Treatment of demodicosis in dogs: 2011 clinical practice guidelines

Background and Objectives – These guidelines were written by an international group of specialists with the aim to provide veterinarians with current recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of canine demodicosis. Methods – Published studies of the various treatment options were reviewed and summarized. Where evidence in form of published studies was not available, expert consensus formed the base of the recommendations. Results – Demodicosis can usually be diagnosed by deep skin scrapings or trichograms; in rare cases a skin biopsy may be needed for diagnosis. Immune suppression due to endoparasitism or malnutrition in young dogs and endocrine diseases, neoplasia and chemotherapy in older dogs are considered predisposing factors and should be diagnosed and treated to optimize the therapeutic outcome. Dogs with disease severity requiring parasiticidal therapy should not be bred. Secondary bacterial skin infections frequently complicate the disease and require topical and/or systemic antimicrobial therapy. There is good evidence for the efficacy of weekly amitraz rinses and daily oral macrocyclic lactones such as milbemycin oxime, ivermectin and moxidectin for the treatment of canine demodicosis. Weekly application of topical moxidectin can be useful in dogs with milder forms of the disease. There is some evidence for the efficacy of weekly or twice weekly subcutaneous or oral doramectin. Systemic macrocyclic lactones may cause neurological adverse effects in sensitive dogs, thus a gradual increase to the final therapeutic dose may be prudent (particularly in herding breeds). Treatment should be monitored with monthly skin scrapings and extended beyond clinical and microscopic cure to minimize recurrences. Editor’s Note – A brief review article by R. Mueller has been published: Evidence‐based treatment of canine demodicosis, Tierarztl Prax Ausg K Kleintiere Heimtiere 2011; 39: 419–24. This is not considered to constitute duplication of the article published here in Veterinary Dermatology.     

Comparative efficacies of oral ketoconazole and terbinafine for reducing Malassezia population sizes on the skin of Basset Hounds

The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of oral ketoconazole and terbinafine for reducing population sizes of Malassezia yeasts on canine skin. Twenty-one Basset Hounds were randomised in three groups of seven according to Malassezia populations. Dogs in the first group were treated by oral administration of ketoconazole (Ketofungol) 200 mg, Janssen-Cilag) at 10 mg x kg-1, every 24 h with food, for 3 weeks. Dogs in the second group were treated by oral administration of terbinafine (Lamisil) 250 mg, Novartis) at 30 mg x kg-1, every 24 h with food, for 3 weeks. The seven remaining dogs were used as controls. Malassezia population sizes were assessed by use of contact plates on four cutaneous sites at days 7, 14 and 21. Both ketoconazole and terbinafine were effective in reducing the baseline levels of Malassezia organisms with no significant difference between the two drugs. In further studies, oral terbinafine should be evaluated for the management of canine cases of Malassezia dermatitis.     

Sero-epidemiological investigation of bovine toxoplasmosis in traditional and smallholder cattle production systems of Tanga Region,Tanzania

In view of the worldwide importance of Toxoplasma gondii and the fragmented information on the seroprevalence of the disease in animals in Tanzania, a study, using the modified Eiken latex agglutination test (LAT), was conducted from May 2003 to January 2004 to determine the prevalence of antibody to T. gondii in 130 randomly selected farms comprising 655 cattle. The overall seroprevalence of T.gondii antibodies in cattle and farms were 3.6% and 13%, respectively. Risk factors for animal and herd-level toxoplasmosis seropositivity were tested using multivariable logistic regression to control for confounding factors. Cattle managed under traditional husbandry practises were more likely to be seropositive than those managed under smallholder practises (48% versus 4.7%; p < 0.01). Herd size of ≥ 9 cattle were at greater risk of acquiring infection than herds holding fewer animals [≤ 9 cattle], (odd ratio [OR] = 3.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.97–16.48; P = 0.001). We concluded that seroprevalence at herd level was high and relatively low at animal level, possibly due to the reduced susceptibility of cattle to T.gondii infection as compared to goats and sheep. The high seroprevalence in animals managed by traditional husbandry practise suggests that the parasite is widely distributed in the environment and could pose a public health threat to the people living in those areas.     

<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">d</Emphasis>-Cloprostenol enhances estrus synchronization in tropical hair sheep

To compare the effects of PGF2α (dinoprost tromethamine) and d-cloprostenol in a two-dose protocol for estrus synchronization in hair sheep during breeding season in Yucatán, México, two experiments were conducted. In experiment 1, 61 cyclic hair sheep were divided into two groups: G1 (control n?=?30), two doses of 50 μg of dinoprost tromethamine IM with 12 days between applications, and G2 (n?=?31), two doses of 50 μg of d-cloprostenol IM at the same time interval. For determination of progesterone levels, 16 ewes from each group were randomly selected. In experiment 2, 70 cyclic hair sheep were assigned at the same treatments (G1 and G2, n?=?35) and 48 h after the second application, the ewes in estrus were detected by two vasectomized rams. Sheep with detected estrus were inseminated, and 45 days after, pregnant animals were identified by ultrasonography. An exact Fisher’s test was performed for the analysis of ewes in estrus (experiments 1 and 2) and number of pregnant ewes (experiment 2); for the comparison of time between end of treatment-estrus presentation, a survival analysis was used. Duration of estrus in hours was analyzed using a generalized mixed model (GLM) ANOVA whereas plasma progesterone concentrations were analyzed by non-linear regression. There were significant differences (P?<?0.05) in the proportion of ewes in estrus upon treatments (G1, 57% vs G2, 87% and G1, 37.1% vs G2, 65.7% in experiments 1 and 2, respectively), and between the end of treatment-onset estrus interval (P?<?0.01), survival curves showed the highest number of sheep in estrus between 40 and 48 h (G1, 43.7?+?8.05 h vs G2, 42.9?+?6.7 h, experiment 1). There were no significant differences (P?>?0.05) in duration of estrus (G1, 42?+?6.1 h, vs G2, 41.1?+?11.2 h, experiment 1) and pregnancy in the ewes that presented estrus, and were inseminated (G1, 38.4% vs 52.1%, experiment 2). With regard to concentrations of progesterone, significant differences (P?<?0.01) were found between treatments, and progesterone levels before the second application of d-cloprostenol were higher. In consideration of the results, it can be concluded that in a two-dose protocol of a luteolytic agent, more ewes presented estrus in response to d-cloprostenol compared to dinoprost tromethamine with similar pregnancy rates.     

Functional investigation of a QTL affecting resistance to Haemonchus contortus in sheep

This study reports a functional characterization of a limited segment (QTL) of sheep chromosome 12 associated with resistance to the abomasal nematode Haemonchus contortus. The first objective was to validate the identified QTL through the comparison of genetically susceptible (N) and resistant (R) sheep produced from Martinik × Romane back-cross sheep. The R and N genotype groups were then experimentally infected with 10 000 H. contortus larvae and measured for FEC (every three days from 18 to 30 days post-challenge), haematocrit, worm burden and fertility. Significant differences in FEC and haematocrit drop were found between R and N sheep. In addition, the female worms recovered from R sheep were less fecund. The second step of the characterization was to investigate functional mechanisms associated with the QTL, thanks to a gene expression analysis performed on the abomasal mucosa and the abomasal lymph node. The gene expression level of a candidate gene lying within the QTL region (PAPP-A2) was measured. In addition, putative interactions between the chromosome segment under study and the top ten differentially expressed genes between resistant MBB and susceptible RMN sheep highlighted in a previous microarray experiment were investigated. We found an induction of Th-2 related cytokine genes expression in the abomasal mucosa of R sheep. Down-regulation of the PAPP-A2 gene expression was observed between naïve and challenged sheep although no differential expression was recorded between challenged R and N sheep. The genotyping of this limited region should contribute to the ability to predict the intrinsic resistance level of sheep.     

Efficacy of an oral live vaccine for veterinary use against pseudotuberculosis

Pseudotuberculosis, an infection caused by the ubiquitous enteropathogenic bacterium Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, is a recurrent veterinary problem in livestock and zoo animals. The only vaccine currently available in zoos is Pseudovac (a mixture of killed strains of various serotypes), but its efficacy is not well established. We show here that Pseudovac does not protect guinea pigs against a severe Y. pseudotuberculosis infection. We thus evaluated the possibility of using a live attenuated Y. pseudotuberculosis strain (IP32680) as an oral vaccine against animal pseudotuberculosis. We report that IP32680 is avirulent for guinea pigs and induces a strong IgG response against various serotypes of Y. pseudotuberculosis. One and two oral inoculations of IP32680 provided 50% and 83% protection, respectively against a severe infection with a highly pathogenic strain. The avirulent Y. pseudotuberculosis IP32680 is therefore much more protective than Pseudovac and may represent a valuable oral vaccine against pseudotuberculosis in zoo animals.     

Sensitivity patterns to house dust mites and forage mites in atopic dogs: 150 cases

This study investigated intradermal test reactions to extracts of six species of mites in 150 dogs with atopic dermatitis. At least one positive reaction was seen in 120 animals (80%). Dermatophagoides farinae attracted the highest number of positive reactions (108 dogs, 90% of dogs and 72% of atopic dogs showing positive reactions). Positive reactions to other mites were not uncommon, with many dogs testing positive for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (32% of dogs tested), Acarus siro (35%), Tyrophagus putrescentiae (30%), Glycyphagus domesticus (27%) and Lepidoglyphus destructor (23%). Sensitivity to D. farinae alone occurred commonly (57% of cases), but multiple sensitivities were seen frequently with the other mites. Cases of sensitivity to only one mite were also seen: D. pteronyssinus (five cases), T. putrescentiae (one case) and G. domesticus (one case). Further studies are needed to appreciate more clearly the precise role played by the different species of mite in canine atopic dermatitis.