Monocytic ehrlichiosis in dogs.

Ehrlichiosis is the multiorgan infectious disease caused by small, intracellular rickettsias from the genus Ehrlichia. These microorganisms are known as an etiologic factor of infections world wide in humans and in different species of animals. Dog ehrlichiosis can be caused by several species of Ehrlichia attacking different groups of blood cells, but most often an infection by Ehrlichia canis is diagnosed with special relation to monocytes. A vector for E. canis are Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Ixodes ricinus, commonly occurring in Poland. Disease caused by E. canis is known as Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (CME). The disease most often has an asymptomatic course which can, in favourable circumstances, run into acute or chronic forms. The acute form of CME proceeds usually with fever, apathy, weakness and accompanying respiratory symptoms, lameness and disturbances in blood coagulation. In laboratory examinations thrombocytopenia, anemia and leucopenia are ascertained. The chronic form of CME proceeds among gentle, unspecific symptoms which may last even 5 years. The CME diagnosis is difficult and often demands parallel different diagnostic methods. A medicines of choice in the ehrlichiosis treatment are antibiotics from the group of tetracyclines, given at least for 28 days. They are largely efficient during treatment of the acute CME, causing the quick improvement. Instead, in the case of chronic form, answer for treatment can be weak, and cases of resistance to antibiotics ave known.

A clinical evaluation of glass-fibre posts and restorative materials used for the reconstruction of fractured canines after one-step root canal treatment in cats.

This article describes a procedure for a one-step root canal treatment and the subsequent restoration of fractured canine teeth in cats. Standard glass fibre posts were used in the reconstruction of the teeth which were then divided into two groups and restored anatomically using two different composite materials. The procedures were successfully performed on six cats. The subject teeth were four upper and two lower canines.

Indices of non-specific and specific humoral immunity in pigs immunomodulated with the Bioimmuno preparation and/or immunised with the Respisure One vaccine against mycoplasmal pneumonia of swine.

The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of the Bioimmuno preparation administered in feed and/or immunisation with the Respisure One vaccine on the development of selected indices of non-specific and specific humoral immune response against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mhp) infections in pigs. The study was performed on 28 piglets at the age of 4 weeks, divided into four equal groups. The biopreparations were administered according to the following pattern: group I--Bioimmuno (IFI Olsztyn, Poland) with feedstuff at amount of 1 kg/50 kg of feed for 48 h before vaccination with Respisure One (Pfizer) on day 28 of life; group II--Bioimmuno only (1 kg/50 kg feedstuff) for 48 h before vaccination with Respisure One of groups I and III; group III--Respisure One only on day 28 of life (2 ml/animal i.m.) and group C (control)--PBS (2 ml/animal i.m.) simultaneously with vaccination of groups I and III. On days 0, 3, 7, 14 and 21 after immunomodulation and/or immunisation, the serum level of gamma-globulins, the activity of lysozyme (LSM) as well as the serum levels of cytokines: interferon gamma (IFNgamma), interleukin 1 beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were determined, as indices of non-specific immune response against Mhp infections in pigs. The study has revealed that in piglets after weaning the application of the Bioimmuno and/or Respisure One biopreparations improves the non-specific immunity parameters stimulating an increase in serum levels of gamma-globulins, lysozyme and cytokines (IFNgamma, IL-1beta, IL-6), while late appearing seroconversion confirms a minor role of specific humoral immunity in the protection against Mhp infection.

Effectiveness of coupled administration of Bioimmuno immunomodulator and Respisure One vaccine in the prophylaxis of mycoplasmal pneumonia of swine.

The study was aimed at determining the protective value of the coupled application of immunomodulation and vaccination in the prophylaxis of mycoplasmal pneumonia of swine (MPS). It was conducted on a pig farm, on 28 piglets with body weights of 7-8 kg in the peri-weaning period, divided into four groups of 7 animals each. In the experiment, the following were used: Bioimmuno preparation (Institute of Inland Fisheries, Olsztyn) elaborated based on methisoprinol and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to be administered with feed, as well as an inactivated vaccine against MPS - Respisure One (Pfizer). The first two groups of piglets were administered Bioimmuno with a feed mixture at a dose of 1 kg/50 kg feed for 48 hours prior to the immunization of one of the groups with Respisure One on day 28 of life. The third group of piglets was only vaccinated, whereas the fourth group served as control. Clinical observations were conducted that covered the monitoring of side reactions (local and constitutional), an evaluation of the incidence and character of symptoms manifested by the respiratory system and other health status disorders as well as the determination of the number and percentage of medical interventions and death cases of animals. Animal husbandry examinations and post-slaughter analyses involved the determination of the mean body weight at slaughter, mean daily body weight gains, mean daily feed utilization, and mean feed conversion ratio per 1 kg b.w. gain and an index of quantitative lesions in the lungs. The study did not demonstrate any local side reactions at an injection site of the Respisure One vaccine nor any constitutional side reactions linked with the administration of either preparation. In turn, the clinical and animal husbandry examinations showed a positive effect of administering the Bioimmuno immunomodulator on the effectiveness of immunization against MPS with the Respisure One vaccine and on the improvement of the health status of pigs, which was manifested by a reduced incidence of infections in the piglets with respiratory symptoms, increased b.w. gains, improved feed utilization and shortened fattening period. Due to the diminished intensification of respiratory symptoms and pathological lesions in lungs and the improved fattening indices, the coupled administration of the Bioimmuno and Respisure One biopreparations to piglets may constitute an important element of MPS prophylaxis in pig herds.

Evaluation of specific humoral immune response in pigs vaccinated intradermally with deleted Aujeszky's disease vaccine and challenged with virulent strain of Herpesvirus suis type 1.

A comparison of intradermal (ID) versus intramuscular (IM) routes of pig vaccination with deleted Aujeszky's disease (AD) vaccine on the formation of specific postvaccinal and postchallenge humoral immune response was performed. The studies were carried out on 21 eight week-old piglets, divided into three groups--two experimental and one control of 7 piglets each. Animals of first two groups were vaccinated twice in 12 and 16 week of age with deleted, live attenuated AD vaccine Porcilis Begonia (Intervet). Group I was vaccinated with a dose of 2.0 ml (10(6.0) TCID50)) intramuscularly (IM) into neck muscles, and group II received 0.2 ml (10(5.0) TCID50) intradermally (ID) in neck area using needleless apparatus SERENA model SD 1-2 (Emplast, Italy). In group K (control) 2.0 ml PBS IM was used. Seventy days after the first vaccination all pigs were intranasally infected with a dose of 10(5.5) TCID50 of virulent Northern Ireland Aujeszky-3 (NIA-3) strain of Herpesvirus suis type 1 (SHV-1) by instilling 0.5 ml of virus suspension into each nostril. Specific humoral immune response was evaluated using seroneutralization (SN) test and gE-ELISA-Pseudorabies virus gpI Antibody Test Kit (Herd Chek Anti-PRV gpI), IDEXX Lab Inc (USA). It was found that challenge caused anamnestic reaction in both groups of vaccinated pigs, but postchallenge immune response was stronger in ID-vaccinated group--on 14 day post infection (dpi) SN antibody level was considerably higher than in IM-vaccinated group. The obtained results suggest that secondary immunological response after challenge is decidedly more effective in the range of evaluated parameters in animals vaccinated by ID route, which can be linked to, perhaps underestimated yet and seldom utilized, skin immunity mechanisms in specific prophylaxis of infectious diseases. Advantages and disadvantages of SN test and ELISA are also discussed.

[Two complex suicidal poisonings with drugs and their medicolegal aspects]. / Dwa kompleksowe samobójcze zatrucia lekami w aspekcie orzecznictwa sadowo-lekarskiego.

The main subject of the study was a toxicological investigation of biological specimens coming from two cases of intoxication with mixture of drugs. Two young people decided to commit suicide by the use of mixture of drugs mainly analgesic in approximately equal doses. For one person the dose of drugs administered turned out to be fatal while second person survived with the symptoms of acute intoxication. The analysis carried out with the use of liquid chromatographic method with mass detection (HPLC/MS) confirmed the presence of mixture of drugs in blood of living person and in postmortem specimens of the victim in significant concentrations. The toxicological findings have delivered information for discussion in medico-legal and ethical aspects.