Advances in diagnosis of protozoan diseases

Microscopy still remains the gold standard procedure for the diagnosis of many protozoan infections in animals, but the specific identification requires skilled and experienced personnel. Immunoassays, detecting antibodies or specific protozoan antigens, have been developed but often lack sensitivity and specificity due to close relationship between many protozoa. Recent research has focussed almost exclusively on molecular based techniques for the identification and quantification of parasite DNA in samples. Opinion differ on most appropriate targets to use and there are very few diagnostic kits available making comparison between laboratories difficult. Future research needs to focus on robust, cheap field diagnostic assays.     

An abdominal teratoma in a yearling Irish Cob with a strangulating obstruction of the small intestine

A yearling Irish Cob stallion was presented to De Morette Equine clinic for severe acute abdominal pain, nonresponsive to analgesics and sedatives. Rectal palpation and a limited transabdominal ultrasonographic examination led to the presumptive diagnosis of a strangulated obstruction of the small intestine. The painful behaviour of the pony did not allow conservative treatment and surgical exploration was denied by the owners for financial considerations. On necropsy, a large cystic mature teratoma was adhered to the ventral body wall, the mesenteric root, omentum and intestines. Teratomas are rare in man and animals, and an extragonadal intraperitoneal location has not previously been reported in the equine species.     

α‐6 Integrin Expression in Bovine Spermatogonial Cells Purified by Discontinuous Percoll Density Gradient

The study of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) provides a model to better understand adult stem cell biology. Besides the biomedical potential to perform studies of infertility in many species, SSCs hold a promising application at animal transgenesis. Because stem cells are thought to be associated with basement membranes, expression of α‐6 integrin has been investigated as a marker of type A spermatogonial cells, which are considered SSCs because of their undifferentiated status and self‐renewal ability. In this manner, the aim of this study was to isolate type A SSCs from adult bulls by a two‐step enzymatic procedure followed by a discontinuous Percoll density gradient purification and verify the expression of α‐6 integrin by flow cytometry and real‐time RT‐PCR before and after Percoll purification. Spermatogonial cells were successfully obtained using the two‐step enzymatic digestion. An average of 1 × 10⁵ viable cells per gram of testis was isolated. However, the discontinuous Percoll did not purify isolated cells regarding α‐6 integrin expression. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated no differences in the α‐6 integrin expression between cell samples before and after Percoll purification (p = 0.5636). The same was observed in the real‐time PCR analysis (p > 0.05). In addition to α‐6 integrin, the expression of GFRa‐1 and PGP9.5, known bovine SSCs markers, was detected in all samples studied. Considering that Percoll can reduce cell viability, it is possible to conclude that Percoll density gradient is not suitable to purify bovine SSC, according to α‐6 integrin expression.     

Radiographic findings of the medial humeral epicondyle in 200 canine elbow joints

Objectives: To determine the frequency and radiographic aspect of medial humeral epicondylar lesions as a primary or concomitant finding and to evaluate the association with osteoarthritis. Methods: Medical records of dogs diagnosed with elbow lameness were reviewed. Inclusion criteria for this study were a complete clinical examination, a complete set of digital radiographs and a final diagnosis made by computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopy. Changes of the medial humeral epicondyle were recorded and correlated with the radiographic osteoarthritis and final diagnosis. Results: Eighty of the 200 elbows showed changes of the medial humeral epicondyle. In 12 of these 80 elbows, changes of the medial epicondyle were the only findings within the joint, and these elbows were diagnosed with primary flexor enthesopathy. In the remaining 68 elbows, other concomitant elbow pathologies were found. In those cases of concomitant epicondylar changes, high grades of osteoarthritis were recorded, while most elbows with primary flexor enthesopathy showed a low grade of osteoarthritis. Clinical significance: Changes of the medial humeral epicondyle are often considered clinically unimportant and are regarded as an expression of osteoarthritis. This study showed the relatively frequent presence of epicondylar changes of which the majority were considered concomitant to a primary elbow problem. If changes of the medial humeral epicondyle are the only pathologic finding (primary flexor enthesopathy) they should be considered as the cause of lameness and not as a sign of osteoarthritis.     

Diseases Associated with Thrombosis

Coagulation abnormalities are commonly encountered in critical illness. Traditionally, clinically relevant coagulation disorders have consisted mostly of bleeding associated with advanced stages of disseminated intravascular coagulation or toxin ingestion. However, advances in critical care have highlighted hypercoagulability as a clinically relevant state that must be recognized and treated to optimize the chances of a positive outcome. Retrospective studies of dogs with confirmed thrombosis in varying locations have identified populations most likely to experience hypercoagulable states. Diseases most frequently complicated by thrombosis include immune-mediated disease, neoplasia, systemic inflammation and sepsis, cardiac disease, protein-losing states, and infectious diseases. In this report, the existing retrospective studies will be discussed along with a review of specific disease processes that predispose to a hypercoagulable state. Studies targeting those populations most at risk for thrombotic complications are necessary for better understanding the need for prophylactic anticoagulant therapy.     

Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococci on a farm: staff can harbour MRS when animals do not

The aim of this work was to establish the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococci (MRS) in the animals and staff of a teaching and research farm. Samples of dairy cattle (36), beef cattle (26), sheep (19), horses (21), pigs (23), goats (23) and humans (13) were collected and screened for the presence of MRS. The detection of mecA gene was performed by PCR to determine the resistance of the samples to methicillin. Antimicrobial-resistance testing to penicillin, meropenem, ceftriaxone, cephalothin, oxacillin, levofloxacin, enrofloxacin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, clindamycin, erytromycin, linezolid, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, tetracycline, doxycycline and vancomycin was performed on the mecA+ isolates. From the 161 samples, four methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci (MRCoNS) were isolated from human beings (31%), whereas none was isolated from animals (0%). No methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were isolated. All of the MRCoNS isolates from this work presented different antimicrobial resistance patterns. MRCoNS may be present in humans associated with animals while not present in the animals. Selective pressure outside of the farm and a lack of MRCoNS transmission between humans and animals may be responsible for this lack of correlation.