Antibiotic dry buffalo therapy: effect of intramammary administration of benzathine cloxacillin against Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in dairy water buffalo.

BACKGROUND: Mastitis is one of the most costly diseases in Mediterranean buffalo (MB). At present, just a few specific antibiotics registered for this dairy specie have been synthetized. Efficacy of an antibiotic dry buffalo therapy (aDBT) against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) mastitis, based on intra-quarter administration of 600 mg of benzathine cloxacillin, have been evaluated for the first time. Eighty MB's quarters received a drying-off therapy (aDBT-group) and 80 were left untreated (no-aDBT-group). They were sampled at drying-off (pre-treatment) and at the resumption of milking [< 10 days in milk (DIM)]. Fresh calver mastitis rate, dry period new mastitis rate, dry period cure rate, and persistent mastitis rate were calculated for clinical monitoring. Overall proportion of positive quarters/animals, quarters affected by mastitis or intramammary infections (IMI), effects on somatic cell count (SCC) and milk yield were also assessed. RESULTS: An inter-group difference (aDBT vs. no-aDBT) was recorded for all the indexes considered. An intra-group (drying-off vs. < 10 DIM) difference was detected in aDBT-group regarding the proportion of positive-cultured quarters and animals. Concerning the latter, an inter-groups difference was also recorded at second sampling. No clinical mastitis due to the S. aureus was observed. Regarding the subclinical ones, a higher intra-group difference was observed in aDBT than no-aDBT group, while an inter-group difference was recorded at second sampling. No protective effect was observed against IMI. SCC showed an inter-group difference at second sampling, while none difference was instead detected for milk yield. CONCLUSIONS: The effects against S. aureus mastitis of benzathine cloxacillin administration at drying-off were assessed for the first time in MB. Its use shows encouraging results in reducing the proportion of mastitis and positive animals at the resumption of the lactation.

Validation of a noseband pressure sensor algorithm as a tool for evaluation of feeding behaviour in dairy Mediterranean buffalo (Bubalus Bubalis).

This research communication addresses the goal of validating an algorithm to monitor natural occurrence of feeding behaviours in dairy Mediterranean buffalo based on the output of a noseband pressure sensor (RumiWatch®, halter). Several characteristics of the feeding behaviour were detected with a very high (ruminating boluses), high (chews per bolus) and moderate degree of correlation (chews per minute) with video analyses (gold standard). All of them were associated with a low mean difference with the gold standard, and the mean relative measurement error ranged between low (ruminating boluses) and moderate (chews per bolus and chews per minute). The proportion of correctly detected events for the variables rumination and eating time was 98 and 99%, respectively. The collection of data and subsequent evaluation of the parameters investigated may provide objective information on Mediterranean Buffalo behaviours allowing for reliable studies of the animal welfare in this ruminant in the future.

Assessing lung consolidation in goats using different ultrasonographic techniques.

Goats are often affected by respiratory diseases and, despite ultrasonography can assess lung consolidations in several species, it is rarely used in these animals. So, this study evaluated the effectiveness of on-farm lung ultrasonography in detecting lung consolidations on 27 goats. The goats, scheduled for slaughter, underwent complete clinical examinations and lung ultrasonography. For the latter, both sides of the thorax were divided in four quadrants and examined using convex and linear probes before and after shaving the hair. Each quadrant was classified based on presence/absence of lung consolidation and maximum consolidation's depth (4-point scale: 0 healthy; 1 depth < 1 cm; 2 depth < 3 cm; 3 depth > 3 cm). The lungs were examined at necropsy, 66% of goats exhibited lung consolidations and sensitivity (83%-89%), specificity (100%), and κ coefficient values (0.67-0.72) were high with all techniques. An higher (p ≤ 0.01) percentage of class 1 lesions were found at necropsy compared to all the ultrasonographic techniques. All the ultrasonographic techniques effectively detected lung consolidation deeper than 1 cm. So, ultrasonography seems an effective tool for lung examination in goats with chronic pneumonia. The examination using the linear or the convex probes without shaving the hair could be a promising tool for the on-field diagnosis of pneumonia, although further research on larger sample sizes are necessary to validate these findings.

Ocular Ultrasonography in Healthy Calves with Different Transducers.

Ocular ultrasonography is seldom performed in cattle. Here, we compared three ultrasound probes (linear, convex, transrectal gynecological) for the measurement of eight eye biometry parameters on vertical and horizontal scans. The sample population was 20 healthy calves (n = 10 Holstein, n = 10 Piedmontese breed). Intragroup (same probe for vertical vs. horizontal scanning) and intergroup (different probes measuring the same biometric parameter) comparisons were performed using Student's t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Intragroup comparison revealed few significant differences. Ultrasound examination with the convex transducer detected more differences than either of the two other probes on vertical (linear six out of eight; transrectal gynecological four out of eight) and horizontal (linear six out of eight; transrectal gynecological six out of eight) scans. Similar results were obtained for both breeds. More non-valuable parameters on the horizontal (77 out of 320, 24%) and the vertical (85 out of 320, 26%) (p ≤ 0.001) scans were obtained with the convex transducer. Both linear transducers were found comparable for ocular ultrasonography in field conditions. However, given its widespread application in the field, the transrectal gynecological transducer may offer veterinarians the added advantage of familiarity and ease-of-use without any additional costs.

A novel machine learning-based web application for field identification of infectious and inflammatory disorders of the central nervous system in cattle.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) infections in cattle are a major cause of economic loss and mortality. Machine learning (ML) techniques are gaining widespread application in solving predictive tasks in both human and veterinary medicine. OBJECTIVES: Our primary aim was to develop and compare ML models that could predict the likelihood of a CNS disorder of infectious or inflammatory origin in neurologically-impaired cattle. Our secondary aim was to create a user-friendly web application based on the ML model for the diagnosis of infection and inflammation of the CNS. ANIMALS: Ninety-eight cattle with CNS infection and 86 with CNS disorders of other origin. METHODS: Retrospective observational study. Six different ML methods (logistic regression [LR]; support vector machine [SVM]; random forest [RF]; multilayer perceptron [MLP]; K-nearest neighbors [KNN]; gradient boosting [GB]) were compared for their ability to predict whether an infectious or inflammatory disease was present based on demographics, neurological examination findings, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. RESULTS: All 6 methods had high prediction accuracy (≥80%). The accuracy of the LR model was significantly higher (0.843 ± 0.005; receiver operating characteristic [ROC] curve 0.907 ± 0.005 ) than the other models and was selected for implementation in a web application. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Our findings support the use of ML algorithms as promising tools for veterinarians to improve diagnosis. The open-access web application may aid clinicians in achieving correct diagnosis of infectious and inflammatory neurological disorders in livestock, with the added benefit of promoting appropriate use of antimicrobials.

Assessment of feeding, ruminating and locomotion behaviors in dairy cows around calving - a retrospective clinical study to early detect spontaneous disease appearance.

The study aims to verify the usefulness of new intervals-based algorithms for clinical interpretation of animal behavior in dairy cows around calving period. Thirteen activities associated with feeding-ruminating-locomotion-behaviors of 42 adult Holstein-Friesian cows were continuously monitored for the week (wk) -2, wk -1 and wk +1 relative to calving (overall 30'340 min/animal). Soon after, animals were retrospectively assigned to group-S (at least one spontaneous diseases; n = 24) and group-H (healthy; n = 18). The average activities performed by the groups, recorded by RumiWatch® halter and pedometer, were compared at the different weekly intervals. The average activities on the day of clinical diagnosis (dd0), as well as one (dd-1) and two days before (dd-2) were also assessed. Differences of dd0 vs. dd-1 (ΔD1), dd0 vs. wk -1 (ΔD2), and wk +1 vs. wk -1 (Δweeks) were calculated. Variables showing significant differences between the groups were used for a univariate logistic regression, a receiver operating characteristic analysis, and a multivariate logistic regression model. At wk +1 and dd0, eating- and ruminating-time, eating- and ruminate-chews and ruminating boluses were significantly lower in group-S as compared to group-H, while other activity time was higher. For ΔD2 and Δweeks, the differences of eating- and ruminating-time, as well as of eating-and ruminate-chews were significantly lower in group-S as compared to group-H. Concerning the locomotion behaviors, the lying time was significantly higher in group-S vs. group-H at wk +1 and dd-2. The number of strides was significantly lower in group-S compared to group-H at wk +1. The model including eating-chews, ruminate-chews and other activity time reached the highest accuracy in detecting sick cows in wk +1 (area under the curve: 81%; sensitivity: 73.7%; specificity: 82.4%). Some of the new algorithms for the clinical interpretation of cow behaviour as described in this study may contribute to monitoring animals' health around calving.

Constant rate infusion of diazepam or propofol for the management of canine cluster seizures or status epilepticus.

Introduction: Cluster seizures (CS) and status epilepticus (SE) in dogs are severe neurological emergencies that require immediate treatment. Practical guidelines call for constant rate infusion (CRI) of benzodiazepines or propofol (PPF) in patients with seizures not responding to first-line treatment, but to date only few studies have investigated the use of CRI in dogs with epilepsy. Study design: Retrospective clinical study. Methods: Dogs that received CRI of diazepam (DZP) or PPF for antiepileptic treatment during hospitalization at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Turin for CS or SE between September 2016 and December 2019 were eligible for inclusion. Favorable outcome was defined as cessation of clinically visible seizure activity within few minutes from the initiation of the CRI, no seizure recurrence within 24 h after discontinuation of CRI through to hospital discharge, and clinical recovery. Poor outcome was defined as recurrence of seizure activity despite treatment or death in hospital because of recurrent seizures, catastrophic consequences of prolonged seizures or no return to an acceptable neurological and clinical baseline, despite apparent control of seizure activity. Comparisons between the number of patients with favorable outcome and those with poor outcome in relation to type of CRI, seizure etiology, reason for presentation (CS or SE), sex, previous AED therapy and dose of PPF CRI were carried out. Results: A total of 37 dogs, with 50 instances of hospitalization and CRI administered for CS or SE were included in the study. CRI of diazepam (DZP) or PPF was administered in 29/50 (58%) and in 21/50 (42%) instances of hospitalization, respectively. Idiopathic epilepsy was diagnosed in 21/37 (57%), (13/21 tier I and 8/21 tier II); structural epilepsy was diagnosed in 6/37 (16%) of which 4/6 confirmed and 2/6 suspected. A metabolic or toxic cause of seizure activity was recorded in 7/37 (19%). A total of 38/50 (76%) hospitalizations were noted for CS and 12/50 (24%) for SE. In 30/50 (60%) instances of hospitalization, the patient responded well to CRI with cessation of seizure activity, no recurrence in the 24 h after discontinuation of CRI through to hospital discharge, whereas a poor outcome was recorded for 20/50 (40%) cases (DZP CRI in 12/50 and PPF CRI in 8/50). Comparison between the number of patients with favorable outcome and those with poor outcome in relation to type of CRI, seizure etiology, reason for presentation (CS or SE), sex and previous AED therapy was carried out but no statistically significant differences were found. Conclusions: The present study is the first to document administration of CRI of DZP or PPF in a large sample of dogs with epilepsy. The medications appeared to be tolerated without major side effects and helped control seizure activity in most patients regardless of seizure etiology. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of CRI duration on outcome and complications.

Fast Focus Ultrasound Liver Technique for the Assessment of Cystic Echinococcosis in Sheep.

A complete ultrasound examination (cUS) of the liver was performed on 172 female sheep and compared to the performance of a fast-focused ultrasound technique to diagnose echinococcal cysts. The scanned area was divided in: HYP (right hypocondrium), zone (Z)1 from HYP to the 11th intercostal space (IS), Z2 (10th-8th IS) and Z3 (7th-5th IS). Contiguous scans were also examined (HYP + Z1, Z1 + Z2, Z2 + Z3). Furthermore, during the procedures, the sheep were divided into three groups according to the body weight: Group (G) 1 (lighter), G2 (medium), and G3 (heavier). Finally, diagnostic outcomes were compared with necropsy findings. cUS obtained the highest values of sensitivity (Se) (91%), Specificity (Sp) (80%), and positive-zones (124/138, 90%), as compared to the other scans. cUS was also characterized by high values of Se and Sp and was able to identify a great number of positive-zones, when sheep were divided by body-weight groups. Similar performances were obtained in G1 by HYP (Se: 91%-Sp: 82%; 18/20, 90% of positive-zones) and HYP + Z1 scans (Se: 91%-Sp: 82; 90% of positive-zones, 18/20). Thus, in lighter breeds, the examination of HYP and HYP + Z1 scan windows could be considered reliable techniques for identifying the infected animals, while in heavier sheep the cUS still represents the best option.

Seroprevalence and Clinical Outcomes of Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii and Besnoitia besnoiti Infections in Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis).

One hundred twenty-four water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) originating from 9 farms located in southern Italy were tested to investigate simultaneously, for the first time, the seroprevalence of the protozoa Neospora caninum, Toxoplasma gondii and Besnoitia besnoiti by ELISA tests and to evaluate the clinical findings potentially associated to the presence of these aborting parasitic pathogens. Twenty-five of 124 buffaloes (20.2%) were positive for N. caninum, while 17/124 (13.7%) for T. gondii. No buffalo showed specific antibodies for B. besnoiti. Nineteen of 124 animals (15.3%) were found seropositive for both T. gondii and N. caninum. The univariate statistical analysis showed that the seroprevalence of N. caninum is significantly associated with abortion and presence of retained foetal membranes, while the seroprevalence of T. gondii is significantly associated with an increase of days open. The logistic regression models showed that the co-infection by N. caninum and T. gondii strengthened the abortive effects (OR = 7.330) and showed further negative effects on the parameter embryonic death (OR = 2.607). The outcome revealed herein represents a high exposure of N. caninum and T. gondii in water buffaloes with reproduction disorders that deserves attention for both economic reasons, animal health and welfare.

Clinical efficacy and pharmacokinetics of meloxicam in Mediterranean buffalo calves (Bubalus bubalis).

The aims of the investigation were to establish for the first time (i) clinical efficacy and (ii) pharmacokinetic profile of meloxicam intravenously (IV) administered in male Mediterranean buffalo calves after surgical orchiectomy. The study was performed on 10 healthy buffalo calves, between 4 and 5 months old and between 127 and 135 kg of body weight (b.w.). An IV injection of 0.5 mg/kg b.w. of meloxicam was administered in six calves (treated group, TG) immediately after surgery; the other four animals were used as untreated control group (CG). The clinical efficacy of meloxicam was evaluated pre- and post-surgery by monitoring respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), rectal temperature (T°C), serum cortisol levels (SCL) and pain score (PS). Significant inter-groups differences were detected at sampling times (T): 4 hour (h) for RR (P<0.05), at T1-4-6-8 h for PS (P<0.05) and at T4-6-8 h for SCL (P < 0.0001). Regarding the mean intra-group values observed pre (T0) and post-surgery (from T15 min to T72 h), significant difference between the groups were found for RR (P<0.01), PS and SCL (P<0.05). The pharmacokinetic profile was best fitted by a two-compartmental model and characterized by a fast distribution half-life and slow elimination half-life (0.09 ± 0.06 h and 21.51 ± 6.4 h, respectively) and meloxicam mean concentrations at 96 h was of 0.18 ± 0.14 µg/mL. The volume of distribution and clearance values were quite low, but reasonably homogenous among individuals (Vdss 142.31 ± 55.08 mL/kg and ClB 4.38 ± 0.95 mL/kg/h, respectively). The IV administration of meloxicam in buffalo calves shows encouraging effects represented by significant and prolonged analgesic effects, significant reduction of SCL as well as similar pharmacokinetic profile to bovine calves.