Isolation of Feline Herpesvirus 1 from the Trigeminal Ganglia of Acutely and Chronically Infected Cats

Feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) is one of the most common viral infections of domestic cats worldwide, estimated to cause 50% of all respiratory infections in this species. Feline herpesvirus 1 is also an important ocular pathogen of cats, causing conjunctivitis, epithelial and stromal keratitis, symblepharon formation, keratocon-junctivitis sicca, and corneal sequestration. Despite the importance of this viral disease, major questions remain unanswered concerning the pathogenesis of its most important manifestation, the recrudescent infection. Although the taxonomic classification of FHV-1 as an alpha herpesvirus implies the ability of FHV-1 to establish neural latency, attempts at recovering the virus from the trigeminal ganglia of latently infected cats have typically yielded negative results. This failure has stimulated speculation that neural tissue is not an important site for latent FHV-1. However, in the most successful of such studies, FHV-1 was isolated from the trigeminal ganglia of 3 of 17 cats using an explant technique. In the present study, we describe the successful isolation of FHV-1 from the trigeminal ganglia of cats using a similar tissue culture method.     

Comparison of the properties of hyaluronate products used in treatment of joint dysfunction in horses

A standardized investigation was conducted to compare the biophysical properties of hyaluronate products used in the treatment of joint dysfunction in horses. Results showed that two of the five products, Hyvisc® and Hylartin®V, contained higher-weight molecular hyaluronate (greater than 1.5×10⁶). Other investigations have shown that higher molecular weight hyaluronate is effective in providing physical resistance to shear, in stimulating endogenous hyaluronate synthesis, and in inhibiting excess cell proliferation which may be associated with synovial pannus formation. It is suggested that the therapeutic benefits of hyaluronate products may be dependent on the molecular size of the hyaluronate molecules. Higher molecular weight hyaluronate products would be expected to be more effective than lower molecular hyaluronate products in providing therapeutic benefits.     

Mitral Stenosis in 15 Dogs

Mitral stenosis was diagnosed in 15 young to middle-aged dogs. There were 5 Newfoundlands and 4 bull terriers affected, suggesting a breed predisposition for this disorder. Clinical signs included cough, dyspnea, exercise intolerance, and syncope. Soft left apical diastolic murmurs were heard only in 4 dogs, whereas 8 dogs had systolic murmurs characteristic of mitral regurgitation. Left atrial enlargement was the most prominent radiographic feature. Left-sided congestive heart failure was detected by radiographs in 11 dogs within 1 year of diagnosis. Electrocardiographic abnormalities varied among dogs and included atrial and ventricular enlargement, as well as atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. Abnormalities on M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiograms included abnormal diastolic motion of the mitral valve characterized by decreased leaflet separation, valve doming, concordant motion of the parietal mitral valve leaflet, and a decreased E-to-F slope. Increased mitral valve inflow velocities and prolonged pressure half-times were detected by Doppler echocardiography. Cardiac catheterization, performed in 8 dogs, documented a diastolic pressure gradient between the left atrial, pulmonary capillary wedge, or pulmonary artery diastolic pressures and the left ventricular diastolic pressure. Necropsy showed mitral stenosis caused by thickened, fused mitral valve leaflets in 5 dogs and a supramitral ring in another dog. The outcome in affected dogs was poor; 9 of 15 dogs were euthanatized or died by 2 1/2 years of age.     

Growth and feed utilization by yearling horses fed added dietary fat

Twenty-four yearlings were used to evaluate the efficacy of feeding feed-grade fat to growing horses. All horses were started on trial at 13-months-of-age and were fed for 112 days. The experimental diets, containing similar nutrient-to-calorie ratios, were: 1) control (no added fat; 2) 5% added fat and; 3) 10% added fat. There was a trend for yearlings fed the 10% added fat diet to grow faster and eat less feed than those on the control diet. Data from this study indicate that feed-grade fat can be safely fed to growing horses. Feeding fat to yearlings stimulated growth and efficiency of feed utilization initially, but these effects were not maintained as the yearlings grew toward maturity.     

Gas Exchange during Xylazine–ketamine Anesthesia in Neonatal Calves

Ten neonatal calves were anesthetized with xylazine and ketamine intramuscularly and breathed air spontaneously. Drug injection was repeated after 45 minutes. Each injection resulted in a rapid and sustained increase in respiratory rate, but arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) increased, indicating hypoventilation. Arterial hypoxemia, primarily caused by hypoventilation, developed within 15 minutes of each injection, but gradually disappeared. Acidemia was primarily respiratory in origin. Heart rate and arterial blood pressure decreased for the duration of anesthesia (90 minutes). This form of anesthesia is a satisfactory alternative to inhalation anesthesia of neonatal calves.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa otitis media and interna in a chinchilla ranch

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been associated with conjunctivitis, enteritis, pneumonia, septicemia, sudden death, and abortion in chinchillas. This case report describes an unusual clinical presentation and diagnosis of P. aeruginosa otitis media and interna with neurologic manifestations. To our knowledge, this clinical presentation has not been reported previously in chinchillas.     

An assessment of inter-rater agreement of the literature filtering process in the development of evidence-based dietary guidelines

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the literature filtering process, a vital initial component of a systematic literature review, could be successfully completed by nutrition professionals or non-professionals. DESIGN: Using a diet-disease relationship as the guideline topic, inter-rater agreement for the title and abstract filtering processes between and among professionals and non-professionals was assessed and compared with an expert reference standard. Predetermined eligibility criteria were applied by all raters to 185 titles and 90 abstracts. Filtering decisions were initially made independently and then revised after a within-pair consensus meeting. SUBJECTS: The raters were six dietitians (RD) and six nutrition graduate students (Grad). To assess inter-rater agreement (reliability), each group was divided into three pairs. RESULTS: Weighted and unweighted kappa statistics and percentage agreement were calculated to determine the inter-rater agreement within pairs. Sensitivity and specificity estimates were determined by comparing responses with those of an expert reference standard. Overall, Grad pairs demonstrated greater inter-rater agreement than RD pairs for title filtering (P<0.05); no differences were observed for abstract filtering. Compared with the expert reference standard, every rater and pair had false-negative responses for both title and abstract filtering. CONCLUSIONS: After consensus meetings, both RDs and Grads were comparable in their agreement on title and abstract filtering, although important differences remained compared with the expert reference standard. This study provides preliminary findings on the value of utilising a non-expert pair in developing guidelines, and suggests that the literature filtering process is complex and quite subjective.     

Hypertrophic osteopathy associated with pulmonary Eikenella corrodens infection in a dog

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 4-year-old English Pointer was examined because of chronic, progressive signs of pulmonary disease and failure to respond to medical treatment. CLINICAL FINDINGS: At examination, radiography of the thorax revealed increased pulmonary opacity and air bronchograms in the right caudal lung lobe, and radiography of the forelimbs revealed periosteal bone production typical of hypertrophic osteopathy. Attempts to isolate a causative organism included bacterial culture of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and a lung tissue specimen obtained via fine-needle aspiration. Despite a cytologic diagnosis of septic suppurative inflammation in the lavage fluid, those specimens did not yield bacterial growth. However, a biopsy specimen obtained during a lung lobectomy procedure yielded growth of Eikenella corrodens. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Despite successful surgical removal of the consolidated lung lobe and initiation of antimicrobial treatment, the dog died 6 days after surgery. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The authors are not aware of reports of pulmonary infection with E. corrodens in animals. Infection with the organism is rare, but it is possible that infections are underreported given that the organism is difficult to culture and biopsy may be necessary to obtain enough tissue to yield a diagnosis.     

Minimally invasive synovium harvest for potential use in meniscal tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is being investigated as a means for treating avascular meniscal injury or total meniscal loss in human and veterinary patients. The purpose of this study was to determine if an arthroscopic tissue shaver can be used to collect viable synoviocytes for in vitro culture during therapeutic stifle arthroscopy, with the long term goal of producing autologous meniscal fibrocartilage for meniscal tissue engineering. Synovium was harvested arthroscopically from 13 dogs with naturally occurring cranial cruciate ligament deficiency and obtained from 5 dogs with patellar luxation via arthrotomy. Cells harvested via arthroscopy and arthrotomy were treated with a chondrogenic growth factor protocol and analyzed for meniscal-like matrix constituents including collagens type I, II, and glycosaminoglycans. Arthrotomy and Arthroscopic origin cells formed contracted tissues containing collagen I, II and small amounts of GAG. These surgical methods provide clinically relevant access to synoviocytes for potential use in meniscal tissue engineering.