Antimicrobial residues in meat from chickens in Northeast Vietnam: analytical validation and pilot study for sampling optimisation

Antimicrobials used in chicken farming for therapeutic and/or prophylactic purposes may result in unacceptable levels of edible residues, if withdrawal periods are not respected. To evaluate the risk in Vietnam, we validated an analytical methods to detect antimicrobial residues from chicken meat samples and carried out a pilot cross-sectional study to identify optimal sampling strategies. A total of 45 raw meat samples were collected from 4 markets, 1 slaughterhouse and 4 farms (5 per site) in Northern Vietnam, in March-April 2021. Samples were analysed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for the presence of 68 antimicrobials at a pre-defined validation concentration. Seven compounds were identified from four classes (tetracyclines, sulphonamides, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones). In markets, where the source of sampled chickens was unknown, a diverse pool of residual antimicrobials was detected in 20% (4/20) of meat samples. No residues were detected from the slaughterhouse. Farmers were asked about antimicrobials used during sampled production cycles (5 chickens sampled per batch). No residues were detected in chickens from the one farm that reported using of antimicrobials, whereas sulfadimethoxine, doxycycline and tilmicosin residues were identified from the other 3 farms reporting no antimicrobial use. The probability of detecting antimicrobial residues present in a flock based on sampling a single chicken was estimated at 0.93 (Highest Density Interval: 0.735-0.997). The preliminary results suggest a disparity between farmers’ reports on antimicrobial drug use and actual usage, and that the analysis of a single sample per farm has a high probability of detecting antimicrobial residues, if present

Effect of timing of pre-emptive administration of meloxicam and robenacoxib for feline ovariectomy on perioperative renal homeostasis, clotting function and perioperative analgesia; a randomised, blinded, controlled clinical trial

Please find attached our paper for review entitled 'Effect of timing of pre-emptive 12 administration of meloxicam and robenacoxib for feline ovariectomy on perioperative renal 13 homeostasis, clotting function and perioperative analgesia; a randomised blinded controlled 14 clinical trial'. We thank you in advance for reviewing our manuscript. We can confirm that 15 this work is unpublished and is not being submitted for publication elsewhere at the same 16 time. We (the authors) have agreed with the submission in its present form. 17 We believe this work to be of high significance. To our knowledge, this is the first 18 randomised, blinded controlled clinical trial in cats investigating the effect of timing on renal 19 homeostasis, clotting function and perioperative analgesia around neutering in veterinary 20 medicine. We hope that this will provide some evidence-based recommendations for our 21 colleagues in primary and referral practice and provide a stimulus for further publications 22 around this common place procedure. More importantly, we hope this will improve analgesia 23 recommendations and therefore animal welfare globally. 24 This publication is necessary for the submission of college credentials of the first author. 25 These are due in August 2023, and although it leaves 9 months between submission and 26 hopefully acceptance, we would be very grateful for the help you could provide in facilitating 27 timely review. Hopefully, this leaves enough time. 28 Thank you again for reviewing our submission and please don't hesitate to contact us if you 29 have any further queries. 30 Yours sincerely

Pilot study to determine the effect of feeding a commercial feedstuff on gastric squamous gastric disease (ESGD) healing and prevention of recurrence.

Feedstuffs are often recommended to mitigate potential damage from acid associated with equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD). In acidic conditions, pectin alters its structure to one like mucus and binds the stomach mucosa, whilst alfalfa has a strong intrinsic acid buffering capacity. The study aimed to determine whether feeding a commercial beet pulp/alfalfa/oat fibre mix aids ESGD healing and/or prevention of recurrence. Ten adult horses with naturally occurring ESGD were included. All animals were treated with omeprazole as per the attending veterinarian’s recommendation and randomly allocated to also be fed a commercial beet pulp/alfalfa/oat fibre mix (Fibre-Beet®; 1Kg/horse divided into 2 meals/day; n=5) or no additional feed (n=5) for one month. Gastroscopy was then repeated to assess response to therapy. If the ESGD had healed, omeprazole therapy was discontinued, and the commercial feed given to all horses for a further month. Gastroscopy was repeated to determine ESGD recurrence. The mean (±SD) age of the horses was 11.6 (±3.8) years; 4 mares and 6 geldings; various breeds were represented; and the median (range) initial ESGD grade was 2 (2-4). ESGD had healed (grade 0/4) in all animals after one month. After a further month, ESGD had recurred in significantly (p=0.04) more animals that did not receive the commercial feed initially (3/5; 60%; mean [range] ESGD grade 3 [0,4]) compared to those that did (0/5; 0%; mean [range] ESGD grade 0 [0,0]). Thus, the commercial beet pulp/alfalfa/oat fibre mix aided prevention of ESGD recurrence when fed during the healing and prevention phases

Cats are not small dogs- assessment and stabilisation of emergency presentation

Cats are a common emergency presentation in practice with a wide range of presenting conditions ranging from trauma caused by road traffic accidents (RTAs) or falling from a height, to acute medical conditions or ingestion of toxins. When dealing with feline patients it is important to remember that cats are not small dogs and therefore the approach to their assessment and stabilisation must take this into account. Cats have unique behavior and physiology. They are great pretenders and will often mask clinical signs until they are near critical. As their response to disease differs to that of dogs, when they present to a veterinary clinic they often present with non-textbook clinical signs. This, in conjunction with the fact their response to medical therapy can also differ from canine patients, can make them particularly challenging to manage in an emergency. The assessment process should be holistic, and all physical examination findings should be viewed in association with each othe

EfpA is required for re-growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis following isoniazid exposure

Efflux of antibiotics is a survival strategy in bacteria. Mycobacterium tuberculosis has approximately sixty efflux pumps, but little is known about the role of each pump, or which moieties that they efflux. The putative efflux pump, EfpA, is a member of the major facilitator superfamily that has been shown to be essential by saturation transposon mutagenesis studies. It has been implicated in the efflux of the frontline drug isoniazid (INH) in M. tuberculosis. This is supported by evidence from transcriptional profiling that efpA is induced in response to INH exposure. However, its role in physiology and adaptation of M. tuberculosis to antibiotics, have yet to be determined. Here, we describe the repression of efpA using CRISPR interference and the direct effect of this on the ability of M. tuberculosis to survive exposure to INH over a 45-day time-course. We determined that wild-type levels of efpA were required for the recovery of M. tuberculosis cultures following INH exposure and that, after 45-days of INH exposure, no viable colonies were recoverable from efpA-repressed M. tuberculosis cultures. We postulate that EfpA is required for the recovery of M. tuberculosis following INH-exposure and that EfpA may have a role in the development of resistance, during treatment and contributes to relapse in patients

Forelimb muscle activation patterns in American alligators: Insights into the evolution of limb posture and powered flight in archosaurs

The evolution of archosaurs provides an important context for understanding the mechanisms behind major functional transformations in vertebrates, such as shifts from sprawling to erect limb posture and the acquisition of powered flight. While comparative anatomy and ichnology of extinct archosaurs have offered insights into musculoskeletal and gait changes associated with locomotor transitions, reconstructing the evolution of motor control requires data from extant species. However, the scarcity of electromyography (EMG) data from the forelimb, especially of crocodylians, has hindered understanding of neuromuscular evolution in archosaurs. Here, we present EMG data for nine forelimb muscles from American alligators during terrestrial locomotion. Our aim was to investigate the modulation of motor control across different limb postures and examine variations in motor control across phylogeny and locomotor modes. Among the nine muscles examined, m. pectoralis, the largest forelimb muscle and primary shoulder adductor, exhibited significantly smaller mean EMG amplitudes for steps in which the shoulder was more adducted (i.e., upright). This suggests that using a more adducted limb posture helps to reduce forelimb muscle force and work during stance. As larger alligators use a more adducted shoulder and hip posture, the sprawling to erect postural transition that occurred in the Triassic could be either the cause or consequence of the evolution of larger body size in archosaurs. Comparisons of EMG burst phases among tetrapods revealed that a bird and turtle, which have experienced major musculoskeletal transformations, displayed distinctive burst phases in comparison to those from an alligator and lizard. These results support the notion that major shifts in body plan and locomotor modes among sauropsid lineages were associated with significant changes in muscle activation patterns. Electromyographic data from the forelimb muscles of American alligators indicate that alligators modulate the activity patterns of a primary shoulder adductor muscle across a range of limb postures. Among sauropsids, forelimb muscle burst phases from birds and turtles are distinct compared to those of alligators and lizards, suggesting that muscle activation patterns were influenced by major changes in body plan and locomotor modes.imag