Initial experience of ultrapurified bovine haemoglobin use in horses

Ultrapurified bovine haemoglobin solutions such as Oxyglobin are rarely used in equine medicine due to their relatively high cost and concerns over their safety. Four foals and a mature horse were administered Oxyglobin as part of their treatment regime to good clinical effect, and no adverse clinical signs were noted. All 5 animals went on to make a full recovery from the various disease processes that necessitated treatment with blood and blood products. Oxyglobin appears to be a useful adjunctive treatment for acute, life‐threatening anaemia in the horse.     

Distribution of Feline Blood Types Detected in the Copenhagen Area of Denmark

Jensen, A. L., A. B. Olesen and J. Arnbjerg: Distribution of feline blood types detected in the Copenhagen area of Denmark. Acta vet. scand., 1994, 35, 121-124.–The purpose of the present study was to make the first survey of the distribution of feline AB blood types in the Copenhagen area of Denmark. A total of 244 cats (139 purebred cats and 105 Domestic Shorthair cats) were tested. 93% of all tested cats had blood type A. Neither an AB nor an O type cat was detected and thus, the frequency of blood type B among all tested cats was 7%. Most type B cats were purebred cats (Birman, British Shorthair and Persian cats). No association between sex and blood type could be demonstrated among British Shorthair and Persian cats. Thus, the present study indicates that cats in Denmark predominantly have blood type A, and that blood type B cats are rare, except for certain breeds such as Birman and British Shorthair cats.     

Comparison of gel column agglutination with monoclonal antibodies and card agglutination methods for assessing the feline AB group system and a frequency study of feline blood types in northern Italy

Background: A new commercial gel column agglutination system is reported to have high sensitivity in detecting cats with blood type AB. Objectives: The aims of this study were to compare gel column agglutination and card agglutination methods for feline blood‐typing and to determine the frequency distribution of feline blood types in northern Italy. Methods: Blood‐typing was performed on 120 cats using both a commercial gel column containing monoclonal antibodies (ID Gel‐Test Micro Typing System) and a card agglutination method (RapidVet‐H Feline). Results were confirmed with back‐typing. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated for the 2 methods. A second group of 140 Domestic Shorthair (DSH) cats was blood‐typed using the gel column technique to determine the frequency distribution of feline blood types in northern Italy. Results: The card agglutination method demonstrated poor sensitivity in identification of type‐AB cats (61%) and was only 95% specific when identifying type‐B cats. The gel column agglutination technique demonstrated 100% sensitivity and specificity for typing all 3 blood types (A, B, and AB). The frequency distribution study of 140 cats demonstrated that 127 (90.7%) cats were type A, 10 (7.1%) were type B, and 3 (2.1%) were type AB. Conclusion: When blood‐typing cats of breeds with a relatively high frequency of blood types B and AB, methods that use monoclonal antibodies for detection of blood types B and AB are recommended. Alternatively, blood type can be confirmed by more sensitive supplemental testing, such as back‐typing. The high frequency of blood type A in DSH cats in northern Italy was comparable to previously reported frequencies in Italy and world‐wide.