of each concerning site before investing in the application of time-consuming and costly methods defined by the Water Framework Directive or can stand as a meaningful complementary analysis.     

LC/ESI/MS method for the quantitative detection of guazatine residues in cereals

Guazatine is a fungicide used in agriculture to control a wide range of seed-borne diseases of cereals and other vegetable foods. In this work, a LC-ESI-MS method was developed for the quantitative detection of guazatine residues in maize and hard wheat. Quantitative data were determined for the residues of the main diamines, triamines, and tetramines that cover more than 87% of the total contents of the mixture. The mean recoveries from the fortified cereals at 0.050 mg/kg ranged from 81 to 86%, with the coefficients of variation (CVs) ranging from 0.9 to 5.5% (n = 5). At 0.025 mg/kg, the recoveries ranged from 78 to 87%, with the CVs ranging from 0.8 to 6.3% (n = 5). The limits of quantification have been estimated to be 0.010, 0.004, 0.002, 0.002, 0.005, and 0.002 mg/kg, respectively, for GN, GG, GNG, GGN, GGG, and GGGG in maize and hard wheat (S/N ratio >10).     

Relevance of ovarian follicular development to the seasonal impairment of fertility in weaned sows

A field study was conducted to estimate seasonal differences in follicular development in weaned sows and to evaluate the implication of these differences on seasonal infertility. A total of 110 sows were selected at weaning during winter–spring (WS, n = 58) and summer–autumn (SA, n = 52). Ovaries were scanned once daily from weaning to the onset of oestrus and twice daily from then until ovulation. Six sows during WS were removed from study for not showing growing follicles at weaning. Oestrus was evaluated twice daily from day 1 after weaning to day 14 post-weaning. One of 52 (1.9%) sows in WS and 9/52 (17.3%) in SA showed no signs of oestrus within 14 days of weaning (P < 0.05). The diameters of the follicles at weaning, at the onset of oestrus and just before ovulation were smaller (P < 0.01) in SA sows than in WS sows. There were fewer follicles in SA sows than in WS sows just before ovulation (P < 0.05). Fifty of 51 (98.0%) sows in WS and 31/43 (72.1%) sows in SA experienced a weaning-to-oestrus interval (WOI) of 3–6 days (P < 0.05). Fifty-one of 52 (98.1%) sows in WS and 43/52 (82.7%) sows in SA were inseminated; the percentage of pregnant sows that failed to farrow was lower in WS (1/51, 2.0%) than in SA (5/43, 11.6%; P < 0.05). The percentage of farrowed sows was greater in WS (46/51, 90.2%) than in SA (32/43, 74.4%; P < 0.05). Sows in WS had on average 1.5 more piglets than sows in SA (P < 0.05). Sows with a WOI of 3–6 days had lower rates of pregnancy losses (P < 0.05) and higher farrowing percentages (P < 0.01) than those with a WOI > 6 days, irrespective of season.     

Management of paddlefish fry and juveniles in Bulgarian conditions

When paddlefish larvae were reared in tanks and fed on zooplankton, a length of 12–15 cm and a weight of 9.2 g had been obtained by the second month after hatching. After a further 2-months of pond rearing, the survival rate was 48%, and the juveniles had reached an average weight of 27.74 g and length of 22.5 cm. Much better growth rate was achieved when both paddlefish fry and juveniles were reared only on artificial food in tanks. At the end of the first month, a weight of 11.6 g had been reached; at the second month the paddlefish weight was 33.29 g, at the third month it was 60.2 g, and at the fourth month it was 127.7 g. There were two cases in which, respectively, 1,000 and 1,500 paddlefish with an average body weight of 33–60 g were stocked in a reservoir. At the age 5 months the fish had reached, or exceeded, an average weight of 500 g, and, after 1 year, it was over 700 g, which is an indicator of the good rearing opportunities this reservoir offered.