Clinical course of granulocytic anaplasmosis in hunting dogs.

The aim of this study was to analyze cases of granulocytic anaplosmosis diagnosed in 53 hunting dogs in Poland. Medical records of dogs naturally infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum were retrospectively evaluated with regard to clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities at the time of presentation, therapy and course of disease. The most common clinical signs in A. phagocytophilum-positive dogs included in the study were lethargy (100%), inappetence (94%) and fever (92.5%). Thrombocytopenia was the most common laboratory abnormality (100%), followed by a drop in haematocrit level (79.3%) and increased AST activity (75.5%). Of the 53 infected dogs, 51 (96%) recovered and two dogs (with neurological symptoms) died. Analysis of these cases indicates that A. phagocytophilum infection must be considered in differential diagnosis in dogs living in Poland, especially in hunting dogs with thrombocyto- penia and Ixodes ricinus tick invasions.

Cardiac disorders in dogs infected with Babesia canis.

The aim of this study was to assess cardiac disorders in dogs infected with B. canis. The study included 50 dogs with babesiosis and 20 healthy control animals. All the animals had haematological tests, ECG, echocardiography and serum troponin I and CK-MB levels checked. The haematology in the group of dogs with babesiosis confirmed thrombocytopaenia in 100% of dogs, decreased haematocrit in 52% and anaemia in 46%. The most common abnormalities in ECG and echocardiography in dogs infected with protozoa included: change in appearance and/or amplitude of the T-wave (34%), increased fractional shortening (24%), an increased sinus rhythm (14%) and heart axis deviation (10%). In 19 of the 50 dogs with babesiosis, the level of serum troponin I was elevated. In 2 dogs that died from babesiosis, the troponin level I was very high. The ECG confirmed sinus tachycardia and interpolated ventricular beat in these animals. In all dogs with babesiosis that were used in the study, the serum CK-MB was high or very high and was within limits of 23.17 U/L - 369.62 U/L. The highest kinase concentration (367.33 U/L and 369.62 U/L) was observed in dogs that died due to the disease. The presented results prove that cardiac changes are common in canine babesiosis, but that most changes are nonspecific and appear to have little clinical significance. Cardiovascular assessment should be based on the assessment of the level of troponin I and CK-MB in the serum of sick animals. High concentrations of these factors might be indicators of poor prognosis.

Withdrawal of cefoperazone with milk after intramammary administration in dairy cows - prospective and retrospective analysis.

The aim of the study was to carry out retrospective and prospective comparative analyses of the pharmacokinetics of CEF after single intramammary (IMM) administration in cows. The prospective study (study A) was conducted on 9 dairy cows of the Polish Black-White race with clinical mastitis during the lactation period. Milk samples were collected at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 84 h after single IMM administration of 250 mg of CEF to one quarter. Drug concentrations in milk samples were determined by HPLC-MS/MS technique and the results of the pharmacokinetic analysis were compared to those obtained in previous studies based on the microbiological (study B) and HPLC-UV methods (study C and D). Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated based on adapted two-compartment model of drug distribution. One of the findings of the comparison of the analysed investigations is that the CEF kinetics determined with the microbiological method is consistent with the results obtained by the authors of this paper. Both studies yielded similar results of the key pharmacokinetic parameters related to the level of the drug distribution to tissues and elimination half-life. In the pharmacodynamic analysis, the observations in all four studies were entirely consistent and have shown lower values of T>MIC90 in healthy animals and significantly higher values in infected dairy cows. The comparison of studies A, B, C, and D revealed that the time of complete CEF wash-out of 90.90% varied and amounted to 5.7, 8.0, 2.2, and 2.2 days after administration of the drug, respectively. It was confirmed that not only the type of the analytical method but also correct sampling have a significant impact on determination of the correct value of the drug half-life after IMM administration. The comparative analysis of studies in which the milk yield was high and low allows a conclusion that this parameter in the case of CEF has no significant effect on T>MIC90.