Agreement between invasive blood pressure measured centrally and peripherally in anaesthetized horses

Objective

To determine the agreement of invasive blood pressure measured in the facial, metatarsal and carotid arteries, and evaluate the effects of two haemodynamic conditions on agreement.

Emphysematous pyelitis and cystitis associated with vesicoureteral reflux in a diabetic dog

A 12-year-old female dog with a 3-month history of poor response to diabetes treatment had an acute worsening of symptoms, including weakness and blindness. The dog had elevated blood glucose, alkaline phosphatase and urea concentration, hyposthenuria, glycosuria, hematuria, and pyuria. Escherichia coli was isolated from the urine. Radiographs and ultrasound examination showed that the dog had unilateral emphysematous pyelitis and concurrent cystitis associated with vesicoureteral reflux.     

Pathology of experimental SARS coronavirus infection in cats and ferrets

The pathology of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) infection in cats and ferrets is poorly described, and the distribution of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a receptor for SARS-CoV, in the respiratory tracts of these species is unknown. We observed SARS-CoV antigen expression and lesions in the respiratory tracts of 4 cats and 4 ferrets at 4 days postinoculation and ACE2 expression in the respiratory tracts of 3 cats and 3 ferrets without infection. All infected cats and ferrets had diffuse alveolar damage associated with SARS-CoV antigen expression. A novel SARS-CoV-associated lesion was tracheo-bronchoadenitis in cats. SARS-CoV antigen expression occurred mainly in type I and II pneumocytes and serous cells of tracheo-bronchial submucosal glands of cats and in type II pneumocytes of ferrets. ACE2 expression occurred mainly in type I and II pneumocytes, tracheo-bronchial goblet cells, serous epithelial cells of tracheo-bronchial submucosal glands in cats, and type II pneumocytes and serous epithelial cells of tracheo-bronchial submucosal glands in ferrets. In conclusion, the pathology of SARS-CoV infection in cats and ferrets resembles that in humans except that syncytia and hyaline membranes were not observed. The identification of tracheo-bronchoadenitis in cats has potential implications for SARS pathogenesis and SARS-CoV excretion. Finally, these results show the importance of ACE2 expression for SARS-CoV infection in vivo: whereas ACE2 expression in type I and II pneumocytes in cats corresponded to SARS-CoV antigen expression in both cell types, expression of both ACE2 and SARS-CoV antigen in ferrets was limited mainly to type II pneumocytes.     

Quantitative analysis of the 2002 phocine distemper epidemic in the Netherlands

Phocine distemper virus (PDV) caused thousands of deaths among harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from the North Sea in 1988 and 2002. To examine the effects of different factors on the pathology of phocine distemper, we performed necropsies and laboratory analyses on 369 harbor seals that stranded along the Dutch coast during the 2002 PDV epidemic. Diagnostic tests for morbillivirus infection indicated a differential temporal presence of morbillivirus in lung and brain. Seals of 3 years or older were significantly more often IgG positive than younger seals. The most frequent lesions in PDV cases were bronchopneumonia, broncho-interstitial pneumonia, and interstitial emphysema. Extra-thoracic emphysema was rare in <1-year-olds compared with older seals, even though severe pneumonia was more common. PDV cases generally had empty stomachs and less blubber than by-caught seals from before the epidemic. In PDV cases involving older animals, lung, kidney, and adrenal weights were significantly increased. Bordetella bronchiseptica was isolated from lungs in two thirds of the PDV cases examined. Our results indicate that brain should be included among the tissues tested for PDV by RT-PCR; that either phocine distemper has a longer duration in older seals or that there are age-related differences in immunity and organ development; that dehydration could play a role in the course and outcome of phocine distemper; and that bacterial coinfections in lungs are more frequent in PDV cases than gross lesions suggest. These results illustrate how quantitative analysis of pathology data from such epidemics can improve understanding of the causative disease.     

Activatable Shiga toxin 2d (Stx2d) in STEC strains isolated from cattle and sheep at slaughter

Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) harbouring the stx(2d-activatable) gene and expressing the mucus- and elastase-activatable phenotype have been associated with severe outcomes of human disease. However, there is limited data available on the occurrence of such strains in livestock reservoirs. In this study, we analyzed 11 STEC strains isolated from healthy cattle and sheep at slaughter that were originally detected to contain the stx(2c) allele, for the presence of the stx(2d-activatable) genotype. Ten of the eleven strains displayed the stx(2d-activatable) genotype as determine by PstI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of 890-bp fragments of their stx genes. However, only in 6 of the 10 strains whose stx genes were sequenced, the presence of stx(2d-activatable) could be confirmed based on the predicted amino acid sequence of their StxA subunits; the remaining four strains contained Stx2c A subunit. Five of the six strains which contained stx(2d-activatable) displayed the activatable phenotype on Vero cells. Genes for adhesins such as the outer membrane protein intimin (eae), which is essential for the intimate attachment and the formation of attaching-and-effacing lesions on intestinal epithelial cells, or the STEC autoagglutinating adhesin (saa), potentially important in eae-negative STEC, were not detected. Moreover, all the strains tested negative for EHEC-hlyA encoding enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) hemolysin. To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports the presence of STEC harbouring stx(2d-activatable) and producing the activatable Stx2d in fecal samples of sheep. Therefore both cattle and sheep are reservoirs of such strains and potential sources of human infections. This is of particular importance, because in contrast to other eae-negative STEC, strains producing Stx2d(activatable) may cause severe diseases such as bloody diarrhoea and haemolytic uremic syndrome in humans.     

Factors influencing short-term parasitoid establishment and efficacy for the biological control of Halyomorpha halys with the samurai wasp Trissolcus japonicus

BACKGROUND

Classical biological control has been identified as the most promising approach to limit the impact of the invasive pest species Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae). This study investigated the parasitism rate at sites where the biocontrol agent Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) was released and where its unintentional introduction took place, in the Trentino–South Tyrol region. The effect of land-use composition was studied to understand which factors favor the establishment of hosts and parasitoids, including native and exotic species.

RESULTS

The released T. japonicus were detected a year after the start of the program, with a significant parasitoid impact and discovery, compared to control sites. Trissolcus japonicus was the most abundant H. halys parasitoid, and Trissolcus mitsukurii and Anastatus bifasciatus were recorded also. The efficacy of T. mitsukurii was lower in sites where T. japonicus was successfully established, suggesting a possible competitive interaction. Parasitism level by T. japonicus at the release sites was 12.5% in 2020 and 16.4% in 2021. The combined effect of predation and parasitization increased H. halys mortality up to 50% at the release sites. Landscape composition analysis showed that both H. halys and T. japonicus were more likely to be found at sites with lower altitude and with permanent crops, whereas other hosts and parasitoids preferred different conditions.

CONCLUSION

Trissolcus japonicus showed a promising impact on H. halys, at release and adventive sites, with minor nontarget effects, mediated by landscape heterogeneity. The prevalence of T. japonicus in landscapes with permanent crops could support IPM in the future. © 2023 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.     

Endoscopic examination of the upper respiratory tract and oesophagus in small ruminants: technique and normal appearance

The aim of this study was to describe the technique of rhinolaryngotracheobronchoscopy and oesophagoscopy in small ruminants and to report the normal endoscopic appearance of the structures of the upper respiratory tract and oesophagus. Thirty sheep and 30 goats, all clinically normal, underwent rhinolaryngotracheobronchoscopy and oesophagoscopy using a flexible endoscope (length 100 cm; diameter 4 mm). The anatomical features of the structures and the appearance of the mucosa were investigated. The degree of mucosal pigmentation varied between breeds. The appearance of the pharyngeal tonsil and the shape of the trachea in cross-section showed most individual variation. The technique was easily performed and sedation was necessary in only a few cases. No major complications were encountered. It was concluded that the procedure facilitated more accurate diagnosis and prognosis of conditions of the upper respiratory tract and oesophagus.     

Ultrasonographic examination of important aspects of the bovine shoulder--physiological findings

The left and right shoulder region of 19 healthy cattle and the left and right shoulders of six bovine cadavers were examined ultrasonographically using a 7.5 MHz linear and a 3.5 MHz convex transducer. The lateral shoulder muscles were successfully imaged in all cases; the joint space appeared as a funnel shaped interruption of the hyperechoic bone surfaces of the distal part of the scapula and the proximal and lateral part of the humeral head. In healthy cattle, the synovial cavities of the scapulohumeral joint, the bicipital bursa and the infraspinous bursa could not be clearly defined. After experimental filling with water, the synovial cavities could be differentiated as discrete anechoic zones. In this study, the normal ultrasonographic appearance of the soft tissue structures and bone surfaces of the scapula and proximal humerus is presented, providing basic reference data for the ultrasonographic evaluation of the bovine shoulder region.     

Effects of butorphanol on the withdrawal reflex using threshold, suprathreshold and repeated subthreshold electrical stimuli in conscious horses

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of a single intravenous dose of butorphanol (0.1 mg kg(-1)) on the nociceptive withdrawal reflex (NWR) using threshold, suprathreshold and repeated subthreshold electrical stimuli in conscious horses. STUDY DESIGN: 'Unblinded', prospective experimental study. ANIMALS: Ten adult horses, five geldings and five mares, mean body mass 517 kg (range 487-569 kg). METHODS: The NWR was elicited using single transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the palmar digital nerve. Repeated stimulations were applied to evoke temporal summation. Surface electromyography was performed to record and quantify the responses of the common digital extensor muscle to stimulation and behavioural reactions were scored. Before butorphanol administration and at fixed time points up to 2 hours after injection, baseline threshold intensities for NWR and temporal summation were defined and single suprathreshold stimulations applied. Friedman repeated-measures analysis of variance on ranks and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used with the Student-Newman-Keul's method applied post-hoc. The level of significance (alpha) was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Butorphanol did not modify either the thresholds for NWR and temporal summation or the reaction scores, but the difference between suprathreshold and threshold reflex amplitudes was reduced when single stimulation was applied. Upon repeated stimulation after butorphanol administration, a significant decrease in the relative amplitude was calculated for both the 30-80 and the 80-200 millisecond intervals after each stimulus, and for the whole post-stimulation interval in the right thoracic limb. In the left thoracic limb a decrease in the relative amplitude was found only in the 30-80 millisecond epoch. CONCLUSION: Butorphanol at 0.1 mg kg(-1) has no direct action on spinal Adelta nociceptive activity but may have some supraspinal effects that reduce the gain of the nociceptive system. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Butorphanol has minimal effect on sharp immediate Adelta-mediated pain but may alter spinal processing and decrease the delayed sensations of pain.