A retrospective study of suspected pyometra causing systemic illness in 348 dogs

A retrospective study was used to investigate the prevalence, mortality rate, treatment outcomes, risk factors for death, and accompanying costs for canine pyometra cases reported in 2016 to 2018 from a single vet teaching hospital in Thailand. The prevalence of canine pyometra was 375 cases from 35,138 of canine outpatients (1.07%) with 348 cases undergoing surgery at the hospital. Mongrel dogs were most affected (37.33%) followed by Poodles (14.67%) and Shih Tzus (12.27%). The median age of pyometra cases was 7 years (range of 11 months to 16 years). The mortality rate was 10.63 % (37/ 348 dogs). Mortalities occurred in 3 dogs prior to surgery. Post-operative mortalities were reported in 24 dogs, and 10 dogs with undefined time periods. The main contributing mortality factor was uterine rupture (adjusted OR 7.38 (95% CI =2.73,19.93)). The cost of hospital treatment per case ranged between 93 to 939 United States Dollars. Surgical ovariohysterectomy is an effective treatment and preventative procedure for pyometra. Comprehensive and careful pre-operative and sufficient post-operative planning is recommended to improve treatment outcomes

Susceptibility of Clostridium difficile Isolated from Healthy Captive Asian Elephants to Metronidazole and Vancomycin บทคั ดย่ อ ความไวรั บของเชื ้ อ Clostridium difficile ที ่ คั ดแยกได้ จากช้ างเลี ้ ยงเอเชี ยต่ อยาเมทโทรนิ ดาโซล และแวนโคมั ยซิ น ณั ฐวุ

Abstract Susceptibility to metronidazole and vancomycin, drugs of choice for Clostridium difficile infection, of 15 C. difficile isolates from 6 healthy Asian elephants was determined. All of the isolates belonged to only 1 ribotype pattern and carried both toxin A and B genes. The Minimal inhibitory concentration range of metronidazole and vancomycin, drugs of choice for treatment of C. difficile infection, was 0.125-4.0 µg/ml and 0.125-2.0 µg/ml, respectively. Moreover, MIC 50 and MIC 90 for metronidazole were 0.75 and 1.5 µg/ml while vancomycin was 1.0 and 2.0 µg/ml. There was no evidence of resistance to these antimicrobials. These results might be a preliminary data for further study of animal C. difficile. Keyword

Validation of a Novel ELISA for the Diagnosis of Hemorrhagic Septicemia in Dairy Cattle from Thailand Using a Bayesian Approach

The objective of this study was to estimate sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test (using a coating antigen from Pasteurella multocida M-1404 via heat extraction) and an indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test for detection of Hemorrhagic septicemia (HS) in dairy cows, under Thai conditions, using a Bayesian approach. Dairy cow sera with a total of 1236 samples from 44 farms were tested with the two tests to detect immune responses against the HS. Percentages of positive samples for the ELISA and IHA tests were 73% (901/1236) and 70% (860/1236), respectively. Estimated sensitivity and estimated specificity of the ELISA test were 90.5% (95% posterior probability interval (PPI) = 83.2–95.4%) and 70.8% (95% PPI = 60.8–79.8%), respectively. Additionally, estimates for the Se and Sp values of the IHA test were 77.0% (95% PPI = 70.8–84.1%) and 51.1% (PPI = 36.8–66.3%), respectively. The estimated prevalence of the disease was 71.7% (95% PPI = 62.7–82.6%). These results demonstrate that the ELISA test can be a useful tool for the detection of the presence of an antibody against the HS in dairy cows. Notably, the cows in this area indicated a high percentage of exposure to Pasteurella multocida

Protection against Pasteurella multocida conferred by an intranasal fowl cholera vaccine in Khaki Campbell ducks

Fowl cholera affects the poultry farming including ducks. The commercial fowl cholera vaccines using parenteral administration are available. Recently, an intranasal fowl cholera vaccines have been developed and tested in layers. This study, we analyzed the biological function of recombinant outer membrane protein H (rOmpH) of Pasteurella multocida strain X-73 and its antiserum. In addition, we also evaluated the protective efficacy in Khaki Campbell ducks. An adhesion inhibition assay on duck embryo fibroblast (DEF) cells was performed demonstrating that rOmpH-immunized duck sera had a potential inhibitory effect on adhesion ability of bacterial strain. An intranasal fowl cholera vaccine was formulated containing 100 μg rOmpH and 3 μg E. coli enterotoxin B (LTB) as an adjuvant. Ducks were intranasally immunized three times at three-week intervals. Challenge exposure was conducted by inoculation at 3.5 × 103 CFU/ml of a strain of X-73 at four weeks after the last immunization. Sera IgY and secretory IgA antibody titers were significantly increased (P ＜ 0.05) post immunization. Lymphocytes from ducks immunized with the rOmpH-LTB-based intranasal vaccine showed higher proliferative response to P. multocida antigens than those from ducks immunized with only rOmpH or LTB (P ＜ 0.05). Protection conferred by immunization with an intranasal or bacterin vaccine in ducks against challenge-exposure were 90% and 80%, respectively. We conclude that the intranasal fowl cholera vaccine protected ducks from artificial P. multocida infection. However, the rOmpH will be formulated with the commercial adjuvant and will be conducted against more P. multocida field strains in the duck flocks

A Preliminary Study of the Cross-Reactivity of Canine MAGE-A with Hominid Monoclonal Antibody 6C1 in Canine Mammary Gland Tumors: An Attractive Target for Cancer Diagnostic, Prognostic and Immunotherapeutic Development in Dogs

Melanoma-associated antigen-A (MAGE-A), a family of cancer/testis antigens, has been recognized as a potential target molecule for cancer immunotherapy. However, there has been very little information available with regard to this antigen in dogs. This study aimed to investigate the expression of MAGE-A in canine mammary gland tumors (CMTs) using immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting with human monoclonal MAGE-A antibody 6C1. The present study has provided evidence of cross-reactivity of the canine MAGE-A expression with the human MAGE-A antibody in CMTs. The MAGE-A antigens were expressed in moderate- and high-grade malignant CMTs (22.22%, 2/9), but no expression was observed in benign CMTs. The immunohistochemical staining of canine MAGE antigen in CMT cells showed nuclear and nuclear–cytoplasmic expression patterns that may be involved with the mitotic cell division of tumor cells. Molecular weights of the canine MAGE-A antigen presented in this study were approximately 42–62 kDa, which were close to those of other previous studies involving humans and dogs. The findings on this protein in CMTs could supply valuable oncological knowledge for the development of novel diagnostic, prognostic and immunotherapeutic tumor markers in veterinary medicine

Molecular Characterization and Phylogenetic Analysis of Lumpy Skin Disease Virus Collected from Outbreaks in Northern Thailand in 2021

Understanding molecular epidemiology is essential for the improvement of lumpy skin disease (LSD) eradication and control strategies. The objective of this study was to perform a molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) isolated from dairy cows presenting LSD-like clinical signs in northern Thailand. The skin nodules were collected from 26 LSD-suspected cows involved in six outbreaks during the period from July to September of 2021. LSDVs were confirmed from clinical samples using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR-positive samples were subsequently amplified and sequenced using a G-protein-coupled chemokine receptor (GPCR) gene for molecular characterization and phylogenetic analyses. All 26 samples were positive for LSDV by PCR. A phylogenetic analysis indicated that the 24 LSDV isolates obtained from cattle in northern Thailand were closely related to other LSDV sequences acquired from Asia (China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam). On the other hand, two LSDV isolates of the cows presenting LSD-like clinical signs after vaccination were clustered along with LSDV Neethling-derived vaccines. The outcomes of this research will be beneficial in developing effective control strategies for LSDV

Comparison of the Effect of Two Purification Methods on the Immunogenicity of Recombinant Outer Membrane Protein H of Pasteurella multocida

Recombinant outer membrane protein H (rOmpH) of Pasteurella multocida strain X-73 can be purified using affinity chromatography but this adversely affects its immunogenicity. The current study presents the results from an intervention study comparing the immunogenicity of rOmpH purified using electroelution with rOmpH purified using affinity chromatography and native OmpH purified using electroelution and a nonimmunized control group. Chickens immunized with rOmpH purified using electroelution produced the highest ELISA antibody levels against P. multocida strains. Chickens in each of the 5 treatment groups were split into two subgroups for challenge with two different P. multocida strains. The average number of adhesions to CEF cells was statistically significantly lower in sera from chickens immunized with rOmpH or native OmpH purified using electroelution than in those of the three other treatment groups. The survival amongst chickens immunized with rOmpH or native OmpH purified using electroelution indicated high levels of protection. In contrast, survival probability was zero or low in the groups immunized with rOmpH purified using affinity chromatography and in the nonimmunized group. These findings show that the rOmpH purified using electroelution retains its immunogenicity and stimulates high levels of protection in chickens against P. multocida infection