Reference intervals for hematological and biochemical analytes in a single herd of clinically healthy gelding donkeys in Saint Kitts.

There is a large population of donkeys in Saint Kitts; however, hematological and biochemical reference intervals (RIs) are lacking. This study addressed this deficiency by following the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology RI guidelines. Sixty-six healthy, gelding standard donkeys with a median and interquartile range age of 5 years (3.5 - 8 years) and a mean ± standard deviation body weighed of 156 ± 16.7 kg were used to produce a five-part differential complete blood count using an impedance-based analyzer. Clinical chemistry analytes were quantified using a photometric-based analyzer utilizing two reagent rotors that determined 14 and 11 analytes, respectively. An electrochemical-based analyzer quantified chloride, sodium and potassium. Reference intervals were computed using Reference Value Advisor. Results of analytes determined using different rotors/analyzers were assessed using Passing-Bablok regression and Bland-Altman plot analyses. Reference intervals for 43 hematological and biochemical analytes were generated. Reference intervals for hematocrit, red blood cells, white blood cells, total protein, glucose, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine were 23.67% - 38.08%, 4.08 - 6.42 1012/L, 4.7 - 12.34 109/L, 5.84 - 6.93 g/dL, 64.7 - 130.9 mg/dL, 11.1 - 13.4 mg/dL, and 0.67 - 1.36 mg/dL, respectively. There was good agreement between detection system for albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transferase, total protein, globulin, and potassium, but not for blood urea nitrogen, calcium, creatinine kinase, and sodium. This study is the first to establish hematological and biochemical RIs in donkeys in Saint Kitts. These values will be useful for clinical decision-making.

A preliminary investigation into the prognostic relevance of symmetric dimethylarginine in critically ill dogs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if there is an association between the concentration of symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) in dogs measured at the time of admission with the severity of critical illness and short-term mortality. DESIGN: This prospective observational study recruited critically ill dogs with heterogeneous diagnoses and then classified their disease severity using the acute patient physiologic and laboratory evaluation complete score as having either a good (<30) or poor (≥30) prognosis. SETTING: This study was conducted at Ross University Veterinary Clinic between January and November 2015. ANIMALS: After exclusion of dogs diagnosed with acute kidney injury, 22 critically ill dogs and 7 control dogs were included in the study. INTERVENTIONS: Each dog was assigned an acute patient physiologic and laboratory evaluation score calculated by the summation of individual scores allocated to selected clinical, focused assessment by sonography, hematological, and biochemistry results. Plasma SDMA concentrations were measured for all dogs at the time of admission. MEASUREMENT AND MAIN RESULTS: There was no difference identified in SDMA concentrations between dogs with a severe category of disease as compared to mild to moderate category, or critically ill dogs compared to control dogs. There was also no difference identified in SDMA concentrations in survivors as compared to nonsurvivors. Similarly, SDMA concentration was not higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors (P = 0.968). In this population of dogs, SDMA was not a prognostic indicator. CONCLUSION: Further work may be warranted in specific populations of animals but based upon this work SDMA is likely of little relevance.

Improved Broth Microdilution Method for Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Francisella Noatunensis Orientalis.

In this project we optimized a minimal inhibitory concentration testing protocol for Francisella noatunensis orientalis. Thirty-three F. noatunensis orientalis isolates recovered from different fish species and locations were tested, and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was used as a quality control reference strain. A modified cation-adjusted Mueller Hinton broth supplemented with 2% IsoVitalex and 0.1% glucose (MMH) was tested at a pH of 6.4 ± 0.1, 7.1 ± 0.1, and 7.3 ± 0.1. Growth curves generated for F. noatunensis orientalis indicated that MMH at a pH of 6.4 ± 0.1 provided optimal growth. There were no significant differences in the growth curves obtained from isolates recovered from different fish species or from fresh or marine water. The pH of 6.4 ± 0.1 in the MMH media interfered with the inhibitory properties of the potentiated sulfonamides (ormetoprim-sulfadimethoxine and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) when using the E. coli ATCC reference strain. Minimal inhibitory concentrations of eight antimicrobials (gentamicin, enrofloxacin, ampicillin, oxytetracycline, erythromycin, florfenicol, flumequine, and oxolinic acid) were similar for all F. noatunensis orientalis isolates. The in vitro susceptibility data provided here can provide a baseline for monitoring the development of antimicrobial resistance among F. noatunensis orientalis isolates, as well as provide valuable data in the development of potential therapeutics. Received October 27, 2015; accepted April 13, 2016.

Multispecies Epidemiologic Surveillance Study after an Outbreak of Yersiniosis at an African Green Monkey Research Facility.

After an outbreak of Yersinia enterocolitica at a NHP research facility, we performed a multispecies investigation of the prevalence of Yersinia spp. in various mammals that resided or foraged on the grounds of the facility, to better understand the epizootiology of yersiniosis. Blood samples and fecal and rectal swabs were obtained from 105 captive African green monkeys (AGM), 12 feral cats, 2 dogs, 20 mice, 12 rats, and 3 mongooses. Total DNA extracted from swab suspensions served as template for the detection of Y. enterocolitica DNA by real-time PCR. Neither Y. enterocolitica organisms nor their DNA were detected from any of these samples. However, Western blotting revealed the presence of Yersinia antibodies in plasma. The AGM samples revealed a seroprevalence of 91% for Yersinia spp. and of 61% for Y. enterocolitica specifically. The AGM that were housed in cages where at least one fatality occurred during the outbreak (clinical group) had similar seroprevalence to that of AGM housed in unaffected cages (nonclinical group). However, the nonclinical group was older than the clinical group. In addition, 25%, 100%, 33%, 10%, and 10% of the sampled local cats, dogs, mongooses, rats, and mice, respectively, were seropositive. The high seroprevalence after this outbreak suggests that Y. enterocolitica was transmitted effectively through the captive AGM population and that age was an important risk factor for disease. Knowledge regarding local environmental sources of Y. enterocolitica and the possible role of wildlife in the maintenance of yersiniosis is necessary to prevent and manage this disease.

Phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity among Streptococcus iniae isolates recovered from cultured and wild fish in North America, Central America and the Caribbean islands.

Streptococcus iniae, the etiological agent of streptococcosis in fish, is an important pathogen of cultured and wild fish worldwide. During the last decade outbreaks of streptococcosis have occurred in a wide range of cultured and wild fish in the Americas and Caribbean islands. To gain a better understanding of the epizootiology of S. iniae in the western hemisphere, over 30 S. iniae isolates recovered from different fish species and geographic locations were characterized phenotypically and genetically. Species identities were determined biochemically and confirmed by amplification and sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Repetitive-element palindromic PCR fingerprinting as well as biochemical and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles suggest that a single strain of S. iniae was responsible for two different disease outbreaks among reef fishes in the Caribbean, one in 1999 and another in 2008. Interestingly, a majority of the isolates recovered from cultured fish in the Americas were genetically distinct from the Caribbean isolates and exhibited a trend toward higher minimal inhibitory concentration with respect to several antibiotics as well as greater genetic variability. The biological significance of this genetic variability is unclear, but it could have implications for future vaccine development and treatment.