Case–control risk factor study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) infection in dogs and cats in Germany

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (MRSP) has emerged as a highly drug-resistant small animal veterinary pathogen. Although often isolated from outpatients in veterinary clinics, there is concern that MRSP follows a veterinary-hospital-associated epidemiology. This study's objective was to identify risk factors for MRSP infections in dogs and cats in Germany. Clinical isolates of MRSP cases (n = 150) and methicillin-susceptible S. pseudintermedius (MSSP) controls (n = 133) and their corresponding host signalment and medical data covering the six months prior to staphylococcal isolation were analysed by multivariable logistic regression. The identity of all MRSP isolates was confirmed through demonstration of S. intermedius-group specific nuc and mecA. In the final model, cats (compared to dogs, OR 18.5, 95% CI 1.8–188.0, P = 0.01), animals that had been hospitalised (OR 104.4, 95% CI 21.3–511.6, P < 0.001), or visited veterinary clinics more frequently (>10 visits OR 7.3, 95% CI 1.0–52.6, P = 0.049) and those that had received topical ear medication (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.8–14.9, P = 0.003) or glucocorticoids (OR 22.5, 95% CI 7.0–72.6, P < 0.001) were at higher risk of MRSP infection, whereas S. pseudintermedius isolates from ears were more likely to belong to the MSSP-group (OR 0.09, 95% CI 0.03–0.34, P < 0.001). These results indicate an association of MRSP infection with veterinary clinic/hospital settings and possibly with chronic skin disease. There was an unexpected lack of association between MRSP and antimicrobial therapy; this requires further investigation but may indicate that MRSP is well adapted to canine skin with little need for selective pressure.     

Intestinal Protozoa of the African Elephant Loxodonta Africana (Blumenbach)

The digestive tract of 15 elephants from South Africa and two from Zaïre were sampled in order to determine the identity, density and population composition of the intestinal protozoa. The following orders were represented: Gymnostomatida, Trichostomatida and Entodiniomorphida. Altogether 17 species were identified, of which three are new. The new species as well as a new genus are described.     

Induction of porcine post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in pigs from PMWS unaffected herds following mingling with pigs from PMWS-affected herds

In this paper we present the results from two experimental studies (I and II) investigating whether post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) can be induced in pigs from PMWS unaffected herds by mingling with pigs from PMWS-affected herds and to observe whether transportation and/or mingling of healthy pigs from unaffected herds could induce PMWS.The studies comprised pigs from 12 different herds. Eight herds had PMWS while four were unaffected. All 12 herds were found to be infected with PCV2. Pigs from PMWS-affected herds were mingled with pigs from unaffected herds in four separate compartments in both study I and study II. In addition, in study II, four groups of pigs from unaffected herds were included. Two groups with pigs transported and mingled from unaffected herds and two groups with pigs which were only transported. The PMWS diagnoses on the individual pigs were based on lymphoid depletion, histiocytic proliferation and the presence of giant cells or inclusion bodies together with the demonstration of PCV2 in lymphoid tissue.Healthy pigs, in both studies, developed PMWS 4–5 weeks after mingling with pigs clinically affected with PMWS. None of the pigs from unaffected herds which had no contact with pigs from PMWS-affected herds developed clinical signs of PMWS. Transportation and mingling of pigs from PMWS unaffected herds in combination or alone was insufficient to provoke PMWS.     

Transplacental transmission of field and rescued strains of BTV-2 and BTV-8 in experimentally infected sheep

Transplacental transmission of bluetongue virus has been shown previously for the North European strain of serotype 8 (BTV-8) and for tissue culture or chicken egg-adapted vaccine strains but not for field strains of other serotypes. In this study, pregnant ewes (6 per group) were inoculated with either field or rescued strains of BTV-2 and BTV-8 in order to determine the ability of these viruses to cross the placental barrier. The field BTV-2 and BTV-8 strains was passaged once in Culicoides KC cells and once in mammalian cells. All virus inoculated sheep became infected and seroconverted against the different BTV strains used in this study. BTV RNA was detectable in the blood of all but two ewes for over 28 days but infectious virus could only be detected in the blood for a much shorter period. Interestingly, transplacental transmission of BTV-2 (both field and rescued strains) was demonstrated at high efficiency (6 out of 13 lambs born to BTV-2 infected ewes) while only 1 lamb of 12 born to BTV-8 infected ewes showed evidence of in utero infection. In addition, evidence for horizontal transmission of BTV-2 between ewes was observed. As expected, the parental BTV-2 and BTV-8 viruses and the viruses rescued by reverse genetics showed very similar properties to each other. This study showed, for the first time, that transplacental transmission of BTV-2, which had been minimally passaged in cell culture, can occur; hence such transmission might be more frequent than previously thought.     

Clinical and immunological heterogeneity of canine subepidermal blistering dermatoses with anti‐laminin‐332 (laminin‐5) auto‐antibodies

Laminin‐332 (laminin‐5) is a basement membrane heterotrimeric protein composed of alpha‐3, beta‐3 and gamma‐2 laminin chains. Laminin‐332 polypeptides are targeted by auto‐antibodies in human patients with mucous membrane (cicatricial) pemphigoid or, more rarely, subepidermal vesicular diseases that resemble epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) or bullous pemphigoid (BP). The objectives of this report were to characterize the clinical, histopathological and immunological characteristics of nine dogs with auto‐antibodies targeting laminin‐332. Immunological investigations consisted of direct immunofluorescence (IF), indirect IF with intact and salt‐split canine gingival, and salt‐split normal or laminin‐332‐deficient human skin, immunoblotting with purified human laminin‐332 and immunoblotting with recombinant NC1 domain of human collagen VII. All dogs exhibited varying degrees of skin blistering and ulceration associated with microscopic subepidermal vesiculation with or without inflammatory cells. Indirect IF established that circulating IgG auto‐antibodies bound the dermal side of salt‐split canine lip and human skin. In five dogs, IgG variably recognized the basement membrane of laminin‐332‐deficient human skin (three dogs negative, two dogs positive). In all nine dogs, IgG auto‐antibodies detected purified human laminin‐332 by immunoblotting. In two dogs, additional targeting of collagen VII‐NC1 was present. These observations establish laminin‐332 as a novel basement membrane antigen in dogs with autoimmune blistering diseases with variable clinical phenotypes. The names ‘acquired junctional epidermolysis bullosa’, ‘anti‐laminin‐332 mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP)’ and ‘mixed auto‐immune subepidermal blistering dermatosis’ are proposed for dogs with clinical signs reminiscent of EBA, MMP or BP respectively.     

Exploratory Study of Potato Cultivar Differences in Sensory and Hedonistic Applicability Tests

From a potato cultivar breeding database including 2,143 named cultivars and clones, 11 cultivars that spanned the major variation in cultivar quality were selected for subsequent sensory and hedonistic applicability tests. A tailor-made sensory profile of the cultivars was developed for four different cooking procedures: boiled, mashed, oven-fried and oven-cooked potatoes. A sensory profile consisted of the four to five most important sensory attributes, and the data was combined with the applicability data using multivariate data analysis. Ultimately, the variation in eating quality was evaluated in a hedonistic test with expert evaluation of applicability. Three gourmet chefs prepared the different cultivars as boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes and oven-fried potatoes and evaluated the cultivars’ applicability, while a sensory panel consisting of nine judges evaluated the sensory quality. The multivariate data analysis revealed a significant diversity amongst the cultivars for the different cooking procedures. A single PCA bi-plot was able to provide a simple and clear overview of the gastronomic diversity and possible applications of the different potato cultivars.     

Effect of temperature variation during grain filling on wheat gluten resistance

The objective was to investigate effects of natural variation in temperature during grain filling on wheat (Triticum aestivum L) gluten quality. Seventeen field trials with four different varieties were conducted during the years 2005–2008. Temperature records were obtained from automatic weather stations located near the field trial sites. The period from heading to yellow ripeness was divided into 20 sub-phases of equal thermal time units, and a last sub-phase comprising the seven days after yellow ripeness. Partial Least Squares Regression was used to relate the temperature records of the different sub-phases to gluten quality analysed by the Kieffer Extensibility test and the SDS sedimentation test.