Commensal and multidrug-resistant Neisseria spp. sepsis in feline.

INTRODUCTION: Sepsis is a serious problem in felines with a mortality rate ranging from 29-79%. Neisseria spp. is considered a commensal microorganism of the oral cavity of dogs and cats and is usually isolated from human wounds resulting from bites of these animals. CASE REPORT: The present report describes clinical, imaging and laboratory findings of a feline with sepsis wherein commensal and multidrug-resistant (MDR) Neisseria spp. was isolated. The feline presented a history of four days of anorexia, dyspnea, prostration, and, pericardial, pleural and abdominal effusions. Pericardiocentesis was performed and hemorrhagic exudate was observed. The animal died after 11 days of treatment with gentamicin and amoxicillin combined with clavulanic acid. During necropsy, the abdominal cavity was found to be filled with greenish-yellow content and the pericardial sac was thickened with a large amount of purulent secretion. Histopathology revealed sepsis with necrotizing suppurative pericarditis, diffuse mononuclear pneumonia and necrotic pleuritis, leading to secondary bacterial infection. CONCLUSIONS: Commensal Neisseria spp. are important zoonotic bacteria, which trigger a serious disease in felines. However, it has not been reported to cause sepsis with pneumonia, suppurative necrotizing pericarditis and pericardial effusion.

Acute lung injury secondary to hydrochloric acid instillation induces small airway hyperresponsiveness.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe form of respiratory failure characterized by altered lung mechanics and poor oxygenation. Bronchial hyperresponsiveness has been reported in ARDS survivors and animal models of acute lung injury. Whether this hyperreactivity occurs at the small airways or not is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine ex-vivo small airway reactivity in a rat model of acute lung injury (ALI) by hydrochloric acid (HCl) instillation. METHODS: Twelve anesthetized rats were connected to mechanical ventilation for 4-hour, and randomly allocated to either ALI group (HCl intratracheal instillation; n=6) or Sham (intratracheal instillation of 0.9% NaCl; n=6). Oxygenation was assessed by arterial blood gases. After euthanasia, tissue samples from the right lung were harvested for histologic analysis and wet-dry weight ratio assessment. Precision cut lung slice technique (100-200 µm diameter) was applied in the left lung to evaluate ex vivo small airway constriction in response to histamine and carbachol stimulation, using phase-contrast video microscopy. RESULTS: Rats from the ALI group exhibited hypoxemia, worse histologic lung injury, and increased lung wet-dry weight ratio as compared with the sham group. The bronchoconstrictor responsiveness was significantly higher in the ALI group, both for carbachol (maximal contraction of 84.5±2.5% versus 61.4±4.2% in the Sham group, P<0.05), and for histamine (maximal contraction of 78.6±5.3% versus 49.6±5.3% in the Sham group, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: In an animal model of acute lung injury secondary to HCL instillation, small airway hyperresponsiveness to carbachol and histamine is present. These results may provide further insight into the pathophysiology of ARDS.

Urethral catheterization after pharmacological induction for semen collection in dog.

The α-adrenergic agents are known to influence erection and ejaculation, and ejaculatory reflex is a primarily α-adrenergically mediated event. This paper aims to describe the urethral catheterization technique after pharmacological induction for semen collection in domestic dogs. For dose determination, semen collection was performed using increasing doses of dexmedetomidine (5 µg/kg, n = 2; 10 µg/kg, n = 2 and 15 µg/kg, n = 2) associated to 3 mg/kg ketamine in six animals. Once the dose was established, additional semen collection using association of 15 µg/kg dexmedetomidine and 3 mg/kg ketamine was carried out in eight dogs. After the procedure, sperm volume (0.092 ± 0.03 mL), total motility (58.33 ± 8.7%), vigor (1.89 ± 0.309), sperm concentration (1186.67 ± 304.667 × 106 sperm/mL), sperm plasma membrane integrity (83.22 ± 4.82%), acrosomal integrity (73 ± 6.187%) and normal sperm morphology (53.22 ± 5.6%) were assessed. Thus, this study demonstrates that urethral catheterization after pharmacological ejaculation using dexmedetomidine-ketamine association can be performed in dogs and it may be possible to obtain good semen quality, despite urine contamination.

First report of a canine morbillivirus infection in a giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) in Brazil.

Canine morbillivirus, also known as canine distemper virus (CDV), induces a contagious multisystemic disease caused by an enveloped RNA virus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus within the family Paramyxoviridae. CDV replicates readily in epithelial, nerve and lymphoid tissues; it is excreted in urine, feces, saliva, oral and nasal discharge; and its major route of entry for infection is through the respiratory system. Although the virus was originally believed to infect domestic dogs, new studies have shown that it can also naturally or experimentally infect non-domestic hosts. A recent blood test performed on a giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) found Lentz inclusions in the animal's leucocytes. A rapid CDV test, an RT-PCR assay and pathology findings confirmed this report of canine morbillivirus in this species, which corresponds to the second report of CDV infection in the order Pilosa, family Myrmecophagidae in central west Brazil.