Assessment of cerebrospinal fluid analysis and short-term survival outcomes in South American camelids: A retrospective study of 54 cases (2005-2021).

BACKGROUND: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is commonly analyzed in South American camelids with suspected neurologic disease because of ease of collection and characteristic findings associated with certain diseases. OBJECTIVES: To assess CSF findings associated with short-term survival or non-survival in South American camelids in which neurologic disease was a differential diagnosis based on history and physical examination. ANIMALS: Twenty-one llamas and 33 alpacas that underwent CSF analysis at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center. METHODS: Retrospective study. Medical records of camelids that underwent CSF analysis between January 2005 and September 2021 were studied. Short-term survival was defined as survival to discharge from the Veterinary Health Center. A Fisher's exact test was used to compare species, CSF results, and survival. RESULTS: Odds of survival were 3.9 times higher in camelids with a total nucleated cell count (TNCC) <3 cells/µL (P = .04). No significant association was found between survival and total protein concentration (TPC; P = .15) or percentage of eosinophils (P = 1.0). No significant correlation was found between species and increased TNCC (P = .63), TPC (P = .55), or percentage of eosinophils (P = .30). Among camelids diagnosed with Paralephostrongylus tenuis infestation, odds of survival were 4.95 times higher in alpacas (P = .05). CONCLUSIONS: Cerebrospinal fluid TNCC ≥3 cells/µL is associated with decreased odds of short-term survival in South American camelids.

Three-Dimensional Printing Role in Neurologic Disease.

Three-dimensional printing has evolved dramatically in recent years and is now available for clinical use. Technical operations of 2 of the most common rapid prototyping processes (stereolithography and fused deposition modeling) and the steps involved in the creation of a prototype are discussed. Current applications in human neurosurgery including presurgical planning and educational opportunities are reviewed before focusing on the current applications in veterinary neurology.

Early detection of West Nile virus in France: quantitative assessment of syndromic surveillance system using nervous signs in horses.

West Nile virus (WNV) is a growing public health concern in Europe and there is a need to develop more efficient early detection systems. Nervous signs in horses are considered to be an early indicator of WNV and, using them in a syndromic surveillance system, might be relevant. In our study, we assessed whether or not data collected by the passive French surveillance system for the surveillance of equine diseases can be used routinely for the detection of WNV. We tested several pre-processing methods and detection algorithms based on regression. We evaluated system performances using simulated and authentic data and compared them to those of the surveillance system currently in place. Our results show that the current detection algorithm provided similar performances to those tested using simulated and real data. However, regression models can be easily and better adapted to surveillance objectives. The detection performances obtained were compatible with the early detection of WNV outbreaks in France (i.e. sensitivity 98%, specificity >94%, timeliness 2·5 weeks and around four false alarms per year) but further work is needed to determine the most suitable alarm threshold for WNV surveillance in France using cost-efficiency analysis.

Rater agreement on gait assessment during neurologic examination of horses.

BACKGROUND: Reproducible and accurate recognition of presence and severity of ataxia in horses with neurologic disease is important when establishing a diagnosis, assessing response to treatment, and making recommendations that might influence rider safety or a decision for euthanasia. OBJECTIVES: To determine the reproducibility and validity of the gait assessment component in the neurologic examination of horses. ANIMALS: Twenty-five horses referred to the Royal Veterinary College Equine Referral Hospital for neurological assessment (n = 15), purchased (without a history of gait abnormalities) for an unrelated study (n = 5), or donated because of perceived ataxia (n = 5). METHODS: Utilizing a prospective study design; a group of board-certified medicine (n = 2) and surgery (n = 2) clinicians and residents (n = 2) assessed components of the equine neurologic examination (live and video recorded) and assigned individual and overall neurologic gait deficit grades (0-4). Inter-rater agreement and assessment-reassessment reliability were quantified using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). RESULTS: The ICCs of the selected components of the neurologic examination ranged from 0 to 0.69. "Backing up" and "recognition of mistakes over obstacle" were the only components with an ICC > 0.6. Assessment-reassessment agreement was poor to fair. The agreement on gait grading was good overall (ICC = 0.74), but poor for grades ≤ 1 (ICC = 0.08) and fair for ataxia grades ≥ 2 (ICC = 0.43). Clinicians with prior knowledge of a possible gait abnormality were more likely to assign a grade higher than the median grade. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Clinicians should be aware of poor agreement even between skilled observers of equine gait abnormalities, especially when the clinical signs are subtle.

[Clinical application of computed tomography in cattle]. / Klinische Anwendung der Computertomographiebeim Rind.

Computed tomography involves the use of x-rays to produce cross-sectional images of body regions. It provides non-overlapping, two-dimensional images of all desired planes as well as three-dimensional reconstruction of regions of interest. There are few reports on the clinical use of computed tomography in farm animals. Its use in cattle is limited by high cost, the application of off-label drugs and the need for general anaesthesia. In cattle computed tomography is indicated primarily for diseases of the head, e.g. dental diseases and otitis media, and neurological disorders. Less often it is used for diseases of the vertebrae and limbs. In valuable cattle, the results of computed tomography can be an important part of preoperative planning or be used to avoid unnecessary surgery when the prognosis is poor.

Potential risks, prognostic indicators, and diagnostic and treatment modalities affecting survival in dogs with presumptive aspiration pneumonia: 125 cases (2005-2008).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a clinical population of dogs diagnosed with presumptive aspiration pneumonia (AP) and determine diagnostic and treatment modalities contributing to survival. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: A university veterinary teaching hospital in an urban setting. ANIMALS: One hundred and twenty-five dogs with presumed AP treated from 2005 to 2008. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Dogs with presumptive AP identified by a review of medical records had an overall survival of 81.6% (102/125). Male large-breed dogs (mean 24.9 kg; 82/125) were overrepresented and were more likely to develop AP in this study population. Recent anesthesia had been performed in 16% (20/125), and vomiting was reported in 64% (80/125). The most common radiographic findings were a predominantly alveolar pattern (187/272, [68.8%] total lung lobes) in the right middle lung lobe (80/115, [69.6%]). A mean of 2 lung lobes were involved radiographically, and the relationship between survival and the number of lung lobes affected was statistically significant (P=0.04). Neutrophilia with a left shift was common with no significant change on consecutive daily evaluations. The mean PaO(2) was 77.7 mm Hg (SD, 17.5 mm Hg) (range, 40.7-100 mm Hg) with a median alveolar-arterial gradient of 41.1 mm Hg (range, 8.1-81.8 mm Hg). In this study population, 37.6% (47/125) of dogs had microbial cultures performed and of these, 76.6% (36/47) were positive for growth; Escherichia coli (38.8%), Mycoplasma spp. (21.3%), Pasturella spp. (19.1%), and Staphylococcus spp. (17%) were the most common isolates in either single or multiagent infections. No treatment modality was statistically associated with increased survival. Colloid therapy was a negative prognostic indicator. CONCLUSIONS: In this study the overall prognosis for AP was good. Patients with only 1 affected lung lobe appeared more likely to survive. Supportive treatment modalities are warranted for the hospitalized patient, although no individual treatment method was found to be clearly superior to others.

Mortality in over 350,000 insured Swedish dogs from 1995-2000: I. Breed-, gender-, age- and cause-specific rates.

This study presents data on over 350,000 insured Swedish dogs up to 10 years of age contributing to over one million dog-years at risk (DYAR) during 1995-2000. A total of 43,172 dogs died or were euthanised and of these 72% had a claim with a diagnosis for the cause of death. The overall total mortality was 393 deaths per 10,000 DYAR. Mortality rates are calculated for the 10 most common breeds, 10 breeds with high mortality and a group including all other breeds, crudely and for general causes of death. Proportional mortality is presented for several classifications. Five general causes accounted for 62% of the deaths with a diagnosis (i.e. tumour (18%), trauma (17%), locomotor (13%), heart (8%) and neurological (6%)). Mortality rates for the five most common diagnoses within the general causes of death are presented. These detailed statistics on mortality can be used in breed-specific strategies as well as for general health promotion programs. Further details on survival and relative risk by breed and age are presented in the companion paper (Egenvall et al. 2005).

Assessment of a pyrogallol red technique for total protein measurement in the cerebrospinal fluid of dogs.

The measurement of protein concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid is a basic analytical method in neurology. In this study, a pyrogallol red technique using a human albumin calibrator previously validated in human medicine was tested for canine samples, and the results were compared with those obtained using urine test strips. Pyrogallol red significantly (P<0.05) but moderately underestimated purified dog albumin and globulins. The imprecision of the technique was low: intra- and between-series coefficients of variation were 1.6 and 4.3 per cent at protein concentrations of about 0.3 g/litre. Over 49 samples, there was good agreement between the pyrogallol red and test strip results (r=0.63), especially for low and high protein concentrations, but misclassifications were observed with '+' test strip readings.

A retrospective evaluation of the causes of death of 448 insured French horses in 1995.

Epidemiological studies should allow comparisons to be made of the prevalence of disease in populations from different countries, but the population characteristics and health problems in French horses are not well established. We have conducted a retrospective evaluation of the causes of death and vital characteristics of insured horses in France for the year 1995, with a view to comparison with published data from other countries. Files on 448 deceased horses were provided by nine insurance companies. Most of the animals were used for breeding (60%), followed by leisure (20%), eventing and racing (10% each). Physical characteristics were associated significantly with occupational categories. The overall mortality rate was 2.47%, and was due, in decreasing order, to foaling (24%), colic (21%) or locomotor (21%), cardiovascular (9%), neurological (8%), respiratory (5%) or infectious (4%) disease. Infectious disease was more frequent in younger animals (p < 0.05) and locomotor disease in racehorses (p < 0.01). Horses aged over 15 years had a lower incidence of colic (p <0.05). The cause of death was not significantly linked to breed, insurance value or season. Despite some selection bias, the study provides useful information about mortality in the French equine population.

Initial assessment of patients with neurologic dysfunction.

This article describes a practical approach to the initial assessment of patients with neurologic dysfunction. First, the patient's clinical signs are determined by obtaining a medical history and performing an examination. Based on these results, the disease is localized to a particular region of the nervous system. Analysis of the neuroanatomic diagnosis in conjunction with the history is used to establish a list of differential diagnoses. The clinician then recommends appropriate laboratory tests to confirm or exclude the diagnostic possibilities. By following a logical process of clinical reasoning, the practitioner is often able to deduce a clinical diagnosis and prognosis and offer recommendations for treatment.

[Nervous syndrome in sheep on the Ivory Coast. II. Economic impact, trials and cost-benefit analysis of preventive plans]. / Le syndrome nerveux des ovins en Côte-d'Ivoire. II. Importance économique, essais et analyse coûts-bénéfices de plans de prophylaxie.

The clinical and epidemiological aspects of the ovine nervous syndrome in Côte-d'Ivoire were presented in the first part of this paper and the disease was considered to be similar to the cerebrocortical necrosis as related to vitamin B1 deficiency. The economic losses by this disease being 1,500 to 2,000 F CFA (30-40 FF) per animal and per year, it seemed to be very important to consider its prophylaxis. A programme involving a daily injection of 100 mg of thiamine chlorhydrate throughout the dry season proved to be very efficient. In addition, if excluding the cost of the injection, this programme appeared to be beneficial to the farmer. When including only the price of the product, the profit to cost ratio of the programme was 4.8 (thiamine at 400 F CFA) to 30.6 (thiamine at 66 F CFA). The other profit earning criteria, i.e. the differential actualized net value and the induced gains, showed the same positive effect of this prophylaxis programme. However, it should be emphasized that the nervous syndrome in sheep mainly remains an accident due to a poor flock management. Hence, to prevent this disease the farmer should correctly adapt the rearing methods to the intensification of the production. Nevertheless, as the accurate etiopathogenesis of the syndrome remains to be elucidated and as the daily injection of the product to all animals of the flock represents an important constraint, research should be pursued to solve a problem which seems to affect the whole region.

Assessment of the nervous system.

This article describes the examination of the neurologic and ophthalmic systems in ruminants. Neuroanatomy with respect to lesion localization is reviewed. Pertinent age and species differences are addressed. The practical aspects of assessing the neurologic system are stressed, and the reader is directed to other sources of information for assistance in determining the differential diagnosis and therapy of neurologic disease.

Ancillary tests for assessment of the nervous system.

This article addresses the minimum data base needed to assist the clinician's diagnostic approach to neurologic diseases. The collection, storage, and processing of cerebrospinal fluid samples are discussed. Additional diagnostic tests are described under selected specific etiologies.