Comparison of clinical and imaging findings in cats with single and mixed lungworm infection.

OBJECTIVES: This study has compared clinical and imaging features in 52 cats naturally infected by respiratory nematodes Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Troglostrongylus brevior and Capillaria aerophila, and in both monospecific and mixed infections. METHODS: Medical records of cats with a lungworm disease were retrospectively reviewed. Cats with clinical examination findings, haematobiochemical analysis and thoracic radiography were included in the study and clinical and radiographic scores were assigned. For eight cats CT of the thorax was also available and analysed. A statistical analysis was performed to investigate the potential correlation between clinical and radiographic score, and to evaluate the effect of age, sex and infection on clinical and radiographic severity. RESULTS: Monospecific infections by A abstrusus (32/52), T brevior (6/52) and C aerophila (5/52) and coinfections by T brevior/ A abstrusus (7/52), T brevior/ C aerophila (1/52) and A abstrusus/ C aerophila (1/52) were diagnosed. Cats with mixed infections showed higher clinical scores compared with cats with monospecific parasitoses ( P <0.05), while no differences were observed for radiographic scores. No correlation between clinical and radiographic scores was found (rs = 0.50), and these scores were not affected by patient age or sex. CT, performed on cats infected with A abstrusus, T brevior or A abstrusus/T brevior, provided additional information in cats with mild radiographic signs. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This study indicates that clinical parameters may be more severe in mixed infections than in monospecific parasitoses. A significant correlation between clinical and radiographic score was not detected, while several subclinically infected cats showed radiographic changes. In cats with mild-to-moderate lung patterns, the ventrodorsal/dorsoventral projection showed lesions that are not visible in the lateral projections, especially in the caudal lobes.

Single and mixed feline lungworm infections: clinical, radiographic and therapeutic features of 26 cases (2013-2015).

Objectives The aim of this study was to retrospectively describe clinical, radiographic and therapeutic features of feline lungworm infection. Methods Medical records of cats with lungworm diagnosis, thoracic radiography and without concurrent diseases between 2013 and 2015 were reviewed. Collection of data included physical examination, haematology, serum biochemistry, therapy with a variety of anthelmintics and outcomes. Results Thirty-seven records were recovered and 26 were included in the study. Single infections by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus (n = 15), Troglostrongylus brevior (n = 3) and Capillaria aerophila (n = 1) and coinfections by T brevior/ A abstrusus (n = 6) and T brevior/ C aerophila (n = 1) were diagnosed. The most common respiratory signs were coughing (n = 12), increased vesicular sounds (n = 10), dyspnoea (n = 9), such as laboured breathing, orthopnoea or open-mouth breathing, and tachypnoea (n = 6). Two cats were subclinically infected. The most common laboratory abnormality was anaemia (n = 7). Radiographic patterns recorded were interstitial (n = 24), bronchial (n = 21), alveolar (n = 10) and vascular (n = 2). Twenty-five cats had a complete recovery within 2-6 weeks of therapy. One kitten died 7 days after the diagnosis. Conclusions and relevance Lungworms should always be included in the differential diagnosis in cats living in endemic areas and presenting with respiratory signs and radiographic abnormalities. A copromicroscopic examination should be considered as the first diagnostic step for all cats at risk of lungworm infections. In most cases, timely therapy with a variety of anthelmintics guarantees recovery.

Invasive pleural malignant mesothelioma with rib destruction and concurrent osteosarcoma in a dog.

A 7-year-old Dachshund was clinically examined because of a 10-day history of lameness in the left hind limb. On the basis of radiological and cytological findings, an osteosarcoma of the left acetabular region was suspected. The dog underwent a hemipelvectomy and osteosarcoma was diagnosed by subsequent histopathological examination. An immovable subcutaneous mass was noted on the left chest wall during the physical examination and non-septic neutrophilic inflammation was diagnosed by cytology. Forty days later, the dog showed signs of respiratory distress with an in-diameter increase of the subcutaneous mass up to 4 cm. Thoracic radiography and ultrasonography revealed pleural effusion and a lytic process in the fourth left rib. Furthermore, ultrasound examination revealed a mixed echogenic mobile structure with a diameter of around 2 cm floating within the pleural fluid of the left hemithorax close to the pericardium. The dog underwent surgery for an en bloc resection of the subcutaneous mass together with the fourth rib and the parietal pleura. Moreover, the left altered lung lobe, corresponding to the mobile structure detected by ultrasound, was removed. Based on cytological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical examinations, an invasive epithelioid pleural malignant mesothelioma was diagnosed.

Irreversible pulmonary hypertension associated with Troglostrongylus brevior infection in a kitten.

A four month-old kitten was referred at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Teramo, Italy. Physical examination, echocardiography, thoracic radiography, copromicroscopy and biomolecular assays led to a diagnosis of severe parasitic bronchopneumonia by Troglostrongylus brevior complicated by pulmonary hypertension. A single administration of a spot on solution containing imidacloprid 10%/moxidectin 1% was effective in stopping larval shedding but clinical, radiographic and echocardiographic signs of bronchopneumonia and pulmonary hypertension still persisted after further follow-ups.While cases of pulmonary hypertension are known in infections by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, this is the first report of irreversible pulmonary hypertension in a kitten with troglostrongylosis.

Detection by hemi-nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and genetic characterization of wild type strains of Canine distemper virus in suspected infected dogs.

A new highly sensitive and specific hemi-nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was applied to detect nucleoprotein (NP) gene of Canine distemper virus (CDV) in samples collected from dogs showing respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological signs. Thirty-eight out of 86 samples were positive suggesting that despite the vaccination, canine distemper may still represent a high risk to the canine population. The 968 base pair (bp) fragments from the hemagglutinin (H) gene of 10 viral strains detected in positive samples were amplified and analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using AluI and PsiI enzymes in order to differentiate among vaccine and wild-type CDV strains and to characterize the field viral strains. The products of the both enzymatic digestions allowed identification all viruses as wild strains of CDV. In addition, the RFLP analysis with AluI provided additional information about the identity level among the strains analyzed on the basis of the positions of the cleavage site in the nucleotide sequences of the H gene. The method could be a more useful and simpler method for molecular studies of CDV strains.

Autochthonous foci of canine and feline infections by Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in central Italy.

This survey was conducted to investigate the presence of Dirofilaria immitis and Dirofilaria repens in native dogs and cats living in an area of Italy where animal and human dirofilarioses have been sporadically reported in the past few years. From May 2008 to March 2009 individual blood samples were collected from 300 native cats and 300 native dogs in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. All 600 samples were subjected to a Knott modified method, to a test for the detection of circulating D. immitis antigen and to two species-specific PCR-coupled sequencing protocols. Epidemiological data were collected and then correlated with the filarial prevalence by univariate and multivariate statistical analyses. Twenty-five dogs (8.3%) and six cats (2%) were positive for filariae in at least one diagnostic test, with an overall prevalence rate for D. immitis and D. repens of 2.3% and 5.6% in dogs and 0.3% and 1.6% in cats, respectively. Male and large sized dogs resulted more likely to be infected by Dirofilaria spp., possibly due to the fact that animals living outdoor and of large size are more exposed to mosquito bites. However these factors were not confirmed as convincing risk factors by multivariate analysis. The results are discussed, together with the origin of these new autochthonous foci in central Italy and the present expansion southward of canine and feline filariae in Italy.

5-Aminoisoquinolin-1(2H)-one, a water-soluble poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor reduces the evolution of experimental periodontitis in rats.

BACKGROUND: Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), a nuclear enzyme activated by strand breaks in DNA, plays an important role in the tissue injury associated with ischaemia-reperfusion and inflammation. Recent studies have demonstrated that PARP activation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of acute periodontal injury. AIM: We have investigated the effect of 5-aminoisoquinolin-1(2H)-one (5-AIQ), a water-soluble PARP inhibitor, in a rat model of periodontitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Periodontitis was induced in rats by placing a 2/0 braided silk ligature around the lower left first molar. At day eight, the gingivomucosal tissue encircling the mandibular first molar was removed for biochemical and histological analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Ligation significantly induced an increased neutrophil infiltration and a positive staining for PARP activation. Ligation significantly increased Evans blue extravasation in gingivomucosal tissue and alveolar bone destruction. Intraperitonial injection of 5-aminoisoquinolin-1(2H)-one (5-AIQ) (5 mg/kg daily for eight days) significantly decreased all of the parameters of inflammation as described above. This suggests that inhibition of PARP may represent a novel approach for the treatment of periodontal disease.