Bilateral Gastrocnemius Muscle Rupture in a Bovine

Background: Locomotor system diseases are quite common in the field practice in dairy cattle and represent an important cause of economics losses. The rupture of the gastrocnemius muscle has been reported in humans, cattle, horses, camels and llamas. It can be complete or partial. The rupture of muscle as well as sacral fractures are infrequent, and consequently not commonly reported in veterinary medicine. The aim of this work was to report a case of bilateral gastrocnemius rupture in a dairy cow related to a sacral (S2) fracture.Case: A 3-year-old Holstein cow with lameness and urinary incontinence was presented for clinical examination. After three days, clinical signs progressed to sternal recumbency and difficulty to keep normal posture. While standing, the cow’s tarsal joint showed a 90o degree angle with tibia, in a manner that the metatarsal bones were completely leant on the ground. Also, a marked enlargement in both gastrocnemius area were observed. The animal was in good body condition and alert,although unable to maintain both hind limbs extended straight, and was not able to raise the tarsal joint off the ground. Physiological parameters presented normal values. Due to the poor prognosis, euthanasia and necropsy were conducted. At necropsy, it was observed that in both hind limbs the gastrocnemius muscle was ruptured, presenting severe diffuse dark red color, severe enlargement, and moderate diffuse edema and emphysema. The rupture was complete and observed at both muscular insertions in the calcaneus bone. Besides the muscular alterations, the animal had a 2 centimeters fracture on the second sacral vertebra, associated with focally extensive hemorrhage in the spinal canal and meninges. Histologically the main findings were degeneration and severe diffuse necrosis of muscle fibers associated with severe hemorrhage, and mild infiltrate of neutrophils.Discussion: Fractures in cattle may occur due to multiples causes, however farm management and facilities play an important role in the incidence of these disorders. Slippery floors along with groups composed of animals of different sizes and ages are a major cause of injury in this species. The consequence of a vertebral fracture vary greatly according to the location and extent of the injury, the degree of spinal cord compression and which spinal anatomical structures are involved. Besides the direct damage caused by the fractures in the bone’s stability, changes can also occur in related structures, such as muscles and tendons, which are extremely important for the animal to maintain its normal stance and move adequately. One example is the trauma of gastrocnemius muscle that is found sporadically due to struggling. In this case it is conjectured that the pain and the spinal cord compression at the fracture’s location, lead to difficulty for the animal to rise, culminating with the ruptured muscles by overexertion. The characteristic position adopted by the animal was useful to establish the diagnosis, although necropsy was necessary to confirm it. Once the occurrence of this condition is infrequent, this report becomes important to aid veterinarians in order to differentiate it from other diseases of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, including toxic conditions as Senna sp. and ionophore poisoning, besides nutritional myopathies such as vitamin E and selenium deficiency. Coxofemoral luxation and infectious diseases such as rabies and botulism should also be considered

Casuística de Diagnósticos do Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária no ano de 2014

Este trabalho apresenta a casuística de diagnósticos no ano de 2014 do Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária do IFC Campus Concórdia. Foram 121 diagnósticos em bovinos, 29 em ovinos e 46 em suínos, totalizando 196. Destes, 165 (84,2%) foram através de necropsias e 31 (15,8%) através de amostras formolizadas enviadas por veterinários. Em bovinos as doenças mais incidentes foram endocardite com 6 casos (5,0%), babesiose e peritonite com 5 casos cada (4,1%); e leucose enzoótica bovina com 4 casos (3,3%). Já em ovinos foi hemoncose com 7 casos (24,1%) e em suínos foi circovirose com 9 casos (19,6%); colibacilose com 7 casos (15,2%) e doença do edema com 6 casos (13,0%).

Cholinesterase Activities and Oxidative Stress in Cattle Experimentally Exposed to Nitrate/Nitrite in Cultivated Pasture with Different Fertilization Schemes

Background: Nitrate and nitrite poisoning is associated with pasture intake that has high nitrate levels and leads to acute methemoglobinemia. Pasture may accumulate nitrate under certain conditions, such as excessively fertilized soil or environmental conditions that enhance the N absorption (rain preceded by a period of drought). After ingestion of plants, this substrate reaches the rumen and, in physiological conditions, is reduced to nitrite and afterward to ammonia. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in cholinesterase activities and oxidative stress caused by subclinical poisoning for nitrate and nitrite in cattle fed with Pennisetum glaucum in three different fertilization schemes.Materials, Methods & Results: In order to perform the experimental poisoning, the pasture was cultivated in three different paddocks: with nitrogen topdressing (urea; group 1), organic fertilizer (group 2) or without fertilizer (group 3; control). Nitrate accumulation in forage was evaluated by the diphenylamine test. After food fasting of 12 h, nine bovine were randomly allocated to one of the experimental groups and fed with fresh forage (ad libitum) from respective paddock. In different time points from beginning of pasture intake (0, 2, 4, 6 and 9 h) heart rate and respiratory frequency were assessed, as well as mucous membrane color and behavioral changes. Blood samples from jugular vein into vials with and without anticoagulant were collected. From blood samples, serum nitrite levels, acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) enzyme activity were evaluated, as well as oxidative stress through the following parameters: levels of nitrate/nitrite (NOx ), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), beyond the antioxidant system by enzyme activity measurement of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). The diphenylamine test was positive to group 1 and 2, so that the pasture presented 3.16 mg/kg, 2.98 mg/kg and 1.67 mg/kg of nitrate for group 1, 2 and 3, respectively. In addition, cows from group 1 demonstrated increased (P < 0.05) nitrite levels in serum, compared to other groups, and greater heart rate after 9 h (P < 0.05). The AChE and BChE activity in group 1 showed significant increase (P < 0.05) at 4 and 6 h (AChE), and 4 and 9 h (BChE) compared to group 3. Also, NOx levels were lower at 6 and 9 h (P < 0.05) and at 9 h (P < 0.05) for animals of group 1 and 2, respectively, when compared to group 3. Furthermore, in the group 1 levels of ROS and TBARS were significantly higher (P < 0.05) after 2 and 4 h, and 6 and 9 h compared to other groups, respectively. The CAT activity increased significantly (P < 0.05) with 2 and 4 h of the experiment, but on the other hand, decreased at 6 and 9 h in group 1. Nevertheless, the animals from group 2 presented only a significant reduction in this enzyme activity at 9 h. Furthermore, SOD activity was reduced in animals of groups 1 (P < 0.05) at 4, 6 and 9 h, compared to other groups.Discussion: It was concluded that the nitrate and nitrite poisoning by pasture intake cultivated and fertilized with urea leads to increased levels of serum nitrite, as well as the cholinesterase activity and causes oxidative stress in cattle. It is conjectured that the cholinesterase activity and oxidative stress may assist in understanding the pathophysiology of changes caused by poisoning

Detection and characterization of Bacillus cereus isolated from the dialysis fluid

In this study, B. cereus was detected in dialysis fluids within international parameters (ultrapure – maximum limit of 0.1 CFU/mL for heterotrophic bacteria count) by analyzing the pellet obtained through the centrifugation method. We also investigated the ability of the B. cereus isolate to form a biofilm at different temperatures, the production of virulence factors, and the susceptibility to commercial antimicrobial agents. This study demonstrated a high ability of B. cereus to persist in the hemodialysis system, which can be explained by its broad ability to produce a biofilm at 25 °C, its relevant production of virulence factors, such as β-hemolysin, lecithinase and cereulide, and its important resistance pattern to antimicrobial drugs. In conclusion, these new findings expand the understanding that this microorganism should not be neglected and new methods for tracking it should be considered

Casuística do triênio 2013-2015 de atuação do laboratório de Patologia Veterinária

Este trabalho apresenta a casuística de diagnósticos nos anos de 2013 a 2015 do Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária do IFC Campus Concórdia. Foram 399 diagnósticos em bovinos, 68 em ovinos e 149 em suínos, totalizando 616. Destes, 505 (78,7%) foram através de necropsias e 131 (21,3%) através de amostras formolizadas enviadas por veterinários. Em bovinos as doenças mais prevalentes foram babesiose com 16 casos (4,0%); leucose enzoótica bovina com 15 casos (3,8%); endocartite e peritonite com 14 casos cada (3,5%); intoxicação por Pteridium arachnoideum e hemoncose com 13 casos cada (3,3%). Já em ovinos hemoncose com 17 casos (25,0%) e suínos 13 casos (8,7%) de circovirose, 12 casos (8,0%) de doença de Glässer e 12 casos (8,0%) de meningite supurativa.

Estudo retrospectivo dos diagnósticos de tristeza parasitária bovina no Oeste Catarinense

A Tristeza Parasitária Bovina (TPB) é um complexo de doenças causado pelas rickettsias Anaplasma marginale e/ou A. centrale, bem como pelos protozoários Babesia bovis e/ou B. bigemina, os quais produzem um quadro de anemia severa. Este trabalho tem por objetivo relatar a ocorrência da enfermidade no Oeste Catarinense, diagnosticada pelo Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária do IFC - Campus Concórdia. Para tanto, realizou-se um estudo retrospectivo dos diagnósticos em bovinos entre 2013 e 2015. No período estudado a anaplasmose representou 56% (9/17), babesiose cerebral 33% (6/17) e babesiose 11% (2/17). A partir dos dados coletados observou-se um nítido aumento consecutivo do número de casos de TPB nos três anos estudados. Conjectura-se que as alterações climáticas recentes ocasionadas pelos invernos menos rigorosos estejam contribuindo para este incremento. Além disso, os médicos veterinários que atenderam os animais relataram que o curso clínico da enfermidade está apresentando-se de modo mais agudo e severo em comparação aos anos anteriores, podendo isso estar relacionado ao método de manejo dos animais jovens utilizado na região. Conclui-se que a TPB é uma importante causa de mortalidade em bovinos na região e que a ocorrência daenfermidade vem aumentando.Palavras-chave: Patologia, babesiose, anaplasmose, bovinocultura.

INTOXICAÇÃO POR NITRATO/NITRITO NO OESTE DE SANTA CATARINA - ESTUDO RETROSPECTIVO (2013-2017)

A intoxicação por nitrato/nitrito é uma enfermidade comum no estado de Santa Catarina, e que leva a morte súbita em bovinos. Trata-se de um distúrbio ocasionado pela utilização excessiva de adubação nitrogenada nas pastagens e condições climáticas adversas, como diminuição de luminosidade ou déficit hídrico, levando ao acúmulo de nitrato na pastagem. Este trabalho teve como objetivo relatar a ocorrência dos casos de intoxicação por nitrato/nitrito em bovinos na região oeste de Santa Catarina, diagnosticados pelo Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária (LPV) do Instituto Federal Catarinense – Campus Concórdia. Entre os anos de 2013 e 2017, foram diagnosticados por necropsia 10 surtos de intoxicações por nitrato/nitrito. De um total de 641 bovinos necropsiados pelo LPV nesse período, 19 correspondem a essa intoxicação, representando 2,96% da casuística de necropsias e 2,20% da casuística total de diagnósticos (necropsias e histopatológico). Ainda que seja um número expressivo de causa mortis, acredita-se que existam muitos outros casos não diagnosticados pelo LPV, visto que nem todos os animais são remetidos para necropsia. Conclui-se que as intoxicações por nitrato/nitrito são expressiva causa de morte nos rebanhos bovinos da região, devendo serem adotadas medidas de controle e prevenção. Palavras-chave: metemoglobina, patologia, bovino, diagnóstico, necropsia. 

Impact of the ABCDE triage in primary care emergency department on the number of patient visits to different parts of the health care system in Espoo City

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many Finnish emergency departments (ED) serve both primary and secondary health care patients and are therefore referred to as combined emergency departments. Primary care doctors are responsible for the initial assessment and treatment. They, thereby, also regulate referral and access to secondary care. Primary health care EDs are easy for the public to access, leading to non-acute patient visits to the emergency department. This has caused increased queues and unnecessary difficulties in providing immediate treatment for urgent patients. The primary aim of this study was to assess whether the flow of patients was changed by implementing the ABCDE-triage system in the EDs of Espoo City, Finland.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The numbers of monthly visits to doctors were recorded before and after intervention in Espoo primary care EDs. To study if the implementation of the triage system redirects patients to other health services, the numbers of monthly visits to doctors were also scored in the private health care, the public sector health services of Espoo primary care during office hours and local secondary health care ED (Jorvi hospital). A face-to-face triage system was applied in the primary care EDs as an attempt to provide immediate treatment for the most acute patients. It is based on the letters A (patient sent directly to secondary care), B (to be examined within 10 min), C (to be examined within 1 h), D (to be examined within 2 h) and E (no need for immediate treatment) for assessing the urgency of patients' treatment needs. The first step was an initial patient assessment by a health care professional (triage nurse). The introduction of this triage system was combined with information to the public on the "correct" use of emergency services.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After implementation of the ABCDE-triage system the number of patient visits to a primary care doctor decreased by up to 24% (962 visits/month) as compared to the three previous years in the EDs. The Number of visits to public sector GPs during office hours did not alter. Implementation of ABCDE-triage combined with public guidance was associated with decreased total number of doctor visits in public health care. During same period, the number of patient visits in the private health care increased. Simultaneously, the number of doctor visits in secondary health care ED did not alter.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present ABCDE-triage system combined with public guidance may reduce patient visits to primary health care EDs but not to the secondary health care EDs. Limiting the access of less urgent patients to ED may redirect the demands of patients to private sector rather than office hours GP services.</p