Molecular survey of parvovirus,astrovirus, coronavirus,and calicivirus in symptomatic dogs

Veterinary Research Communications - Gastrointestinal disorders caused by enteric viruses are frequently reported in dogs worldwide, with significant mortality rates in unvaccinated individuals....     

Effects of intertrochanteric varus osteotomy on Norberg angle and percent coverage of the femoral head in displastic dogs

This study was conducted to assess the effects of femoral varus osteotomy on joint congruency in dogs affected by early stage hip dysplasia. Preoperative planning to move the femoral head within the acetabulum was carried out. Varisation of the femoral inclination angle (fIA) was achieved by Intertrochanteric Osteotomy (ITO). Norberg angle (NA), percent coverage (PC) of the femoral head by the acetabulum and fIA was measured from preoperative, immediate postoperative and first and second recheck radiographs of seven dogs that underwent an ITO (joint n = 9). There was significant (p < 0.05) improvement of both NA and PC in all patients as indicated by a change in the mean ± standard deviation of 78.9° ± 7.5 and 36.9% ± 5.2 to 92.2° ± 6.7 and 50.6% ± 8.3, respectively. No significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed between the values of the planned femoral inclination angle (pfIA) of the femur and the effective femoral inclination angle (efIA) obtained after surgery (115.9° ± 2.5 and 111.3° ± 6.4, respectively). These findings could encourage the use of ITO in veterinary practice and indicate that intertrochanteric varus osteotomy should be re-considered for the treatment of early stage hip dysplasia in dogs with radiological signs of joint incongruency.     

Prevalence of foot disorders in captive Sardinian partridges (Alectoris barbara barbara Bonnaterre, 1790) as useful indicators of fitness to natural environment

Foot health represents an issue in wild avifauna breeding practices. In particular, prevalence of digital ulceration (DU ) and foot pad dermatitis (FPD ) are valid indicators of welfare in wildlife conservation centres and may be interpreted as to fitness for bird's reintroduction into the wild. This study meant to test the effects of raising practices on foot pad health in captive Sardinian partridges (Alectoris barbara barbara Bonnaterre, 1790) reared for biodiversity conservation, to assess welfare and fitness to reintroduction into nature. A total of 22 couples were allotted into two experimental groups. In one group, 10 couples were housed in 10 cages for breeding partridges, consisting of two animals each, with metal wire flooring system, above trays where droppings were collected. The remaining 12 couples were housed in six aviaries, consisting of four animals each, on natural (earth and stones) ground. In both groups, partridges were fed identical diets. No significant differences of food pad scoring were found between birds housed in cages (2.3 ± 0.4) and those reared in aviaries on natural ground (2.5 ± 0.6). Moreover, scores of male foot pads for both groups (2.4 ± 0.6) had no significant differences in comparison with female foot pads, independently on housing (2.5 ± 0.4). Body mass (BM ) was higher (+4.36%) than average BM reported for wild Sardinian partridges. Digital ulceration was found in the 20% of females, exclusively from the cage group. Body mass of females in cages with metal wire flooring appeared to be significantly (p  < .001) and negatively correlated (r  = ?.528) with DU prevalence. These results suggest that housing conditions impacts differently on behaviour of females and males in one same couple, and this relates to foot health, in particular as to DU prevalence.     

The role of leptospirosis in reproductive disorders in horses

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease of global importance and has a worldwide distribution. This infection displays clear seasonal nature in some regions of the tropics, where the rainy season is marked by high temperatures. Household and wild animals carry leptospires and contribute to their dissemination in nature. Transmission mainly occurs by contact with water contaminated with the urine of infected animals, and consequently, it is quite widespread especially in times of rain, since many areas are subject to flooding and have poor sanitation. Serological tests demonstrate that Leptospira sp. infection in horses occurs worldwide and that the predominant serovar may vary depending on the region or infection sources. Besides systemic and ocular manifestations, leptospirosis in horses has been recognized as an important disease of the reproductive system, since it leads to the birth of weak foals, stillbirths or neonatal mortality, and mainly to abortion, usually after the sixth month of pregnancy. In this context, this review aims to gather and discuss information about the role of leptospirosis in reproductive disorders in horses.     

Effect of diet on the metabolic profile of ostriches (Struthio camelus var. domesticus)

In order to study the metabolic profile of ostriches in relation to diet, 40 animals of both sexes were divided equally into two groups and fed two diets ad libitum consisting, on a dry matter basis, of the same commercial concentrate (60%) for the two groups and of corn silage (group A) or alfalfa hay (group B). In the morning, after about 12 h of fasting, blood was collected from the wing vein. The following haematological parameters were determined with an automatic system (Ektachem 250 analyser, Kodak): glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, lactate (LAC), total protein (TP), uric acid, total bilirubin (Tbil), creatinine (CREA), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), sodium (Na), potassium (K), chloride (Cl⁻), iron (Fe), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (AP), cholinesterase (ChE), α-amylase (Amyl), lipase (LIP) and γ-glutamyltrasferase (GGT). Diet significantly affected some parameters of the metabolic profile. Indeed, owing to the presence of alfalfa hay in the diet, group B showed, in comparison to group A, significantly higher values of uric acid (222.5 vs 387.5 mmol/L, p < 0.01), GGT (8.50 vs 11.3 U/L, p < 0.05), Tbil (8.50 vs 10.7 mmol/L, p < 0.05), Ca (2.41 vs 2.83 μmol/L, p < 0.01), Mg (1.01 vs 1.18 μmol/L, p < 0.05) and K (2.71 vs 3.16 μmol/L, p < 0.01). The levels of creatinine (27.3 vs 32.6 mmol/L, p < 0.05) and AST (344.9 vs 461.4 U/l, p < 0.01) were also higher for group B.     

Clinical and Laboratory Findings in Equine Piroplasmosis

The objective of this study was to evaluate equine piroplasmosis (EP) as a cause of morbidity in horses in Sardinia (Italy), describe the clinical signs and altered hematologic and biochemical parameters, and illustrate response to different treatments. Among 44 horses suspected of tick-borne disease, 38 were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive for Theileria equi (n = 27) or Babesia caballi (n = 6), whereas five were positive for both protozoans. Typical clinical features of piroplasmosis were seen in some of the horses, whereas others had nonspecific mild symptoms. Hematologic findings revealed involvement of the three blood cell lineages (anemia, leukopenia or leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia), and biochemical variations were related to increased bilirubin, alteration of serum phosphorus, and hypoalbuminemia. We suggest that the two protozoans are the most important causative agents of equine tick-borne disease in this geographic area, and we observe that different clinical features are associated with the disease; in addition to the typical aspects of piroplasmosis, characterized by fever, pale mucous membranes, and icterus, we can signal other nonspecific mild signs such as weight loss, weight loss associated with an insignificant leukopenia, or weight loss associated with depression, anorexia, and mild hyperbilirubin. The study is intended as a practical contribution for veterinary practitioners because it describes different clinical presentations and laboratory findings of EP, suggests diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the disease, and shows diffusion of the disease in a Mediterranean region.     

Morphometric traits of gizzard in relation to feeding habits of wild Sardinian partridges (Alectoris barbara barbara,Bonnaterre, 1790) with particular regard to clast selection

Housing and feeding practices of wild birds for conservation management of biodiversity or restocking play a crucial role in determining the survival rates of animals when released into nature. Failure in coping with the environment might be one of the main flaws captive animals can experience when put into natural habitat. The present investigation aimed at exploring feeding habits and related morphometric traits of gizzard with respective content from wild partridges in comparison with captive ones. A total of 52 hunted wild Sardinian adult partridges (Alectoris barbara barbara Bonnaterre, 1790) were used. By comparison, 42 captive adult partridges reared in cages were enrolled. From each animal, the morphology of gizzard was investigated and respective content analysed for gross composition and taxonomical determination of fractions. Wet sieving analysis of each gizzard content was carried out (four‐sieve towers with different mesh sizes: 1 mm, 500 μm, 250 μm and 125 μm), and relative and absolute weight of fresh filled and empty gizzards were recorded. Thickness of muscular layer of gizzard wall was measured by stereomicroscope. Carcass weight significantly (p < 0.05) differed between captive vs. wild partridges (478 ± 21 and 305 ± 35 g respectively). Post‐mortem inspection highlighted gross morphological differences of gizzards between the two groups. Fresh weight of empty gizzards was 6.37 ± 0.80 vs. 11.25 ± 1.82 g, with average pH values of digesta 4.97 ± 0.11 vs. 4.38 ± 0.28 in captive vs. wild partridges respectively. Gizzard content from wild partridges accounted a 61.7% vs. 38.3% of biological vs. non‐biological material proportions (DM basis). The non‐biological material was mostly represented by lithic fragments and minerals (quartz, feldspar, calcite and mica) with specific peculiarities in terms of granulometry and morphometry. Feeding the captive partridges should point to support morphological and functional adaptation of gizzards to the feeding stuffs naturally available in the environment.     

Influence of Seroreactivity to Leptospira and Reproductive Failures in Recipient Mares of Equine Embryo Transfer Programmes

The aim of this study was to demonstrate that seroreactivity against Leptospira is significantly associated to the reproductive efficiency of recipient mares of an embryo transfer (ET) programme. A serosurvey was conducted from August 2007 to March 2009 in five herds from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with high rates of reproductive failure, as early embryonic death (>12%), abortion (>12%) and perinatal death. Detailed information about the losses was obtained from practitioner. A total of 338 recipient mares were tested by microscopic agglutination test, and 226 (66.9%) were seroreactive, mainly against serovars Bratislava and Copenhageni. Seroreactivity could be associated to reproductive failure (p < 0.001), and it was demonstrated that a seroreactive mare is 1.8 times more likely (relative risk – RR) to present reproductive failure than a seronegative one, particularly in relation to early embryonic death (p < 0.0001; RR 8.4) but also to abortions (p < 0.0001; RR 3.5), and to perinatal death (p < 0.05; RR 7.3). Therefore, seroreactivity to Leptospira is associated to reproductive failure in all phases of pregnancy in recipient mares, impairing equine ET programmes.