[Evaluation of a woman's care program after pre-eclampsia]. / Évaluation d'un parcours de soin chez la femme au décours d'une prééclampsie.

INTRODUCTION: The medical treatment of preeclampsia is well structured in its acute phase but the required follow-up with patients in post-partum is discussed. However, preeclampsia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbi-mortality in the long term. In order to optimize the post-partum treatment, a care program has been developed for these patients in the city of Nantes, France. This includes a check-up of the cardiovascular risks at a day hospital. Our study presents the first results of this program. METHODS: The study included 134 patients who were diagnosed with preeclampsia between October 2016 and January 2019 in the Nantes area, France, and took part in the program within the year following their childbirth. A descriptive analysis was first carried out and then a multivariate logistic regression model was used to investigate the risk factors for persistent high blood pressure after preeclampsia. RESULTS: The study detected 28 cases of persistent hypertension (20.9%), 34 cases of obesity (25.3%) and 1 case of diabetes. Hypertension was predominantly diastolic, mild and sometimes masked (35.7%). In a third of the cases (32.1%), the hypertension was secondary. High blood pressure was found to be more frequent in older patients (OR: 2.26; 95% CI: 1.25-4.11, p=0.072), patients from sub-Saharan Africa (OR: 11.52; 95% CI: 2.67-49.86, p=0.01) and multiparous patients (OR: 7.82; 95% CI: 1.15-53.21, p=0.035). CONCLUSION: The study confirmed that this care program enables an earlier detection and therefore treatment of the cardiovascular risk factors of these young women.

[Vaccination against infectious bronchitis in young chickens--carriers or not of maternal antibodies]. / Vaccination contre la bronchite infectieuse de jeunes poussins--porteurs ou non d'anticorps maternels.

The immunity to infectious bronchitis afforded by spray vaccination of mycoplasma free two days-old broilers with maternal antibodies to infectious bronchitis virus was tested by comparing zootechnical scores, clinical signs, macroscopical and microscopical changes, frequency of infectious bronchitis virus isolation following challenge at one, three and five weeks of age in vaccinated, unvaccinated, challenged and unchallenged birds. This vaccination gave a very good protection to infectious bronchitis for the most part of broiler economical life; growth delays were especially avoided. However, vaccinated and unvaccinated one-week-old birds were not protected enough. No correlation was observed between haemagglutinating antibodies titres and protection. At last this vaccination caused a notable reaction in specific pathogen free control birds of the same age.

Efficacy of tilmicosin in the control of experimental Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection in chickens.

This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of 5-day, "in water" tilmicosin medication for the prevention of experimental Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) disease in 10-day-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. Birds were inoculated intratracheally and into the sinus with the MG R-P10 strain. A limited dose titration of the antibiotic over the expected effective range was included, using six groups of 60 birds each: UI: uninfected untreated group; IUT: infected untreated group; IT1 to IT4: four infected treated groups, which were administered 50, 100, 200, or 300 mg/liter of tilmicosin. The birds were given tilmicosin from 8 to 13 days of age and were inoculated at 10 days of age. The birds were observed for 11 days postchallenge before terminal postmortem examination was completed including, assessment of lesions and sampling for mycoplasma culture and serology. Body-weight gains of the different groups were compared. The results showed that tilmicosin medication at dose levels of 50-300 mg/liter significantly decreased growth losses and respiratory signs due to MG infection (P < 0.05). Significant reduction in air sac and peritonitis lesions were obtained by treatment with 100, 200 or 300 mg/liter for 5 days (P < 0.05). A significant reduction in the proportion of MG-culture-positive birds was obtained at a dose level of 50 mg/liter (P < 0.05). Increasing the dose resulted in a further decrease in the number of MG shedding chickens to the extent that with the two highest doses of tilmicosin, no bird was serologically positive on day 21, compared to 46/58 positively infected untreated birds (day 21).

Dose titration study of enrofloxacin (Baytril) against respiratory colibacillosis in Muscovy ducks.

Four-week-old specific-pathogen-free Muscovy ducks were inoculated with reovirus. One week later, they were inoculated intratracheally with a O78:K80 strain of Escherichia coli. The next day, they were given enrofloxacin at different doses in the drinking water. Comparison of mortality rates, weight gain, macroscopic lesions, and E. coli re-isolations among treated and untreated birds showed that a 5-day treatment course with 12.5 or 25 ppm enrofloxacin in water for 4 hours in the morning provided good therapeutic efficacy against respiratory colibacillosis.

Experimental infection of chickens with an atypical Mycoplasma gallisepticum strain: comparison of diagnostic methods.

Fifteen chickens were inoculated with the atypical Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) K703 strain. On different dates post inoculation, tracheal swab samples were collected for mycoplasma culture and blood samples were analysed by slide agglutination test (SA) with commercial or homologous antigen and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with three different kits. Results showed that MG isolation rate was low on several sampling dates. The SA with commercial antigen did not yield positive results, although birds were positive when tested with homologous antigen. With commercial ELISA kits, the numbers of positive samples remained low. These results illustrate the difficulty of diagnosis of infections with such MG variant strains.

Efficacy of danofloxacin in the therapy of experimental mycoplasmosis in chicks.

Specific pathogen free day-old chicks were inoculated with a virulent strain of Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Birds received either danofloxacin (50 ppm), tylosin (500 ppm) or no medication in the drinking water from 24 hours after infection for three days. The effects of medication on mortality, weight gain, serology, lesions and reisolation of M gallisepticum 21 days following infection were studied. Treatment with danofloxacin and tylosin significantly decreased mortality and increased weight gain compared with infected unmedicated birds. Twenty-one days after infection, M gallisepticum was isolated from 96 per cent of unmedicated birds compared with only 6 per cent of danofloxacin-treated and 40 per cent of tylosin-treated birds, and the percentage showing positive serological tests was reduced from 100 per cent of unmedicated birds to 0 per cent of danofloxacin-treated and 29 per cent of tylosin-treated birds. In both cases, the proportion of positive birds from the danofloxacin-treated group was significantly lower than that from the tylosin-treated group. The occurrence of air sac lesions was also significantly lower in danofloxacin-treated than in tylosin-treated birds.

Comparison of antigenic and pathogenic properties of Mycoplasma iowae strains and development of a PCR-based detection assay.

The six reference strains of Mycoplasma iowae (I, J, K, N, Q and R) and 12 field strains, most of them isolated from turkeys, were studied with a growth-inhibition test and a dot immunobinding test with rabbit antisera to the different serovars of M iowae, 16S rDNA gene amplification by polymerase chain reaction, and pathogenicity for chicken or turkey embryos. Antigenic tests tended to be strain specific and showed that most field strains were closely related to serovars K or N. The two pairs of primers chosen in 16S rDNA guided the amplification of 332 base pairs (bp) or 892 bp fragments from all the M iowae strains tested. All the field strains tested were highly pathogenic for turkey embryos.

[Risk for the transmission of Newcastle disease by contaminated poultry products]. / Risques de transmission de la maladie de Newcastle par des produits avicoles contaminés.

Poultry products contaminated with pathogenic strains of Newcastle disease virus are a source of virus transmission to susceptible poultry flocks. The probability of contamination varies according to the type of product. Research conducted by various laboratories in Europe has shown that pathogenic virus can be isolated from the carcasses of chickens, whether vaccinated or not, during a brief period after experimental infection. Eggs laid by hens infected with Newcastle disease virus present a very low risk. Furthermore, feathers, bones, blood and offal present potential risks if they are incorporated in poultry feed. Finally, poultry droppings used as a fertiliser can present a major risk of infection in certain circumstances.

[Evaluation of post-vaccinal immunity against infectious bronchitis in chickens reared conventionally: comparative study of four serological techniques]. / Evaluation de l'immunite post-vaccinale bronchite infectieuse chez des volailles elevees conventionnellement--etude comparee de quatre techniques serologiques.

Four tests (agar gel precipitin, seroneutralisation alpha, seroneutralisation beta, and haemagglutination-inhibition) were used to detect antibodies to avian infectious bronchitis from 3 weeks to 40 weeks of age in four breeder flocks which were given four different vaccination programmes against infectious bronchitis. During the rearing period to 20-22 weeks of age, birds were kept on the ground in isolation. Then, most of them were housed conventionally during the laying period except for 25 birds from each flock which were kept in the laboratory in strict isolation and challenged at 28 weeks old. During the rearing period variations in antibody titres were recorded according to the vaccination programme and tests used; these are discussed. Irrespective of vaccines and programmes used, low titres were observed after vaccination, as measured by seroneutralisation and haemagglutination-inhibition tests, except in one flock in which infection with extraneous infectious bronchitis virus may have occurred. In conventionally reared birds in the laying period, irrespective of the previous vaccinal response, a progressive increase of antibody titres was recorded, as measured by seroneutralisation and haemagglutination inhibition tests and titres reached a high level; at each time the agar gel precipitin test gave positive results. It is suggested that the occurrence of natural infection may explain these results more readily than vaccine virus spread from bird to bird. In birds kept in strict isolation from their arrival in the laboratory at 20-22 weeks of age until challenge at 28 weeks of age, antibody titres decreased. After challenge, high antibody titres were recorded as measured by seroneutralisation alpha and beta and haemagglutination-inhibition tests in all four groups and they persisted at a high level until 40 weeks of age, when the study was terminated; however, the agar gel precipitin responses varied greatly according to groups. Protection also varied between groups and correlations between antibody titres and protection are discussed. It is confirmed that the haemagglutination inhibition test appears to be a very useful test in diagnosis.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection in drug-treated chickens: comparison of diagnosis methods including polymerase chain reaction.

Ten chickens were inoculated with Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and treated with enrofloxacine. On eight different dates post-inoculation (PI), tracheal swab samples were collected for mycoplasma culture or detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and blood samples were analysed by slide-agglutination test (SA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results showed that culture and PCR detected MG from 14/80 or 20/80 samples, respectively. The last culture-positive sample was collected on day 26 PI, whereas PCR still gave positive results on day 54 PI. This difference may be attributed to the high sensitivity of PCR and to its ability to detect non-viable or non-culturable pathogens. Sera were SA positive as early as 5 days PI and some of them remained positive up to day 47 PI. ELISA detected 53 suspicious or positive sera.

Evaluation of different turkey rhinotracheitis viruses used as antigens for serological testing following live vaccination and challenge.

Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) developed in the authors' laboratory for turkey rhinotracheitis serological testing, a commercial ELISA kit, and two virus-neutralization (VN) assays were compared with respect to the efficiency of these assays for serological monitoring in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) turkeys inoculated with four pathogenic isolates of turkey rhinotracheitis virus, with or without previous live vaccination. Both the live vaccine and the different isolates of virus were shown to induce antibody rises, the detectability of which varied depending on the ELISA or VN assay used for serological testing. The results show that 3 weeks after vaccination with an attenuated strain, the choice of an inadequate antigen for serological testing may be the cause of an apparent lack of immunogenicity of the vaccine, and that 2 weeks after challenge, such a choice in ELISA can also hinder the early diagnosis of a TRT virus infection in both vaccinated and unvaccinated turkeys.

[Safety and potency of different vaccines against avian infectious laryngotracheitis]. / Innocuite et activite de differents vaccins de la laryngotracheite infectieuse aviaire.

The safety spreading properties and potency of three commercial vaccines used for the prevention of avian infectious laryngotracheitis have been studied. Results showed that the different strains are not safe when administrated by the intratracheal route; when administrated by the ocular route, the vaccinal reaction was limited to a transitory conjunctivitis. Under certain conditions of proximity the vaccine viruses spread from vaccinated to contact chickens. Good protection was afforded by vaccination by ocular route, but not when the vaccines were administrated in the drinking water. There was concordance between the level of protection following vaccination and the neutralising antibodies titres. The protection was relatively short-lived: 10 to 15 weeks after vaccination, half of challenged birds showed clinical signs of the disease, and 20 weeks after vaccination all of them were sick.