Breed Differences in Natriuretic Peptides in Healthy Dogs

Background

Measurement of plasma concentration of natriuretic peptides (NPs) is suggested to be of value in diagnosis of cardiac disease in dogs, but many factors other than cardiac status may influence their concentrations. Dog breed potentially is 1 such factor.

Objective

To investigate breed variation in plasma concentrations of pro‐atrial natriuretic peptide 31‐67 (proANP 31‐67) and N‐terminal B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) in healthy dogs.

Animals

535 healthy, privately owned dogs of 9 breeds were examined at 5 centers as part of the European Union (EU) LUPA project.

Methods

Absence of cardiovascular disease or other clinically relevant organ‐related or systemic disease was ensured by thorough clinical investigation. Plasma concentrations of proANP 31‐67 and NT‐proBNP were measured by commercially available ELISA assays.

Results

Overall significant breed differences were found in proANP 31‐67 (P < .0001) and NT‐proBNP (P < .0001) concentrations. Pair‐wise comparisons between breeds differed in approximately 50% of comparisons for proANP 31‐67 as well as NT‐proBNP concentrations, both when including all centers and within each center. Interquartile range was large for many breeds, especially for NT‐proBNP. Among included breeds, Labrador Retrievers and Newfoundlands had highest median NT‐proBNP concentrations with concentrations 3 times as high as those of Dachshunds. German Shepherds and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels had the highest median proANP 31‐67 concentrations, twice the median concentration in Doberman Pinschers.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Considerable interbreed variation in plasma NP concentrations was found in healthy dogs. Intrabreed variation was large in several breeds, especially for NT‐proBNP. Additional studies are needed to establish breed‐specific reference ranges.     

Dairy science and health in the tropics: challenges and opportunities for the next decades

In the next two decades, the world population will increase significantly; the majority in the developing countries located in the tropics of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. To feed such a population, it is necessary to increase the availability of food, particularly high-value animal protein foods produced locally, namely meat and dairy products. Dairy production in tropical regions has a lot of growth potential, but also poses a series of problems, particularly as dairy production systems were developed in temperate countries and in most cases are difficult to implement in the tropics. Drawbacks include hot weather and heat stress, the lack of availability of adequate feeds, poor infrastructure, and cold chain and the competition with cheap imports from temperate countries. This position paper reviews the major drawbacks in dairy production for the five major dairy species: cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goat, and camel, as well as the future trends in research and development. It also concerns the major trends in reproduction and production systems and health issues as well as environmental concerns, particularly those related to greenhouse gas emissions. Tropical Animal Health and Production now launches a topical collection on Tropical Dairy Science. We aim to publish interesting and significant papers in tropical dairy science. On behalf of the editorial board of the Tropical Animal Health and Production, we would like to invite all authors working in this field to submit their works on this topic to this topical collection in our journal.

     

Early Pregnancy Detection of Iraqi Riverine Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Using the BioPRYN Enzyme‐Linked Immunosorbent Assay for PSPB and the Progesterone Assay

This study was undertaken to detect pregnancy in Iraqi riverine buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) using three different methods (rectal palpation, plasma progesterone concentration and detection of the presence of pregnancy‐specific protein B (PSPB) with the BioPRYN^® enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The aim of the study was to identify the most sensitive, early and accurate method for detecting pregnancy. Twenty‐two female riverine buffalo that were 6.0 ± 0.93 years old were used. Four blood samples per buffalo were taken via jugular venipuncture at days 22–24, 32–34, 42–44 and 58–61 post‐mating (PM) to measure the progesterone concentration (ng/ml) and to detect the presence of plasma PSPB. The rectal palpation method was employed to evaluate all buffalo on days 42–44 and 58–61 PM. The BioPRYN^® test differed (p < 0.01) from the other tests with earlier accuracy for detecting pregnant and non‐pregnant buffalo. Eighty‐eight percent of pregnant and 76.9% of non‐pregnant buffalo were distinguished early (days 22–24 PM) using BioPRYN^® and plasma PSPB‐ELISA level (2.09 ± 0.12 ng/ml) in relation to 66.7% and 53.9% detected using the progesterone assay at similar days (4.30 ± 0.40 ng/ml). In conclusion, these results described, for the first time, the early and accurate pregnancy detection of water riverine buffalo using BioPRYN^® technology and provided the plasma levels of PSPB using an ELISA test. These findings will improve the reproductive and productive efficiency of Iraqi riverine buffalo by adapting the recent management and reproductive strategies in Iraq and in the world.     

Differential susceptibility to tetracycline,oxytetracycline and doxycycline of the calf pathogens Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida in three growth media

For clinical isolates of bovine Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida, this study reports minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) differences for tetracycline, oxytetracycline and doxycycline between cation‐adjusted Mueller‐Hinton broth (CAMHB), foetal bovine serum (FBS) and Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) medium. MICs were determined according to CLSI standards and additionally using five overlapping sets of twofold dilutions. Matrix effect: (a) free drug MICs and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) for all drugs were significantly higher in FBS than in CAMHB for both pathogens (p < 0.001); (b) MICs and MBCs were higher for CAMHB and FBS compared to RPMI for P. multocida only. Net growth rate for P. multocida in CAMHB was significantly slower than in FBS and higher than in RPMI, correlating to MIC and MBC ranking. Drug effect: doxycycline MICs and MBCs were significantly lower (p < 0.001) in both CAMHB and FBS than tetracycline and oxytetracycline for both pathogens. Only for M. haemolytica were oxytetracycline MIC and MBC significantly lower than tetracycline, precluding the use of tetracycline to predict oxytetracycline susceptibility in this species. Determining potencies of tetracyclines in a physiological medium, such as FBS, is proposed, when the objective is correlation with pharmacokinetic data for dosage determination.     

A case of chronic wasting disease in an elk imported to Korea from Canada

A seven-year-old male elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) was euthanized and necropsied after having a 3-week history of body weight loss, emaciation, excessive salivation, teeth grinding, fever, anorexia, and respiratory distress. The elk was imported into Korea from Canada on March 9, 1997. Gross pathologic findings were restricted to a diffuse fibrinous pneumonia. Microscopic lesions included mild neuronal vacuolation and spongiform change in the neuropil of selected brain stem nuclei and generalized astrocytosis. Immunohistochemistry for protease-resistant prion protein (PrP(res)) was positive in all brain sections but more pronounced in the section of the obex of the medulla. And the PrP(res) was also detected by western immunoblotting in the brain and spinal cord. All the remaining elk and deer that had been in contact with this elk were destroyed and negative for chronic wasting disease (CWD). To our knowledge, this is the first case of CWD occurring outside of the U.S.A. and Canada.     

Morphometric analyses of the body and the branches of the normal third interosseous muscle (suspensory ligament) in Standardbreds

The third interosseous muscle (suspensory ligament, TIOM) is composed of connective tissue (CT) with a variable proportion of muscle (MT) and adipose tissue (AT). The aim of our study is to quantify the CT, MT and AT within the body and the branches of right thoracic and pelvic limbs TIOM in sound horses to determine whether there are differences in CT, MT and AT between age, sex, limbs and levels. Right limbs from 11 sound horses were collected. Samples from 6 levels of the TIOM were embedded in paraffin or in Tissue‐Tek^®. Most of the paraffin sections were shredded. Using the cryosection, some artefacts appeared. Cryoprotection was carried out, which produced the best results. Hematoxylin–phloxine–saffron and Hematoxylin–eosin gave a good contrast of colours between the tissues observed allowing the use of an image analysis programme to calculate percentage of each tissue within the TIOM. The percentage of MT and AT decreased significantly (P < 0.0001), whereas the percentage of CT increased significantly (P < 0.0001) with age and when descending from the proximal to the distal level of the TIOM. The percentage of MT was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in females than males, while the percentage of CT was significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in males than females. The percentage of AT was significantly higher (P = 0.0278) in pelvic limbs than in thoracic limbs. These results confirm the variation in tissue composition within the TIOM of sound horses.     

VERTEBRAL HEART SCORES IN EIGHT DOG BREEDS

The vertebral heart score (VHS) measurement is commonly used to provide a more objective measurement of cardiomegaly in canines. However, several studies have shown significant breed variations from the value previously established by Buchanan and Bücheler (9.7 ± 0.5). This study describes VHS measurements in Pug, Pomeranian, Yorkshire Terrier, Dachshund, Bulldog, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso, and Boston Terrier dog breeds. Dogs with two or three view thoracic radiographs, no subjective radiographic evidence of cardiomegaly, and no physical examination findings of heart murmurs or gallop rhythms were included in the study. The Pug, Pomeranian, Bulldog, and Boston Terrier groups were found to have a VHS significantly greater than 9.7 ± 0.5 (P < 0.00001, P = 0.0014, P < 0.0001, P < 0.00001, respectively). Body condition score (BCS) was found to have a significant effect on the VHS of Lhasa Apso group. Anomalous vertebrae in the thoracic column were associated with a significant increase in VHS of the Bulldog (P = 0.028) and Boston Terrier (P = 0.0004) groups. Thoracic depth to width ratio did not have a significant effect on VHS.