Management of Candida guilliermondii joint infection in a dog

Background: Candida spp. are dimorphic fungi in the family Cryptococcaceae. Infections with Candida spp. are usually rare conditions in dogs, but immunocompromised patients have a higher risk for developing invasive candidal infections. Case presentation: A 5-year-old male Boxer, positive to Leishmania infantum, was referred to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy for examination of a non-weight bearing left hind limb lameness of a duration of at least 3 months. During this period, treatment involved systemic anti-inflammatory medications and intra-articular corticosteroid administration. On presentation, clinical examination and radiographic findings were suggestive of cranial cruciate ligament deficiency. To support this diagnosis a stifle arthroscopy was performed: it confirmed a partial rupture of cranial cruciate ligament. Samples culture of synovial fluid and membrane was routinely collected as well, and revealed Candida guilliermondii joint infection. Treatment for the C. guilliermondii joint infection involved systemic anti-fungal therapy, joint lavage and intra-articular administration of antifungal drugs. Lameness improved markedly during this treatment, but lameness did not resolve completely, probably due to cranial cruciate ligament deficiency. Tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) was chosen in order to treat stifle instability and was performed 4 weeks following cessation of treatment of the C. guilliermondii joint infection. Six month after TTA the dog showed a completely recovery with no lameness. Conclusions: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first case of Candida spp. joint infection reported in dogs. The cause of the progression of the joint C. guilliermondii infection remains unclear but it may be associated with leishmaniasis or intra-articular corticosteroid injections. Treatment with systemic and intra-articular anti-fungal therapies was successful. In the evaluation of hind limb lameness in a chronically immunocompromised dog, it would be advisable to consider also an intra-articular Candida spp. infection

Polysynovitis in a horse due to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato infection – Case study

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a multi-systemic tick-borne disease affecting both humans and animals, including horses, and is caused by a group of interrelated spirochetes classified within the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex. Despite the high reported seroprevalence in the European equine population for B. burgdorferi s.l., to-date no documented clinical cases have been described. A 6-year-old Paint gelding was referred with a history of three weeks of fever, intermittent lameness and digital flexor tendon sheath effusion of the right hind limb. Based on a strict diagnostic protocol, which included serological tests for infectious diseases and molecular investigations, a final diagnosis was made of polysynovitis due to B. burgdorferi s.l. infection. An unreported aspect observed in this case was the absence of the pathogen DNA in two of the affected joints. To the authors' knowledge, the case described represents the first documented clinical case of equine LB in Italy. Moreover, the absence of pathogen DNA in two of the affected joints observed in this case revealed a possible similarity with the same condition described in humans, where an immunomediated pathogenesis for arthropathy due to B. burgdorferi s.l. infection is suspected. Since humans and horses share the same habitat, this report supports the role of the horse as potential sentinel for human biological risk

Detection of Testudinid alphaherpesvirus, Chlamydia spp., Mycoplasma spp., and Salmonella spp. in free‑ranging and rescued Italian Testudo hermanni hermanni.

Testudo hermanni is included as near‑threatened in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, while T. hermanni hermanni is considered endangered in the Italian Red List. Appropriate management of smuggled or seized wild individuals is recommended before their reintroduction into the wild. Accordingly, a health monitoring study was carried out. During 2014‑2016, 133 oral swabs and 121 cloacal swabs were collected from a total of approximately 180 free‑ranging and rescued T. hermanni hermanni from eight different Italian regions to investigate the presence of DNA of Testudinid alphaherpesvirus (TeAHV), Chlamydia spp. and Mycoplasma spp. in the oral cavity, and Salmonella spp. isolates in the cloaca. Mycoplasma spp. was detected in 52 out of 87 (59.77%) of rescued and in 1 out of 46 free‑ranging (2.17%) individuals; 33 out of 53 (62.26%) Mycoplasma spp. positive samples were typed as M. agassizii by PCR. Salmonella spp. was isolated from 45 out of 121 (37.19%) cloacal swabs, typed into 14 serovars, and characterized for complete antimicrobial susceptibility. A significantly different distribution of Salmonella spp. isolates was found in 2016 in comparison with 2014 and 2015, without any difference between free‑ranging and rescued tortoises. All the tested tortoises were negative for TeAHV and Chlamydia spp. These results are considered a baseline information critical to monitor the dynamics of these microorganisms in free‑ranging and rescued populations of T. h. hermanni, and to correctly approach the management of rescued animals and possible relocation programs

Impact of the time interval between primary or interval surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in ovarian cancer patients

IntroductionPrimary debulking surgery (PDS), interval debulking surgery (IDS), and platinum-based chemotherapy are the current standard treatments for advanced ovarian cancer (OC). The time to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy (TTC) could influence patient outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of advanced (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage III or IV) OC treated between 2014 and 2018 to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in relation to TTC. All patients underwent a germline multigene panel for BRCA1/2 evaluation.ResultsAmong the 83 patients who underwent PDS, a TTC ≥ 60 days was associated with a shorter PFS (hazard ratio (HR) 2.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–3.93, p = 0.038), although this association lost statistical significance when adjusting for residual disease (HR 1.52, 95% CI 0.75–3.06, p = 0.244, for TTC and HR 2.73, 95% CI 1.50–4.96, p = 0.001, for residual disease). Among 52 IDS patients, we found no evidence of an association between TTC and clinical outcomes. Ascites, type of chemotherapy, or germline BRCA1/2 mutational status did not influence TTC and were not associated with clinical outcomes in PDS or IDS patients.DiscussionIn conclusion, longer TTC seems to negatively affect prognosis in patients undergoing PDS, especially those with residual disease

Unusual Case of Biliary Peritonitis in a Dog Secondary to a Gastric Perforation

Biliary peritonitis is a pathological condition representing a medical emergency with a high risk of mortality. This condition is reported in both human and veterinary medicine following biliary tract rupture, extrahepatic biliary obstructions, gallbladder rupture, trauma, or duodenal perforation. In this report, the first-ever case of biliary peritonitis due to gastric perforation in a Bobtail purebred dog is described, which was probably induced by the administration of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). After an elective splenectomy and castration, the dog was referred to our hospital for medical management for inappetence, mental depression, and multiple episodes of gastric vomits with traces of blood. Clinical diagnostic tests showed the presence of biliary peritonitis. Due to worsening clinical conditions, the patient was subjected to euthanasia. Macroscopic examination showed a free brownish abdominal effusion and the presence of perforating ulcer of the stomach pylorus region

Comparison between clinical evaluations and laboratory findings and the impact of biofilm on antimicrobial susceptibility in vitro in canine otitis externa

Background: In canine otitis externa (OE), biofilm-producing bacteria are frequently present but biofilm may be underdiagnosed clinically. Hypothesis/objectives: The study aimed to investigate an association between clinical and cytological findings with bacteriological data from dogs with OE, to establish, through Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) examination, whether the presence of biofilm in vivo can be predicted and to evaluate the impact of biofilm on antimicrobial susceptibility tests. Materials and methods: Fifty-six dogs showing clinical signs of OE were enrolled. One cotton swab each was collected for ESEM, bacterial culture and susceptibility testing and for cytology. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius (n = 42, 48.8%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 26, 30.2%) were tested for their ability to form biofilm. Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC), Minimal Biofilm Inhibitory Concentrations (MBIC) and Minimal Biofilm Eradication Concentrations (MBEC) towards enrofloxacin, gentamicin, polymyxin B and rifampicin were determined. Results: Pseudomonas aeruginosa was positively associated with the biofilm clinical evaluation (p < 0.01) and neutrophils (p < 0.05), nuclear streaks (p < 0.01) and rods bacteria (p < 0.01) on cytology. S. pseudintermedius was associated with a low presence of neutrophils. There was a statistical correlation between clinical and cytological biofilm presence (p ≤ 0.01), but none with the biofilm production assay nor ESEM biofilm detection. No differences were found comparing the results of MIC and MBIC. MBEC results showed higher values than MIC and MBIC for all antimicrobials tested (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusions and clinical relevance: Biofilm presence in OE was often underdiagnosed. Even if there is no specific clinical or cytological pattern related to biofilm, its presence should always be suspected

Serum microRNAs in buffalo cows: Potential biomarkers of pregnancy

MiRNAs (microRNA) constitute a large family of single-stranded, non-coding small RNAs. Although the functions and target genes of most miRNAs are still unknown, it has been well established that they are involved in embryogenesis, organogenesis and neonatal birth. In recent decades, interest in buffalo breeding has largely increased worldwide thus focusing the attention on this species as a dairy purpose animal. Problems related to long calving interval, late puberty and seasonal anestrus hamper reproductive efficiency in this species. Early pregnancy diagnosis is important to shorten the calving interval and increase lifetime production on dairy animals. MicroRNAs have recently emerged as key molecules in fertilization of several species even though in buffalo, few previous studies have investigated miRNAs. The aim of this research was to identify the best miRNA reference in serum among miR-191, miR-25-3p, SNORD44, and SNORD48. Consequently, assess the expression levels of miR-103, miR-200b, miR-301a, miR-423-5p, miR-375, miR-451 and miR-452 involved in buffalo progesterone-maturation oocyte and pregnancy. Interestingly, we found that all the miRNAs analyzed at 40 days after artificial insemination were differentially expressed among pregnant and non-pregnant buffalo. Our research may be a first step for gain further insight in the biological function of circulating miRNAs in this species

First molecular detection of ball python nidovirus in Italy - Short communication.

A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the presence of ferlavirus, ball python nidovirus and bacteria in 32 tracheobronchial lavages from ball pythons raised in captivity and affected by respiratory disease. A touchdown reverse transcription polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to detect ball python nidovirus RNA targeting a 260-bp portion of the ORF1a gene, while a nested RT-PCR was applied to identify RNA targeting the 518-bp ferlavirus partial L gene. RT-PCR positive products were submitted for Sanger's sequencing and phylogeny reconstruction. Bacteriological examinations were performed to diagnose a possible bacterial involvement. BLAST analysis revealed that the nucleotide sequences of the six (18.8%) RT-PCR positive amplicons were 90-97% identical to the partial sequence of the ORF1a gene of the recently described ball python nidovirus. All tested snakes were negative for ferlavirus. Thirteen out of 32 samples (40.6%) were bacteriologically positive. Respiratory tract diseases can be a substantial problem for snake breeders, considering the rapid transmission of respiratory pathogens. The results and published studies show that ball python nidovirus is circulating in python collections and could be linked to suboptimal management practices. Surveillance programs are desirable as part of the routine snake health assessment. Tracheobronchial lavage is a fast, practical, cost-effective procedure for sample collection