The REFLECT Statement: Methods and Processes of Creating Reporting Guidelines for Randomized Controlled Trials for Livestock and Food Safety

The conduct of randomized controlled trials in livestock with production, health, and food-safety outcomes presents unique challenges that might not be adequately reported in trial reports. The objective of this project was to modify the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) statement to reflect the unique aspects of reporting these livestock trials. A 2-day consensus meeting was held on November 18–19, 2008 in Chicago, IL, to achieve the objective. Before the meeting, a Web-based survey was conducted to identify issues for discussion. The 24 attendees were biostatisticians, epidemiologists, food-safety researchers, livestock production specialists, journal editors, assistant editors, and associate editors. Before the meeting, the attendees completed a Web-based survey indicating which CONSORT statement items would need to be modified to address unique issues for livestock trials. The consensus meeting resulted in the production of the REFLECT (Reporting Guidelines for Randomized Control Trials) statement for livestock and food safety and 22-item checklist. Fourteen items were modified from the CONSORT checklist, and an additional subitem was proposed to address challenge trials. The REFLECT statement proposes new terminology, more consistent with common usage in livestock production, to describe study subjects. Evidence was not always available to support modification to or inclusion of an item. The use of the REFLECT statement, which addresses issues unique to livestock trials, should improve the quality of reporting and design for trials reporting production, health, and food-safety outcomes.     

Hookworm dermatitis due to Uncinaria stenocephala in a dog from Saskatchewan

Uncinaria stenocephala hookworm dermatitis (uncinariosis) was diagnosed on fecal examination and macerated skin biopsy in a 1.5-year-old greyhound dog from Saskatchewan. This is the first reported case in Canada. Treatment with moxidectin cleared gastrointestinal and dermal infections.     

Presence of fluoroquinolone-resistant coliforms in poultry litter

Litter was collected from four turkey farms (eight houses) with a history of fluoroquinolone (FQ) treatment failure, 10 adult broiler breeder chicken farms (43 houses) with one having a history of FQ treatment, and 30 broiler chicken farms (110 houses) with 24 having a history of FQ treatment. In the turkey litter, the percentage of nalidixic acid-resistant (at 100 microg/ml) coliforms/total number of coliforms ranged from 0.6% to 61.9%. Two of the four farms had houses containing coliforms resistant to the two FQs, enrofloxacin (1 microg/ml) and sarafloxacin (1 microg/ml). There was also multiple resistance to other antimicrobials on all four turkey farms (ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, kanamycin). The level of total coliforms from the adult broiler breeder litter was low, and there were no nalidixic acid-resistant isolates from any of the 10 farms. In the broiler chickens, 7 of 91 houses with a history of FQ usage contained coliforms resistant to nalidixic acid; however, 2 of the 19 houses on farms with no history of FQ usage had nalidixic acid-resistant coliforms. All of the broiler farms with nalidixic acid-resistant isolates were also resistant to the FQ sarafloxacin, whereas only 3 of the 24 treatment history farms and 1 of the no-treatment history farms exhibited enrofloxacin-resistant coliforms in the litter.     

Peripheral neuropathy in a turkey vulture with lead toxicosis

Clinical, electromyographic, and pathologic findings characteristic of lead toxicosis were detected in a turkey vulture (Cathartes aura). The bird had generalized lower motor neuron dysfunction that progressed over 5 days. Electromyography revealed diffuse denervation potentials and a presumed decrement in the sciatic-tibial nerve conduction velocity. Histologic examination of peripheral nerves obtained at necropsy revealed changes that could be compatible with lead-induced neuropathy. Lead toxicosis was confirmed by determination of blood lead concentrations. Lead toxicosis causing neurologic disorders in birds has been described. However, this report emphasizes the effects of lead on the peripheral nervous system and demonstrates the use of electromyography for diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy in birds.     

Osteosarcoma at the site of bone infarction associated with total hip arthroplasty in a dog

OBJECTIVE: To report the occurrence of medullary bone infarction in both femoral canals after bilateral total hip arthroplasty (THA) and the subsequent unilateral development of an osteosarcoma at the site of bone infarction. STUDY DESIGN: Clinical report. ANIMAL POPULATION: An 8-month-old neutered male Samoyed dog. METHODS: Serial physical and radiographic examinations performed at 1, 2, 3, and 5 years after THA. Bone biopsy specimens of the right distal femoral metaphysis were taken 5 years after THA, and a complete necropsy was performed at the time of euthanasia. RESULTS: Bilateral medullary bone infarction was visible in the femoral canals 1 year after THA and remained visible on subsequent evaluations. An osteosarcoma developed in the right distal femoral metaphysis at the site of infarction, 5 years after THA, and was found to have metastasized widely throughout the body. CONCLUSION: Bone infarction may occur in the femoral canal after canine THA. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Bone infarction may be a predisposing factor for the development of osteosarcoma in the femora of dogs with THAs.