Risk factors for foot-pad dermatitis in chicken and turkey broilers in France

A prospective cohort study was conducted in the Brittany region to identify the risk factors related to foot-pad dermatitis (considered an indicator of animal well-being) in chicken and turkey broilers reared under commercial conditions. Factors related to the shed, equipment, litter management and stocking density were recorded; the dependent variable was the prevalence of lesions observed on the slaughterhouse chain. Lesions were scored from 0 (no lesion) to 3 (severe lesion). Our survey lasted from May 1999 to October 2000. Fifty flocks of chicken broilers (15 farms), 27 flocks of female turkey broilers (21 farms) and 41 flocks of male turkey broilers (27 farms) were surveyed. In chicken broilers, 10% of flocks were of high quality (80% of birds with score 0) and this was related to the use of concrete floors with a thin layer of wood shavings. In turkey broilers, 48% of female and 46% of male flocks were of bad quality (>10% of birds with score 3). A poor fan ventilation system (<150 m³/h/kg) was a significant risk factor. Turkey flocks of high quality were not observed. Stocking density had no influence on the prevalence of foot-pad dermatitis. We concluded that it is possible under high commercial stocking densities to have flocks with a low prevalence of foot-pad dermatitis in chicken broilers, whereas it is not in turkey broilers. Hence in chicken broilers, implementing a monitoring system based on the observation of foot-pad dermatitis prevalence at slaughter appears to be more appropriate than to legislate stocking density. In turkey broilers, it would probably be necessary either to reduce the stocking density drastically or to investigate new systems of floor drainage.     

A Retrospective Study of Hyposensitization in Canine Atopy Based on a Polyclonal ELISA test

Compliance with the treatment protocol and the most significant reasons encountered in general practice for the discontinuation of treatment in hyposensitized dogs are examined. The data are based on (1) a review of order forms for the hyposenzitization mixture and information sheets for an ELISA test and (2) telephone interviews with dog owners. Most of the owners (81%) gave their dogs allergen injections at home. Non-compliance was defined as discontinuation of treatment in the induction period; 33.9% of the owners became non-compliant. A large proportion of non-compliant owners (51.2%) claimed to be unaware of the length of the induction period. Furthermore, 70.2% of the owners were not aware that treatment would most likely need to be lifelong if it was to remain effective. Although 67.5% of the owners perceived that their dogs had beneficial effects from hyposensitization, only 36.3% of the dogs were receiving maintenance injections at the time of the telephone interview, considerably reducing the long-term benefit from treatment. Canine atopy is a chronic disease characterized by remission and relapses. Since no control group was available in this study, the beneficial outcome of treatment reported by the owners could be partly due to the natural course of the disease. Nevertheless, the results indicated that the long-term effect of hyposensitization in canine atopy will be reduced by premature discontinuation of treatment in the maintenance period. The discontinuation of treatment could be a reflection of the treatment becoming less effective, owing to the development of new hypersensitivities or to a reduction in the placebo effect that may occur in `new' treatments. However, poor client education and follow-up seem to be important reasons for both non-compliance and discontinuation of the treatment in the maintenance period.     

An investigation on the influence of feline flea allergy on the fecundity of the cat flea

Survival, egg production and egg viability of fleas allowed to feed on eight flea-allergic and six flea-naive cats were compared. Fifty fleas, in feeding cages or free roaming, were allowed to feed on the cats. Flea-allergic cats removed significantly more free-roaming fleas than did flea-naive cats. Female fleas produced fewer eggs on flea-allergic cats than on flea-naive cats regardless of feeding method. There was no significant difference in egg viability between the two groups. The data suggest that flea-allergic cats efficiently removed fleas by grooming and that they also produce unknown factor(s) that affect the fecundity of fleas.     

Echinochrome A Treatment Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-like Skin Lesions in NC/Nga Mice via IL-4 and IL-13 Suppression

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease in which skin barrier dysfunction leads to dryness, pruritus, and erythematous lesions. AD is triggered by immune imbalance and oxidative stress. Echinochrome A (Ech A), a natural pigment isolated from sea urchins, exerts antioxidant and beneficial effects in various inflammatory disease models. In the present study, we tested whether Ech A treatment alleviated AD-like skin lesions. We examined the anti-inflammatory effect of Ech A on 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD-like lesions in an NC/Nga mouse model. AD-like skin symptoms were induced by treatment with 1% DNCB for 1 week and 0.4% DNCB for 5 weeks in NC/Nga mice. The results showed that Ech A alleviated AD clinical symptoms, such as edema, erythema, and dryness. Treatment with Ech A induced the recovery of epidermis skin lesions as observed histologically. Tewameter^® and Corneometer^® measurements indicated that Ech A treatment reduced transepidermal water loss and improved stratum corneum hydration, respectively. Ech A treatment also inhibited inflammatory-response-induced mast cell infiltration in AD-like skin lesions and suppressed the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interferon-γ, interleukin-4, and interleukin-13. Collectively, these results suggest that Ech A may be beneficial for treating AD owing to its anti-inflammatory effects.     

Canine acute radiation dermatitis, a survey of current management practices in North America

Acute radiation‐induced dermatitis (ARID) is a common sequela of radiation therapy in dogs. There is no consensus regarding ARID management in human medicine and the standard of care in veterinary medicine has not been reported. The objective was to report the practice standards for ARID management in dogs in North America. The design used was a questionnaire survey. Fifty‐eight private and university teaching veterinary hospitals were contacted, 54 participated. The topical and oral medications used to treat ARID, prevent or treat bacterial infection, control pain and the indications for and timing of treatment initiation were the outcome measures. A minority of facilities (4/54, 7.5%) use exactly the same protocol regarding all parameters. There was agreement (>75% of facilities) with respect to the general use of oral antibiotics (77.8%), the need for pain control (92.6%) and the use of tramadol for pain control (76%), although the details of their use varied widely. There is a divergence of opinions regarding all details of ARID management in dogs except the general use of oral antibiotics and pain control medications.     

Induction of feline flea allergy dermatitis and the incidence and histopathological characteristics of concurrent indolent lip ulcers

The objectives of this study were to characterize the role of intermittent vs. continual flea exposure in the development of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) in cats, assess the accuracy of intradermal skin testing (IDST) and in vitro testing, and document the incidence and histopathological features of indolent lip ulcers. Ten flea‐naive cats were divided into two groups. One group received intermittent flea exposure for 120 days. Thereafter, both groups of cats received continuous flea exposure for 120 days. In vitro testing for flea salivary antibody and IDST utilizing both whole flea antigen and flea salivary antigen were performed. Eight of 10 cats developed clinical signs of FAD within 3 months and five of these eight cats developed lip ulcers which where characterized histopathologically by ulceration with predominantly neutrophilic inflammation and surface bacterial colonization. There was no association between the presence or absence of clinical signs and positive IDST or in vitro results, and no difference in the development of clinical signs was noted between the two groups of cats.     

Serum antibodies to Malassezia yeasts in canine atopic dermatitis

Significant numbers of humans with atopic dermatitis develop Malassezia-specific IgE. Immediate skin-test reactivity to Malassezia has been demonstrated in atopic dogs. The aim of this study was to compare the serum IgG and IgE response to Malassezia in atopic dogs with and without clinical evidence of Malassezia dermatitis and/or otitis, nonatopic dogs with clinical evidence of Malassezia dermatitis and/or otitis and healthy dogs. Cytology was used to diagnose clinically significant Malassezia dermatitis and otitis. Contact plate cultures confirmed the validity of this technique. Reproducible enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for Malassezia-specific IgG and IgE in canine serum were established. Atopic dogs had significantly higher serum IgG and IgE levels than either healthy dogs or nonatopic dogs with clinical evidence of Malassezia dermatitis and/or otitis. There was no significant difference in IgG and IgE levels between atopic dogs with and without clinical evidence of Malassezia dermatitis and/or otitis. The implications of these findings in the pathogenesis and management of canine atopic dermatitis are discussed.     

Double-blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over pilot study on the efficacy of zileuton for canine atopic dermatitis

Nine dogs meeting the diagnostic criteria for canine atopic dermatitis were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over clinical trial. In this pilot study, zileuton (a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor) given orally at 2 mg kg(-1) three times daily for 4 weeks significantly decreased erythema in dogs with atopic dermatitis but had no effect on pruritus. Zileuton was well tolerated and no adverse clinical signs were noted. However, one dog developed mild alanine aminotransaminase elevation, which resolved within 1 week of discontinuation of therapy. Monitoring of alanine aminotransaminase may be necessary in dogs receiving zileuton. Further studies with larger number of dogs are needed to evaluate the efficacy of zileuton as treatment for canine atopic dermatitis.     

Investigation on the effects of topical therapy with 0.1% tacrolimus ointment (Protopic) on intradermal skin test reactivity in atopic dogs

Tacrolimus ointment (TAC) is an effective treatment for atopic dermatitis in humans and dogs. The purposes of the present study were to evaluate the effect of 4 weeks of TAC on intradermal skin testing (IST), and in case of suppression, to investigate if reactivity returned to baseline by 2 or 4 weeks post treatment. Intradermal skin test was performed using saline, histamine, lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 0.4 mg mL(-1)), house dust (25 PNU mL(-1)) and house dust mite (1 : 40 000 w/v) at weeks 0, 4, 6 and 8 on nine dogs enrolled in a blinded, crossover, clinical trial, using 0.1% TAC or placebo once daily for 4 weeks. Reactions were evaluated at 15 min, and at 4 and 6 h. Ointment was applied after the 15-min evaluation on weeks 0 and 4. Data were analysed using the statistical software SAS System for Windows. At week 4, TAC did not affect 15-min IST, but some reactions in the TAC group were suppressed at 6 h compared to baseline. In the TAC group, 4-h IST reactivity was reduced 2 weeks after discontinuation but returned to baseline by 4 weeks. In conclusion, TAC has no effect on immediate reactions but decreased some late-phase reactions. Therefore, no withdrawal is recommended to evaluate only immediate reactions, but a 4-week withdrawal may be necessary for evaluation of late-phase reactions.     

Suspected wood poisoning caused by Simarouba amara (marupá/caixeta) shavings in two dogs with erosive stomatitis and dermatitis

Two male Labrador retrievers developed bleeding erosions/ulcerations involving the oral mucosa, mucocutaneous junctions of the lips, nose, prepuce and anus, ulcerated nodules on the chin, and crusting lesions on the elbows, hocks and scrotum. One of the dogs was anorexic and depressed, had haematological abnormalities consistent with damage to the liver and signs of neurological disease. As these dogs had recently been exposed to bedding containing Simarouba amara shavings and because of the striking similarities of clinical signs to those described for horses, a probable diagnosis of wood poisoning was made. This assumption was supported by the clinical course as healing of skin lesions occurred when the dogs were no longer exposed to the bedding.