Granulomas Following Subcutaneous Injection With Aluminum Adjuvant-Containing Products in Sheep.

The use of vaccines including aluminum (Al)-based adjuvants is widespread among small ruminants and other animals. They are associated with the appearance of transient injection site nodules corresponding to granulomas. This study aims to characterize the morphology of these granulomas, to understand the role of the Al adjuvant in their genesis, and to establish the presence of the metal in regional lymph nodes. A total of 84 male neutered lambs were selected and divided into 3 treatment groups of 28 animals each: (1) vaccine (containing Al-based adjuvant), (2) adjuvant-only, and (3) control. A total of 19 subcutaneous injections were performed in a time frame of 15 months. Granulomas and regional lymph nodes were evaluated by clinicopathological means. All of the vaccine and 92.3% of the adjuvant-only lambs presented injection-site granulomas; the granulomas were more numerous in the group administered the vaccine. Bacterial culture in granulomas was always negative. Histologically, granulomas in the vaccine group presented a higher degree of severity. Al was specifically identified by lumogallion staining in granulomas and lymph nodes. Al median content was significantly higher ( P < .001) in the lymph nodes of the vaccine group (82.65 µg/g) compared with both adjuvant-only (2.53 µg/g) and control groups (0.96 µg/g). Scanning transmission electron microscopy demonstrated aggregates of Al within macrophages in vaccine and adjuvant-only groups. In these two groups, Al-based adjuvants induce persistent, sterile, subcutaneous granulomas with macrophage-driven translocation of Al to regional lymph nodes. Local translocation of Al may induce further accumulation in distant tissues and be related to the appearance of systemic signs.

Nurturing a Respectful Connection: Exploring the Relationship between University Educators and Students in a Spanish Veterinary Faculty.

The respect of the teacher for the student is essential for effective teaching from the perspective of the students, even in comparison to the knowledge and communication capacity of the teacher. Consequently, the optimal development of this characteristic fosters a more effective and efficient student-teacher relationship. We initiated this research following a conversation with a group of university students, who expressed their discontent regarding the lack of respect shown towards them by some teachers. Therefore, we conducted a descriptive study using online surveys, focusing on the central axis in the teacher-student relationship. The results highlighted the need for faculty members to analyze and question their attitudes towards their students. This paper presents initial results of the data collected at the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Safe Game: Hygienic Habits in Self-Consumption of Game Meat in Eastern Spain.

We used anonymous questionnaires to assess the hygienic and sanitary aspects of game meat self-consumption in Eastern Spain as the first step towards a health risk assessment. The survey yielded 472 valid interviews from active hunters. The maximum possible score was 65 points (average 29 ± 8; range 1-52). Most participants were men (95%), but women achieved significantly better scores (p = 0.003). Hunters above 65 years old scored significantly lower results than younger groups (p = 0.007). The score increased with the educational level (p = 0.046). A 92% of the collaborators consumed game meat. Veterinary inspection and freezing were irregular among the participants. Most respondents declared carrying the animals in their personal vehicles. Of the dressing process, 61% of sites were outdoors, 68% of the participants declared using specific knives, 64% used the same clothes as in the field, and 42% used disposable gloves. The most usual way to dispose of the remains was garbage containers (41%); offal abandonment in the field was 33%, and 13% fed domestic animals using the remains. We conclude that public health authorities should increase their interest in the self-consumption of game meat. Clear guidelines about domestic dressing facilities and hygienic habits should be published, these being essential when looking for synergies with hunter associations.

Detection of owner-perceived emotional eating in companion dogs: A regression modelling approach.

BACKGROUND: Emotional eating has been largely demonstrated in humans and laboratory rodents, but a recent survey conducted by the authors revealed that dog owners have also detected this phenomenon in their pets. However, due to the lack of diagnostic tools, veterinarians and researchers might encounter serious difficulties in detecting emotional eating in clinical settings. The present study aimed to explore different variables associated with owner perceived-emotional eating in companion dogs with the ultimate goal of designing a tool that could facilitate its detection. METHODS: The mentioned survey included information on feeding habits, eating behaviour, temperament and emotional state of the dogs, as well as a specific question for assessing the owners' perception on emotional eating. From these data (n = 1137), a stochastic model based on binary logistic regression was used to design a regression model. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The final model (r2 = 0.179, p < 0.001) included a constant and nine variables and, of these, five did act as risk factors whereas the rest were considered as protective factors, in line with a congruent clinical perception. These variables could make up an easy-to-respond nine-item checklist to be answered by dog owners that could help veterinarians identify those companion dogs susceptible to emotional eating.

Human and environmental factors driving Toxoplasma gondii prevalence in wild boar (Sus scrofa).

As one of the most relevant foodborne diseases, it is essential to know the factors related to the transmission, persistence and prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection. Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa) might play a relevant role in T.gondii's life cycle. This species is the most consumed big game animal in Spain and may act as a source of infection if the meat is eaten raw or undercooked or due to cross-contaminations. Additionally, wild boar can act as an excellent bioindicator of T.gondii circulation in the ecosystem, because its natural behaviour leads to exposure to oocysts from the soil when rooting and tissular bradyzoites when scavenging. A total of 1003 wild boar were sampled from 2010 to 2017 in Mediterranean Spain. Blood samples were tested with an indirect ELISA test giving a total of 14.1% (95% confidence interval 12.0-16.4%) positive results. The prevalence was not homogeneous in neither the animals nor the sampled districts. Significant differences were found regarding age, climatic conditions and human space occupancy. Human population aggregation, assessed by Demangeon's index, was identified as an influential factor in T.gondii infection risk. This multiple approach allows us to evaluate local risks for human and environmental contamination.

Assessment of Sample Size Calculations Used in Aquaculture by Simulation Techniques.

An adequate sampling methodology is the key to knowing the health status of aquatic populations. Usually, the aims of epidemiological surveys in aquaculture are to detect an infection and estimate the disease prevalence, and different formulas are used to calculate the sample size. The main objective of this study was to assess if the sample sizes calculated using classical epidemiological formulas are valid considering the sampling methodology, the population size, and the spatial distribution of diseased animals in the population (non-clustered or clustered). However, the use of sample sizes of 30, 60, and 150 fish is widely accepted in aquaculture, due to the requirements of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) for epidemiological surveillance. We have developed a specific software using ASP (Active Server Pages) language and MySQL database in order to generate aquatic populations from 100 to 10 000 brown trouts infected by Aeromonas salmonicida with different levels of prevalence: 2, 5, 10, and 50%. Then we implemented several Monte Carlo simulations to estimate empirically the sample sizes corresponding to the different scenarios. Furthermore, we compared these results with the values calculated by classical formulas. We determined that simple random sampling was more accurate in detecting an infection, because it is independent of the distribution of infected animals in the population. However, if diseased animals are non-clustered it is more efficient to use systematic methods, even in the case of small populations. Finally, the formula to calculate sample size to estimate disease prevalence is not valid when the expected prevalence is far from 50%, and it is necessary to increase the sample size to reach the desired precision.

Surveillance of a Pest Through a Public Health Information System: The Case of the Blackfly (Simulium erythrocephalum) in Zaragoza (Spain) during 2009-2015.

Background: Animals and people in many Spanish regions are increasingly being affected by blackfly bites in the last decade. Because of blackflies, the city of Zaragoza has become in recent years a paradigm of discomfort in Europe, with thousands of citizens affected. The OMI-AP system (Stacks, Barcelona, Spain) implemented by the Government of Aragón, a software that manages the electronic medical history of all patients, has been evaluated in order to document the increase of insect bite recorded by the primary care consultations in Zaragoza after the first outbreak of blackflies occurred in 2011. Methods: An observational, ecological and longitudinal study of insect bites recorded at the primary care consultations was carried out in primary care during the period 2009-2015. Results: The incidence of medical consultations by insect bites in Basic Health Areas (BHA) near to rivers is higher than the furthest BHA. Rural BHA are more affected by insect bites than the urban ones. The increase of medical assistance due to insect bites in Zaragoza since 2011 is correlated with the blackflies bites. Conclusions: This tool was very useful to describe the initial stage of this public health problem. It could be used for guiding public health responses in terms of surveillance and management of this pest.

Mapping the knowledge of the main diseases affecting sea bass and sea bream in Mediterranean.

Good knowledge on the disease situation and its impact on production is a base mechanism for designing health surveillance, risk analysis and biosecurity systems. Mediterranean marine fish farming, as any aquaculture production, is affected by various infectious diseases. However, seabass and seabream, the main produced species, are not listed as susceptible host species for the notifiable pathogens listed in the current EU legislation, which generates a lack of systematic reporting. The results presented in this study come from a survey directly to fish farms (50 hatchery and on-growing units from 10 Mediterranean countries), with data from 2015 to 2017, conducted by the H2020 project MedAID. Seabass showed a higher survival rate (85%) through a production cycle than seabream (80%) in spite of equal mortality due to pathogen infections (10%). The differences in survival may be explained by mortality 'of other causes'. Seabream and seabass have different disease profiles, and the profile is slightly different between geographical regions. Among the most important diseases, tenacibaculosis and vibriosis were identified in seabass and Sparicotyle chrysophrii (a gill fluke) and nodavirus in seabream. Correlating mortality data to management variables showed that increasing density, buying fingerlings from external sources and treatments due to disease are factors that negatively influence mortality rate. Most of the surveyed farms did not keep sufficient quality data to implement good health status reports and perform detailed impact studies, which shows the necessity of updating the current legislative framework to provide the basis for better reporting of relevant pathogens in the Mediterranean basin.

Cognition and behavior in sheep repetitively inoculated with aluminum adjuvant-containing vaccines or aluminum adjuvant only.

Sheep health management strategies often include the use of aluminum (Al)-containing vaccines. These products were associated with the appearance of the ovine autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA syndrome), which included an array of ethological changes in the affected animals. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate cognitive and behavioral changes in sheep subjected to a protocol of repetitive inoculation with Al-containing products. Twenty-one lambs were assigned to three groups (n = 7 each): Control, Adjuvant-only, and Vaccine. Vaccine group was inoculated with commercial Al- hydroxide containing vaccines; Adjuvant-only group received the equivalent dose of Al only (Alhydrogel®), and Control group received Phosphate-buffered saline. Sixteen inoculations were administered within a 349-day period. Ethological changes were studied in late summer (7 inoculations) and mid-winter (16 inoculations). Animals in Vaccine and Adjuvant-only groups exhibited individual and social behavioral changes. Affiliative interactions were significantly reduced, and aggressive interactions and stereotypies increased significantly. They also exhibited a significant increase in excitatory behavior and compulsive eating. There were increased levels of stress biomarkers in these two groups. In general, changes were more pronounced in the Vaccine group than they were in the Adjuvant-only group. Some changes were already significant in summer, after seven inoculations only. This study is the first to describe behavioral changes in sheep after having received repetitive injections of Al-containing products, and may explain some of the clinical signs observed in ovine ASIA syndrome.

Variations in seroprevalences of canine leishmaniasis: Could it be a consequence of the population structure?

Canine leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania infantum and is transmitted by Phlebotominae vectors. Despite numerous publications on the subject, some essential aspects of the epidemiology are not yet sufficiently clear. We proposed a stochastic model with the aim of identifying some important gaps in the current knowledge of leishmaniasis, such as the frequency of vector infection or a dog's life expectancy depending on their purpose and their health status. We only found that the purpose was a significant factor. Furthermore, we detected relationships among age, gender and habitat with the dogs' purposes that can affect the calculation of the overall seroprevalence of the analysed sample. The development of this model will allow us to discard potential confounding factors as gender, age, purpose or habitat.

Estimation of the relative sensitivity of qPCR analysis using pooled samples.

The high sensitivity of qPCR makes it a desirable diagnostic method in epidemiological surveillance programs. However, due to high costs, the use of pooling has been suggested. In this paper, an algorithm based on the Montecarlo method has been designed and implemented. The algorithm had been tested in many different situations, and finally it was validated with a real dataset. Moreover, based on the results obtained and depending on pooling conditions, a drastic decrease of sensitivity is observed.

New method to estimate the sample size for calculation of a proportion assuming binomial distribution.

Nowadays the formula to calculate the sample size for estimate a proportion (as prevalence) is based on the Normal distribution, however it would be based on a Binomial distribution which confidence interval was possible to be calculated using the Wilson Score method. By comparing the two formulae (Normal and Binomial distributions), the variation of the amplitude of the confidence intervals is relevant in the tails and the center of the curves. In order to calculate the needed sample size we have simulated an iterative sampling procedure, which shows an underestimation of the sample size for values of prevalence closed to 0 or 1, and also an overestimation for values closed to 0.5. Attending to these results we proposed an algorithm based on Wilson Score method that provides similar values for the sample size than empirically obtained by simulation.