The motivations and practice-area interests of first-year French veterinary students (2005-2008).

Concerns about new trends in the veterinary profession in several industrialized countries have received significant attention recently. We conducted an online survey among first-year veterinary students enrolled between 2005 and 2008 in France's four National Veterinary Schools (Ecoles Nationales Vétérinaires [ENV]) to inquire into what determined future graduates' practice-area interests and how they built a concept of their future work. A total of 1,080 students-or 70% of first-year students-responded to the survey. These students were predominantly of middle and higher social classes and most of them lived in urban areas. About 96% of the respondents had made the ENV their first choice when taking the entrance examination. In total, 39.7% declared "vocation" as the leading factor influencing their career choice. Together, the three leading practice types (wild animals, pets, and mixed) contemplated by students after graduating amount to 64.7% of the points awarded. Practice types that are not directly related to animal health were disregarded in this analysis. The results convey both how early and how firmly the choice of the veterinary career is made. They highlight the preponderance of the image of the veterinarian as an "animal doctor," the gap between the respective proportions of practice areas in the current employment pattern of veterinarians, and the aspirations of students upon admission to the ENV. A longitudinal study after one year is needed to test whether or not these career choices change during the five years of the ENV program under the influence of teaching and extramural studies.

Prevalence and risk factors of obesity in an urban population of healthy cats.

The incidence of overweight in cats has been reported in various studies to range between 6 and 52% depending on such factors as gender, neutering, age, being cross-bred, living in a single or two-cat household, no dog living in the household, inactivity, feeding fresh meat or fish, eating a premium or therapeutic food, distribution of food on a free choice basis and owner underestimation of their cat's body weight or body condition (BC). The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of overweight and to determine the risk factors associated with excess body weight, including owners' perception of their cat's BC in the studied population. Between March and June 2006, all owners presenting healthy cats for vaccination at the National Veterinary School of Alfort were questioned by a veterinarian using a standardised and validated questionnaire. Owners and veterinarians gave an oral evaluation of the cat's BC first verbally and then by comparison with a legend free visual scale. Univariate analysis was performed for all variables. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to variables strongly associated with overweight or regarded as major risk factors. On a total population of 385 cats, 19.0% were found to be overweight and 7.8% to be obese. The evaluation of overweight cats' BC by their owner was better with the visual scale than with the verbal description. This study confirmed earlier reports identifying being male, neutering, and underestimation of the cat's BC by the owner, as risk factors for being overweight.

Characterisation of the French ferret population, husbandry, reported medical care and feeding habits.

Ferrets have become a common companion animal. But no data are available on the French population of ferrets. The goal of the survey was to characterise this population, including demographic characteristics, husbandry, reported medical care and feeding habits. Complete data were available for 1205 pet ferrets in 709 households. Most ferrets (86·1 %) lived indoors, 1 % received only artificial lighting, and 47 % chewed their cage. For 60 % of the ferrets, body weight was higher in winter and lower in summer. Neutered ferrets (58·5 % of males and 62·9 % of females) appeared lighter than intact ferrets of comparable age. A majority (52·4 %) of ferrets received a mix of commercial foods and fresh foods, but 28·6 % were offered no commercial foods. Data were analysed using several multivariable logistic regression models including age, sex, castration, food type and artificial lighting developed for four clinical outcome (lethargy and/or insulinoma, dental problems, diarrhoea and/or bird-seed stools and alopecia). Predictors of four clinical outcomes (lethargy, dental disease, diarrhoea and alopecia) were examined using multivariable logistic regression, with age, sex, neuter status, food type and artificial lighting as the exposure variables. Aged ferrets were more likely to have lethargy, insulinoma, dental problems and alopecia. Ferrets with artificial lighting were more likely to show alopecia. Additionally, ferrets fed commercial food only or a mixed diet (both commercial food and fresh food) were more likely to have lethargy, insulinoma, dental problems, diarrhoea and/or bird-seed stools compared with ferrets fed fresh food only. We also found a significant association between neutering and alopecia. It is to our knowledge the first description of the French population of the ferret as a companion animal.

Reliability of coprological diagnosis of Paramphistomum sp. infection in cows.

A modified MacMaster method was tested to check its reliability for the diagnosis of bovine paramphistomosis in France. A total number of 148 fecal samples from cows examined post-mortem were analysed. Coprological results were in accordance with necropsic examinations. Bayesian techniques (Markov Chain Monte Carlo) were used to estimate the diagnostic parameters of each of these tests. Two scenarios were envisaged: one assuming a sensitivity of the necropsic examination equal to 1 and one assuming the specificity of the coprology equal to 1. Whatever the scenarios, each test presented good estimated parameters, always superior to 0.9. A significant relationship was clearly established between epg counts and parasites burden: more than 100 epg indicated the presence of more than 100 adult paramphistomes in rumen and/or reticulum.

Surveys concerning the needs for and evaluation of distance learning in veterinary epidemiology.

Distance learning courses in veterinary epidemiology, taught in French and spread over half a year, were organized in 2003 and 2004. They were the subject of surveys concerning need, evaluation, attaining learning objectives, and satisfaction, the results of which will be used to improve the course scheduled to take place in 2005.

Modeling tuberculosis dynamics, detection and control in cattle herds.

Epidemiological models are key tools for designing and evaluating detection and control strategies against animal infectious diseases. In France, after decades of decrease of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) incidence, the disease keeps circulating. Increasing prevalence levels are observed in several areas, where the detection and control strategy could be adapted. The objective of this work was to design and calibrate a model of the within-herd transmission of bTB. The proposed model is a stochastic model operating in discrete-time. Three health states were distinguished: susceptible, latent and infected. Dairy and beef herd dynamics and bTB detection and control programs were explicitly represented. Approximate Bayesian computation was used to estimate three model parameters from field data: the transmission parameter when animals are inside (ßinside) and outside (ßoutside) buildings, and the duration of the latent phase. An independent dataset was used for model validation. The estimated median was 0.43 [0.16-0.84] month-1 for ßinside and 0.08 [0.01-0.32] month-1 for ßoutside. The median duration of the latent period was estimated 3.5 [2]-[8] months. The sensitivity analysis showed only minor influences of fixed parameter values on these posterior estimates. Validation based on an independent dataset showed that in more than 80% of herds, the observed proportion of animals with detected lesions was between the 2.5% and 97.5% percentiles of the simulated distribution. In the absence of control program and once bTB has become enzootic within a herd, the median effective reproductive ratio was estimated to be 2.2 in beef herds and 1.7 in dairy herds. These low estimates are consistent with field observations of a low prevalence level in French bTB-infected herds.

Determination of decisional cut-off values for the optimal diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis with a modified IFNγ assay (Bovigam®) in a low prevalence area in France.

The Bovigam(®) gamma interferon (IFNγ) assay was used to complement official skin-test screening in a low bovine tuberculosis (bTB) prevalence region in France. The aim of our work was to determine decisional cut-off values for protein purified derivatives (PPD) and ESAT6-CFP10 antigens (R) in order to optimize the efficacy of the modified Bovigam(®) test, in this low-prevalence area, for optimal classification of infected or non-infected herds following positive skin tests. The sensitivity of the IFNγ assay relative to post-mortem bTB-positive animals (Se(r)) was studied in 60 cattle from 20 bTB-infected herds. Its absolute specificity (Sp) was studied in 492 cattle from 25 bTB-free herds from a bTB-free zone. Its operational specificity (relative to the positive skin test) (Sp(r)) was also studied in 547 skin-test positive cattle from 172 bTB-free herds from an infected zone. Using normalized interpretations for individual (PPD or R) results, the cut-off values at 0.02 for PPD and 0.01 for R were obtained with a view to employ them in low prevalence areas with no previously observed non-specific reactions to SITT. Concerning its use after positive skin tests, cut-off values were set at 0.05 for PPD and at 0.03 for R. The choice of an interpretation method considering positive results with PPD and/or R (PPDUR), justified in a high risk context, provided a test Se(r) of 93% [84-98] and Sp(r) of 71.8% [67.9-75.6]. Analysis of positive results with PPD and R (PPDUR), ideal for low-risk contexts, provided a test Sp(r) of 94.3% [92.0-96.1] and Se(r) of 77% [64-87]. Thus, adapting the criteria to the region's infection status and to the conditions for its application is essential for the appropriate use of the IFNγ assay.

Corynebacterium ulcerans in an immunocompromised patient with diphtheria and her dog.

Corynebacterium ulcerans causes zoonotic infections, such as diphtheria and extrapharyngeal infections. We report here the first case of a diphtheria-like illness caused by C. ulcerans in France and transmitted likely by a dog to an immunocompromised woman.