Integrated basic lung and heart ultrasound with X-ray (TUSX) for the diagnosis of asthma, chronic bronchitis and laryngeal paralysis, and treatment with inhaled fluticasone using home-made mask in dogs and cats.

Basic lung and heart ultrasound examination combined with chest X-ray (TUSX) is currently considered to be very useful for differentiation of asthma, chronic bronchitis and laryngeal paralysis from other diseases with dyspnea/coughing. Among 252 client-owned animals with persistent dyspnea/cough/noisy breathing, in 197 of them: pulmonary edema, pneumonia, lung cancer, free pleural fluid, pneumothorax, lung contusion or heart disease were diagnosed. The remaining 55 animals (42 dogs and 13 cats) were diagnosed with asthma (in 13 cats), chronic bronchitis (in 37 dogs) and laryngeal paralysis (in 5 dogs) using TUSX. These animals were qualified for inhaled fluticasone treatment using 3 types of spacers - two commercial and a home- -made mask. 36 animals (65.5%) completed the trail. In 26 of them (72.2%) the owners observed complete, long lasting relief of the symptoms, and the owners of 7 animals (19.5%) declared a considerable clinical improvement, regardless of the type of spacer used. The owners of 3 animals (8.3%) did not see any improvement. The proposed diagnostic and therapeutic management improved long-term clinical status of the vast majority (91.7%) of animals. Therefore, it seems justified to include the TUSX diagnostic protocol in daily veterinary practice and to encourage owners to prepare home-made face masks for inhaled fluticasone treatment.

Antibodies to parainfluenza virus type 3 in goat population in Poland.

Respiratory diseases constitute a major health problem in small ruminant herds around the world, and parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV-3) has been shown to play a vital role in their etiology. This cross-sectional study describes the serological status of the non-vaccinated dairy goat popu- lation in Poland with respect to PIV-3 infection and investigates the relationship between the presence of antibodies to PIV-3 and some basic herd-level and animal-level factors, including small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection. Serum samples from 1188 goats from 48 herds were tested for the concentration of antibodies to PIV-3 using a quantitative immunoenzymatic assay. Specific antibodies were detected in all tested goats from all herds. The concentration of PIV-3 antibodies varied from 8.4 to >240 ng/ml (median 95.9 ng/ml) and was significantly higher in goats from larger herds and from these herds in which cough was often observed by farmers. Moreover, it was noted that female goats had higher antibody concentrations than males. On the other hand, the concentration of PIV-3 antibodies did not prove to be significantly linked to the presence of SRLV infection. This study shows that PIV-3 infection in the Polish goat population is widespread and appears to contribute to the occurrence of respiratory diseases in goat herds.

Initial assessment of the economic burden of major parasitic helminth infections to the ruminant livestock industry in Europe.

We report a European wide assessment of the economic burden of gastrointestinal nematodes, Fasciola hepatica (common liver fluke) and Dictyocaulus viviparus (bovine lungworm) infections to the ruminant livestock industry. The economic impact of these parasitic helminth infections was estimated by a deterministic spreadsheet model as a function of the proportion of the ruminant population exposed to grazing, the infection frequency and intensity, the effect of the infection on animal productivity and mortality and anthelmintic treatment costs. In addition, we estimated the costs of anthelmintic resistant nematode infections and collected information on public research budgets addressing helminth infections in ruminant livestock. The epidemiologic and economic input data were collected from international databases and via expert opinion of the Working Group members of the European Co-operation in Science and Technology (COST) action COMbatting Anthelmintic Resistance in ruminants (COMBAR). In order to reflect the effects of uncertainty in the input data, low and high cost estimates were obtained by varying uncertain input data arbitrarily in both directions by 20 %. The combined annual cost [low estimate-high estimate] of the three helminth infections in 18 participating countries was estimated at € 1.8 billion [€ 1.0-2.7 billion]. Eighty-one percent of this cost was due to lost production and 19 % was attributed to treatment costs. The cost of gastrointestinal nematode infections with resistance against macrocyclic lactones was estimated to be € 38 million [€ 11-87 million] annually. The annual estimated costs of helminth infections per sector were € 941 million [€ 488 - 1442 million] in dairy cattle, € 423 million [€ 205-663 million] in beef cattle, € 151million [€ 90-213 million] in dairy sheep, € 206 million [€ 132-248 million] in meat sheep and € 86 million [€ 67-107 million] in dairy goats. Important data gaps were present in all phases of the calculations which lead to large uncertainties around the estimates. Accessibility of more granular animal population datasets at EU level, deeper knowledge of the effects of infection on production, levels of infection and livestock grazing exposure across Europe would make the largest contribution to improved burden assessments. The known current public investment in research on helminth control was 0.15 % of the estimated annual costs for the considered parasitic diseases. Our data suggest that the costs of enzootic helminth infections which usually occur at high prevalence annually in ruminants, are similar or higher than reported costs of epizootic diseases. Our data can support decision making in research and policy to mitigate the negative impacts of helminth infections and anthelmintic resistance in Europe, and provide a baseline against which to measure future changes.

Nasal carriage of various staphylococcal species in small ruminant lentivirus-infected asymptomatic goats.

The study was carried out in Polish goat population to estimate the prevalence of the nasal cavity infection with various staphylococcal species including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA), investigate the potential permissive role of small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection and determine the level of clonality of S. aureus nasal isolates. Nasal swabs and blood samples were collec-ted from 1300 clinically healthy adult goats from 21 Polish goat herds. Blood samples were serological-ly screened for SRLV. Staphylococci were isolated from nasal swabs and identified using classical microbiological methods, MALDI-TOF, multiplex-PCR, and their clonality was assessed using PFGE. Antimicrobial resistance was determined on the basis of minimum inhibitory concentration and by demonstration of the presence of the mecA gene encoding the multiplex-PCR PBP2a protein and of the five main types of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec. The apparent prevalence of staphylococ-cal and S. aureus infection of the nasal cavity was 29.1% (CI 95%: 26.9%, 31.5%) and 7.3% (CI 95%: 6.1%, 8.8%), respectively. No relationship was found between the SRLV-infection and the presence of any staphylococcal species including S. aureus (p=0.143). Only 9.8% of S. aureus isolates were resistant to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and 5.9% to chloramphenicol and ciprofloxacin. All tested isolates proved to be phenotypically and genotypically sensitive to methicillin, which yielded the appar-ent prevalence of MRSA of 0% (CI 95%: 0%, 7.0%). S. aureus isolates show high genetic similarity within goat herds, however vary considerably between herds. Goats do not appear to be an important source of S. aureus for humans in Poland.

Herd-level seroprevalence of pestivirus infection in goat population in Poland.

A disease survey was conducted between 2014 and 2018 in the Polish goat population to determine the seroprevalence of pestiviral infection. Blood samples from 910 goats (782 females and 128 males) were collected in 62 goat herds and tested for bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection with a competitive ELISA in a serial fashion. Between 10 and 13 adult female goats were randomly selected from each herd, assuming individual-level seroprevalence of pestiviral infection in a herd of at least 30% and a level of confidence of 95%. In each herd, all males were tested. At least one seropositive goat was found in each of the 4 herds. However, in one herd, the only positive goat tested negative in serial retesting. Finally, 3 herds were consi-dered as seropositive which yielded apparent herd-level seroprevalence of 4.8% (CI 95%: 1.7%, 13.3%). After adjusting for the ELISA herd-level sensitivity and specificity, the true herd-level prevalence was 3.9% (CI 95%: 1.2%, 12.0%). No males tested positive. In 2 out of 3 seropositive herds, goats regularly shared pastures with cattle.

Development of resistance to eprinomectin in gastrointestinal nematodes in a goat herd with pre-existing resistance to benzimidazoles.

We described a first case of resistance to eprinomectin in goat herd in Poland in which resistance to benzimidazoles had been previously reported. The herd was established in 2011 by purchasing several goats from a single herd in south-eastern Poland. Resistance to benzimidazoles in the herd was first reported in 2017. Shortly after the owner started to signal low effectiveness of the treatment with eprinomectin. In June 2018 the larval development test from pooled faecal sample was performed and the results indicated the presence of resistance to macrocyclic lactones and levamisole. In July 2018 a faecal egg count (FEC) reduction test was performed in 39 animals with levamisole, eprinomectin and one untreated control group. Drugs were used in doses recommended for goats. Three methods of calculation of FEC reduction were compared. After eprinomectin treatment, FEC reduction ranged from 0 to 20%, depending on the method of calculation. FEC reduction following levamisole treatment was 100%. Main species present in the faecal samples after treatment and in larvicidal concentrations in larval development test was Haemonchus contortus. This is the first report of anthelminthic resistance to macrocylic lactones (eprinomectin) in goats in Poland.

Malignant thymoma - the most common neoplasm in goats.

In the literature the occurrence of thymomas in goats varies from 0.7 to 25%, depending on the study. Therefore the current investigation was carried out to determine the prevalence of thymoma in goats in Poland. Between 2007 and 2018 at the Warsaw Veterinary Faculty 399 goat autopsies and ultrasound examinations of the chest in other 145 goats were performed. Mediastinal tumors were diagnosed during post mortem examination in 2 goats. Additionally, ultrasound examination of the chest revealed a large mass close to the heart in the thoracic cavity in 1 case. This goat was euthanized and an autopsy confirmed a mediastinal tumor. Histopathological examination, with immunohistochemical tests to anti cytokeratin, p63 and p40 confirmed thymomas in all three cases. In our study thymomas were found in 0.5% (95% CI: 0.1% to 1.8%) of examined goats and they represented the most common malignancy in this species.

Diagnostic performance of ID screen MVV-CAEV Indirect Screening ELISA in identifying small ruminant lentiviruses-infected goats.

Diagnostic performance of ID Screen MVV-CAEV Indirect Screening ELISA in identifying goats infected with small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) was evaluated. In total 299 serum samples from the collection of the Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics--109 truly positive and 190 truly negative--were used. To be enrolled in the study a serum sample had to come from at least 2 year-old goat which had reacted identically in two serological surveys preceding sample collection and was kept in a herd of stable serological status confirmed at least twice during preceding 5 years. Moreover, in seropositive herds at least 20% of goats had to be serologically positive at the moment when the serum sample was collected for the study. The test proved to have high accuracy. Area under curve was 98.8% (95% CI: 97.5%, 100%). Diagnostic performance of the test was almost identical (Youlden's index of 90%, sensitivity > 90% and specificity > 95%) within a fairly wide range of cut-off values--between 20% and 60%. At manufacturer's cut-off of 50% sensitivity and specificity were 91.7% (95% CI: 85.0%, 95.6%) and 98.9% (95% CI: 96.2%, 99.7%), respectively. For this cut-off positive likelihood ratio was 87 (95% CI: 22, 346) and negative likelihood ratio was 0.08 (95% CI: 0.04, 0.16). In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that ID Screen MVV-CAEV Indirect Screening ELISA is a highly accurate diagnostic test for SRLV infection.

Structural and functional development of small intestine in intrauterine growth retarded porcine offspring born to gilts fed diets with differing protein ratios throughout pregnancy.

Protein level in the maternal diet plays a crucial role in fetal programming during pregnancy. Low or high protein level increases the risk of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). The aim of this study was to investigate the structural and functional development of the small intestine in piglets from sows fed a control (C, 12.1% protein), a high protein (HP, 30% protein), or a low protein (LP, 6.5% protein) diet during pregnancy. Newborns were classified as IUGR (birth weight ≤1.18 kg) and non-IUGR (birth weight >1.18 kg). The piglets were euthanized on postnatal day (PD)1, PD28 and PD188. The LP diet in non-IUGR neonates resulted in decreased body weight on PD1. The LP and HP diets resulted in both decreased body weight and delayed catch-up growth in the IUGR piglets. The HP and LP-diets increased the length of villi on PD1 in non-IUGRs but not in IUGRs. At birth, the expressions of Ki67 and active caspase 3 in mid-jejunum epithelium of HP and LP non-IUGR neonates were significantly lower as compared to C non-IUGRs whilst in IUGRs the respective expressions were as high as in C non-IUGRs. The postnatal dynamics of brush border enzyme activities and vacuolated enterocytes disappearance showed significant drop in enterocyte maturation in IUGR as compared to non-IUGR neonates. In conclusion, both HP and LP diets led to retarded development of non-IUGR piglets. In IUGR piglets both HP and LP diets resulted in delayed catch-up growth, without adaptive changes in brush border digestive enzymes.

Comparison of verapamil versus felodipine on heart rate variability in hypertensive patients.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effect of two calcium channel blockers, verapamil and felodipine, on heart rate variability in hypertensive patients. DESIGN: Time and frequency domain measures of heart rate variability were obtained from 24 h Holter recording in 25 previously untreated hypertensive patients without left ventricular hypertrophy, before and after 3 months of verapamil slow-release treatment (240 mg once daily) or felodipine extended-release treatment (10 mg once daily). RESULTS: Blood pressure values decreased with both drugs. Measures of heart rate variability, comparable at baseline in the two groups, were unchanged after felodipine. After verapamil, the average RR interval, the square root of the mean of the squared differences between all adjacent normal RR intervals (r-MSSD) and the percentage of differences between all adjacent normal RR intervals > 50 ms (pNN50), measures of vagal modulation of heart rate, increased (from 735 +/- 67 to 827 +/- 84 ms, P < 0.001; from 30 +/- 10 to 44 +/- 15 ms, P < 0.001; and from 3 +/- 2 to 7 +/- 6%, P < 0.01, respectively) and were higher than after felodipine. The coefficient of variation, a measure that compensates for heart rate effects, increased only after verapamil (from 5.8 +/- 1.3% to 6.6 +/- 1.0%; P < 0.05). High frequency power and its coefficient of component variance, both representing the vagal modulation of heart rate, increased after verapamil (from 5.33 +/- 0.29 to 5.80 +/- 0.27 In units, P < 0.001 and from 1.9 +/- 0.3 to 2.2 +/- 0.25%; P < 0.05). Finally, the low to high frequency power ratio, an indicator of sympathovagal balance, with a high value suggesting a sympathetic predominance, decreased after verapamil (from 2.16 +/- 0.41 to 1.36 +/- 0.35; P < 0.001), confirming the improvement in vagal modulation of heart rate. CONCLUSION: In hypertensive patients, despite a comparable anti-hypertensive effect, verapamil, but not felodipine, has favourable effect on cardiac autonomic control.

Work practices relating to intubation and associated procedures in intensive care units in Sweden.

A survey into the current usage of tracheal tubes and associated procedures, such as various sedation regimes and antacid therapy, in intensive care units was carried out in Sweden by sending a questionnaire to physicians in charge of intensive care units in 70 acute hospitals which included seven main teaching hospitals. The purpose of the survey was to see how far the recent advances in tube and cuff design and awareness of the problems caused by prolonged therapeutic paralysis in intensive care units have influenced the attitudes and work practices of physicians in Sweden. Forty-nine replies were received (a 70% response rate). All hospitals used polyvinyl chloride tubes of Magill design, with high residual volume, low pressure cuffs. Intensive care units in 85.7% of teaching hospitals and 47.6% of non-teaching hospitals preferred the nasal route for intubation. Most non-teaching hospitals used a size 7 tube in both adult male and female patients for nasal intubation. The majority of units changed from tracheal tubes to tracheostomy after a period of 1-2 weeks. 85% of all hospitals monitored intracuff pressure as a routine, and in most intensive care units the cuff was inflated to no-leak ventilation. The majority of units rarely used muscle relaxants. Phenoperidine and diazepam were the most popular drugs used for the sedation technique. 71.4% of teaching hospitals and 40.9% of non-teaching hospitals used antacids routinely in patients on intermittent positive pressure respiration. The results are discussed.

Work practices relating to intubation in operating rooms in Sweden.

A survey into the current usage of tracheal tubes in operating rooms was carried out in Sweden by sending a questionnaire to anaesthetists in charge of anaesthetic departments in 90 acute hospitals, which included seven teaching hospitals. The object was to determine how far the recent advances in tube, cuff design, and material had influenced the attitudes and work practices of anaesthetists. Fifty-eight replies were recorded (a 64.4% response rate). All teaching hospitals and the majority of other hospitals favoured tubes with high-volume, low-pressure cuffs. Most hospitals used size 9 orotracheal tubes in adult male and size 8 in adult female patients. Seventy-one per cent of teaching hospitals used both local anaesthetic jelly for lubricating tubes and topical laryngeal spray prior to intubation. Nasal decongestants were used by only 14.2% of teaching hospitals prior to nasal intubation. Over three-fourths of the hospitals were in favour of inflating the cuff to no-leak ventilation. Just over half of non-teaching hospital and two-thirds of teaching hospital monitored intracuff pressure.