The fascinating microbes and their impact on neonatal dogs and cats - A review.

Recent literature data indicate that canine and feline neonates are not born in a sterile environment as it was stated previously. The acquisition, colonisation and maintenance of the early life microbiota of healthy fetuses is a rapidly developing research area. In humans, the natural healthy infant microbiome plays an essential role in health and its assembly is determined by the maternal-offspring exchanges of microbes. Even though this topic is becoming more and more important in dogs and cats, the exact role of the neonatal microbiome is not yet fully known in animals. This review summarises the current knowledge of the normal physiological neonatal microbiome in healthy puppies and kittens.

Intraneural and perineural inflammatory changes in piglets after injection of ultrasound gel, endotoxin, 0.9% NaCl, or needle insertion without injection.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound gel nerve inflammation has been reported. We evaluated the extent and nature of inflammation after gel injection with endotoxin (positive), saline, or dry needle puncture (negative) controls after peripheral blocks in piglets. METHODS: Selected nerves of 12 piglets were localized by landmarks and nerve stimulator. Forty-eight hours after injection, specimens were examined for immunohistochemical cell differentiation/quantification and cytokine expression by using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Both gel and endotoxin injections resulted in a significantly higher density of inflammatory cells (lymphocytes/granulocytes) as compared with needle insertions and/or saline injections (both P < 0.001). Cytokines were not detected in any of the specimens. CONCLUSIONS: Perineural gel injections cause significant inflammation. The lack of cytokines suggests injectate-related changes rather than mechanical trauma.

Inflammatory response after injection of aqueous gel into subarachnoid space in piglets.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-guided neuraxial anesthesia requires the application of ultrasound gel between the transducer and the skin to avoid signal drop-off. As the needle is inserted, the gel may be introduced intrathecally. The purpose of this study was to examine the evidence of an inflammatory response in the subarachnoid space after intrathecal gel introduction. METHODS: Twelve piglets were sedated with azaperone 0.5 mg/kg intramuscularly and anesthetized via face mask (2%-4% isoflurane in 50% air-oxygen mixture). After collection of cerebrospinal fluid by lumbar puncture with a 22-gauge needle (baseline), 0.2 mL of ultrasound gel mixed with 1 mL of saline was injected intrathecally into 9 piglets (gel group). In 3 piglets (control group), 1 mL of saline was administered. Behavioral and neurologic assessments were recorded on a 4-grade scale. Following the preinjection and postinjection cerebrospinal fluid collection, the piglets were killed, and samples of spinal cord with meninges were excised. Five cross sections (1 mm apart) were processed using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: After anesthesia, all piglets displayed short-lived mild (grade 1) motor and behavioral deficits. Mean ± SD protein concentrations in the gel and baseline samples were 14.1 ± 3.0 and 1.3 ± 0.5 g/L, respectively (P = 0.001). No differences were found in protein concentration between baseline (1.8 ± 0.7 g/L) and control samples (2.8 ± 0.8 g/L) (P = 0.4). In the gel group, numerous immunopositive cells were found in the pia, arachnoid, and inner layer of dura. CONCLUSION: Subarachnoid injection of ultrasound gel in piglets results in an inflammatory response within neuraxial space.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci from non-mastitic bovine mammary gland: characterization of Staphylococcus chromogenes and Staphylococcus haemolyticus by antibiotic susceptibility testing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

During routine microbiological examination of milk samples from dairy cows without clinical signs of mastitis, quarter milk samples of 231 dairy cows from 12 herds were investigated for the presence of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). The isolates were identified on the basis of colony morphology, Gram staining, catalase and coagulase test and the commercial kit, API Staph. CNS was detected in 29% (67/231) of the cows. A total of seven CNS species were identified with the most prevalent being Staphylococcus (Staph.) chromogenes (30%) and Staph. haemolyticus (28·8%), followed by Staph. simulans (11·2%), Staph. xylosus (11·2%), Staph. epidermidis (7·5%), Staph. hyicus (6·3%) and Staph. sciuri (5%). The predominant species, Staph. chromogenes and Staph. haemolyticus, were further characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing using the agar disc diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer) and by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Considerable resistance to ampicillin and penicillin was observed in both species. Isolates with identical or highly similar PFGE profiles were detected at the herd level despite a marked heterogeneity seen for both species. On the basis of somatic cell count, absence of clinical signs of inflammation and heterogeneity of genotypes, we assume that CNS isolated in this study could not be considered as important causative agents of the bovine mammary gland inflammation.