Sedative and analgesic effects of buprenorphine,combined with either acepromazine or dexmedetomidine,for premedication prior to elective surgery in cats and dogs

ObjectiveTo evaluate the sedative and analgesic effects of intramuscular buprenorphine with either dexmedetomidine or acepromazine, administered as premedication to cats and dogs undergoing elective surgery.Study designProspective, randomized, blinded clinical study.AnimalsForty dogs and 48 cats.MethodsAnimals were assigned to one of four groups, according to anaesthetic premedication and induction agent: buprenorphine 20 μg kg^?1 with either dexmedetomidine (dex) 250 μg m^?2 or acepromazine (acp) 0.03 mg kg^?1, followed by alfaxalone (ALF) or propofol (PRO). Meloxicam was administered preoperatively to all animals and anaesthesia was always maintained using isoflurane. Physiological measures and assessments of pain, sedation and mechanical nociceptive threshold (MNT) were made before and after premedication, intraoperatively, and for up to 24 hours after premedication. Data were analyzed with one-way, two-way and mixed between-within subjects anova, Kruskall–Wallis analyses and Chi squared tests. Results were deemed significant if p ≤ 0.05, except where multiple comparisons were performed (p ≤ 0.005).ResultsCats premedicated with dex were more sedated than cats premedicated with acp (p < 0.001) and ALF doses were lower in dex cats (1.2 ± 1.0 mg kg^?1) than acp cats (2.5 ± 1.9 mg kg^?1) (p = 0.041). There were no differences in sedation in dogs however PRO doses were lower in dex dogs (1.5 ± 0.8 mg kg^?1) compared to acp dogs (3.3 ± 1.1 mg kg^?1) (p < 0.001). There were no differences between groups with respect to pain scores or MNT for cats or dogs.ConclusionChoice of dex or acp, when given with buprenorphine, caused minor, clinically detectable, differences in various characteristics of anaesthesia, but not in the level of analgesia.Clinical relevanceA combination of buprenorphine with either acp or dex, followed by either PRO or ALF, and then isoflurane, accompanied by an NSAID, was suitable for anaesthesia in dogs and cats undergoing elective surgery. Choice of sedative agent may influence dose of anaesthetic induction agent.     

Medetomidine-ketamine-isoflurane anaesthesia in pygmy hippopotami (Choeropsis liberiensis)--a case series

History Medical knowledge of pygmy hippopotami is limited. Anaesthesia has been considered a challenge because of the anatomy, semi‐aquatic life style and aggressive behaviour. Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) has been described and can contribute to active kidney disease potentially affecting anaesthesia. Physical examination and Management Fourteen pygmy hippopotami were anaesthetized for general health assessment and reproductive procedures. Animals (estimated bodyweight 250 kg) were darted intramuscularly with 0.08 mg kg^?1 medetomidine and 1.2 mg kg^?1 ketamine. After endotracheal intubation, anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane delivered either by circle system (100% oxygen) or by Triservice apparatus (air or air/oxygen admixture). Heart rate (HR) respiratory rate (f_R), oxygen saturation (SpO₂) and end tidal CO₂ were recorded at 5‐minute intervals. Atipamezole was administered intramuscularly (0.4 mg kg^?1) at the end of the procedure. Statistical analysis was performed using anova (p < 0.05). Most animals rapidly became recumbent although five hippopotami needed additional drugs to assure acceptable immobilization. There were no statistical differences in mean HR between animals with or without PKD (PKD: 34 ± 8 beats minutes^?1; no PKD: 33 ± 6 beats minutes^?1), f_R (PKD: 15 ± 7 breaths minutes^?1; no PKD; 12 ± 5 breaths minutes^?1) and end tidal CO₂ (PKD: 7.1 ± 1.3 kPa; no PKD: 7.8 ± 1.4 kPa). SpO₂ was higher in animals receiving 100% oxygen or air with oxygen (92 ± 8% and 91 ± 9% respectively) compared with animals receiving air only (77 ± 5%) (p = 0.003). Recovery was uneventful after atipamezole administration. Follow‐up There were no apparent adverse effects after anaesthesia during a 24‐hour follow‐up period. Discussion and conclusions Medetomidine‐ketamine‐isoflurane induced satisfactory anaesthesia in this species. Incremental induction doses were related to remote injection and the animals’ thick skin. There were no differences in anaesthetic parameters in animals with or without PKD. Supplemental oxygen should be mandatory during anaesthesia in this species.     

Effects of buprenorphine, carprofen and saline on thermal and mechanical nociceptive thresholds in cats

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a prototype pressure stimulus device for use in the cat and to compare with a known thermal threshold device. ANIMALS: Eight healthy adult cats weighing between 3.0 and 4.9 kg. METHODS: Pressure stimulation was given via a plastic bracelet taped around the forearm. Three 2.4 mm diameter ball bearings, in a 10-mm triangle, were advanced against the craniolateral surface of the antebrachium by manual inflation of a modified blood pressure bladder. Pressure in the cuff was recorded at the end point (leg shake and head turn). Thermal threshold was also tested. Stimuli were stopped if they reached 55 degrees C or 450 mmHg without response. After four pressure and thermal threshold baselines, each cat received SC buprenorphine 0.01 mg kg(-1), carprofen 4 mg kg(-1) or saline 0.3 mL in a three period cross-over study with a 1-week interval. The investigator was blinded to the treatment. Measurements were made at 0.25. 0.5, 0.75, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours after injection. Data were analyzed by using ANOVA. RESULTS: There were no significant changes in thermal or pressure threshold after administration of saline or carprofen, but thermal threshold increased from 60 minutes until 8 hours after administration of buprenorphine (p < 0.05). The maximum increase in threshold from baseline (DeltaT(max)) was 3.5 +/- 3.1 degrees C at 2 hours. Pressure threshold increased 2 hours after administration of buprenorphine (p < 0.05) when the increase in threshold above baseline (DeltaP(max)) was 162 +/- 189 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This pressure device resulted in thresholds that were affected by analgesic treatment in a similar manner but to a lesser degree than the thermal method. Pressure stimulation may be a useful additional method for analgesic studies in cats.     

African horse sickness virus structure

African horse sickness virus (AHSV), of which there are nine serotypes (AHSV-1, -2, etc.), is a member of Orbivirus genus within the Reoviridae family. Both in morphology and molecular constituents AHSV particles are comparable to those of bluetongue virus (BTV), the prototype virus of the genus. The two viruses have seven structural proteins (VP1–7) organized in two layered capsid. The outer capsid is composed of VP2 and VP5. The inner capsid, or core, is composed of two major proteins, VP3 and VP7, and three minor proteins, VP1, VP4 and VP6. Within the core is the virus genome. This genome consists of 10 double-stranded (ds)RNA segments of different sizes, three large, designated L1–L3, three medium, M4–M6, and four small, S7–S10. In addition to the seven stuctural proteins that are coded by seven of the RNA species, four non-structural proteins, NS1, NS2, NS3 and NS3A, are coded by three RNA segments, M5, S8 and S10. The two smallest proteins (NS3 and NS3A) are synthesized by the S10 RNA segment, probably from different in-frame translation initiation codons. Nucleotide sequences of eight RNA segments (L2, L3, M4, M5, M6, S7, S8 and S10) and the predicted amino acid sequences of the encoded gene products are also available, mainly representing one serotype, AHSV-4. In this review the properties of the AHSV genes and gene products are discussed. The sequence and hybridization analyses of the different AHSV dsRNA segments indicate that the segments that code for the core proteins, as well as those that code for NS1 and NS2 proteins, are highly conserved between the different virus serotypes. However, the RNA encoding NS3 and NS3A, and the two segments encoding the outer capsid proteins, are more variable between the AHSV serotypes. A close phylogenetic relationship between AHSV, BTV and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV), three Culicoides-transmitted orbiviruses, has been revealed when the equivalent sequences of genes and gene products are compared. Recently, the four major AHSV capsid proteins have been expressed using recombinant baculoviruses. Biochemically and antigenically these proteins are similar to the authentic proteins. Since the AHSV VP7 protein is highly conserved among the different serotypes, it has been utilized as a diagnostic reagent. The expressed VP7 protein has also been purified to homogeneity and crystallized for three-dimensional X-ray analysis. The expressed outer capsid proteins, VP2 and VP5, have been purified and used to raise antisera in rabbits. The VP2 antisera neutralize virus infections in vitro indicating the importance of this protein for vaccine development.     

Beaver dams shift desert fish assemblages toward dominance by non‐native species (Verde River,Arizona, USA)

The reintroduction of beaver (Castor canadensis) into arid and semi‐arid rivers is receiving increasing management and conservation attention in recent years, yet very little is known about native versus non‐native fish occupancy in beaver pond habitats. Streams of the American Southwest support a highly endemic, highly endangered native fish fauna and abundant non‐native fishes, and here we investigated the hypothesis that beaver ponds in this region may lead to fish assemblages dominated by non‐native species that favour slower‐water habitat. We sampled fish assemblages within beaver ponds and within unimpounded lotic stream reaches in the mainstem and in tributaries of the free‐flowing upper Verde River, Arizona, USA. Non‐native fishes consistently outnumbered native species, and this dominance was greater in pond than in lotic assemblages. Few native species were recorded within ponds. Multivariate analysis indicated that fish assemblages in beaver ponds were distinct from those in lotic reaches, in both mainstem and tributary locations. Individual species driving this distinction included abundant non‐native green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in pond sites, and native desert sucker (Catostomus clarkii) in lotic sites. Overall, this study provides the first evidence that, relative to unimpounded lotic habitat, beaver ponds in arid and semi‐arid rivers support abundant non‐native fishes; these ponds could thus serve as important non‐native source areas and negatively impact co‐occurring native fish populations.     

A new fish haemogregarine from South Africa and its suspected dual transmission with trypanosomes by a marine leech

Twenty two percent (22/98) of intertidal fishes of 10 species captured in South Africa at Koppie Alleen, De Hoop Nature Reserve (south coast) and Mouille Point, Cape Town (west coast), harboured single or combined infections of haemogregarines, trypanosomes and an intraerythrocytic parasite resembling a Haemohormidium sp. The haemogregarines included the known species Haemogregarina (sensu lato) bigemina (Laveran et Mesnil, 1901) Siddall, 1995 and Haemogregarina (sensu lato) koppiensis Smit et Davies, 2001, while Haemogregarina (sensu lato) curvata sp. n. was observed in Clinus cottoides Valenciennes and Parablennius cornutus (L.) at Koppie Alleen. This last haemogregarine is characterised particularly by its distinctly curved gamonts. Also at Koppie Alleen, squash and histological preparations of 9/10 leeches, Zeylanicobdella arugamensis De Silva, 1963, taken from infected C. cottoides and P. cornutus contained developmental stages of H. curvata and/or trypanosomes, but these were absent from haematophagous gnathiid isopods (Gnathia africana Barnard, 1914) taken from infected fishes. It is suspected that Z. arugamensis transmits the haemogregarine and trypanosomes simultaneously between fishes, a double event unreported previously from the marine environment.     

Haemogregarina bigemina (Protozoa: Apicomplexa: Adeleorina)--past, present and future

This paper reviews past, current and likely future research on the fish haemogregarine, Haemogregarina bigemina Laveran et Mesnil, 1901. Recorded from 96 species of fishes, across 70 genera and 34 families, this broad distribution for H. bigemina is questioned. In its type hosts and other fishes, the parasite undergoes intraerythrocytic binary fission, finally forming mature paired gamonts. An intraleukocytic phase is also reported, but not from the type hosts. This paper asks whether stages from the white cell series are truly H. bigemina. A future aim should be to compare the molecular constitution of so-called H. bigemina from a number of locations to determine whether all represent the same species. The transmission of H. bigemina between fishes is also considered. Past studies show that young fish acquire the haemogregarine when close to metamorphosis, but vertical and faecal-oral transmission seem unlikely. Some fish haemogregarines are leech-transmitted, but where fish populations with H. bigemina have been studied, these annelids are largely absent. However, haematophagous larval gnathiid isopods occur on such fishes and may be readily eaten by them. Sequential squashes of gnathiids from fishes with H. bigemina have demonstrated development of the haemogregarine in these isopods. Examination of histological sections through gnathiids is now underway to determine the precise development sites of the haemogregarine, particularly whether merozoites finally invade the salivary glands. To assist in this procedure and to clarify the internal anatomy of gnathiids, 3D visualisation of stacked, serial histological sections is being undertaken. Biological transmission experiments should follow these processes.