Determination of Aelurostrongylus abstrusus Prevalence and Risk Factors in Cats from Balikesir

OBJECTIVE: The lungworms are nematodes that live as parasites in cat lungs. It is reported that the most common lungworm is Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in cats, and also Capillaria aerophila is observed. The lungworms can cause infection of the lower respiratory tract, often resulting in bronchitis and pneumonia. In this study, it was aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of A. abstrusus in cats in the Balikesir province. METHODS: This study was carried out on 100 cats in Balikesir province. Fresh stool samples (>15 g) were collected for detection of lungworms after recorded all cat information (breed, age, sex, etc.). Parasite-specific L1 forms were determined from the stool samples by the Baerman-Wetzel technique. RESULTS: A. abstrusus L1's were found in 5 of the 100 stool samples examined. While symptoms of respiratory system disease were observed in 2 of the cats with lungworm, no clinical finding of the presence of parasites was found in 3 of them. CONCLUSION: A. abstrusus was observed at a level of 5% in this first prevalence study in cats in Balikesir province.

Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) and thrombomodulin in bovine traumatic pericarditis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomarkers of cardiac damage such as heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), pentraxin-3 (PTX-3), and thrombomodulin (TM) for the detection and prognosis of bovine traumatic pericarditis (TP). Spontaneous TP was diagnosed on the basis of history, clinical signs, complete blood count, glutaraldehyde test, ultrasonography, and pericardiocentesis findings. H-FABP, PTX-3 and TM levels in serum were compared between 25 Holstein cows diagnosed with spontaneous TP and 10 healthy control cows using bovine-specific ELISA kits. Serum H-FABP in cattle with TP was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than in the control group and positively correlated with cardiac troponin-I (cTnI), creatine kinase myocardial band (CK-MB), PTX-3 and TM (r = 0.683, 0.342, 0.448 and 0.424, respectively; P < 0.05). The serum levels of PTX-3 (P < 0.05) and TM (P < 0.05) in cattle with TP were significantly higher than in the control group. Cardiac damage biomarkers H-FABP, PTX-3 and TM may be useful in the diagnosis of bovine TP.

The determination of treatment effect of chitosan oligosaccharide in lambs with experimentally cryptosporidiosis.

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the efficacy of chitosan oligosaccharide administrations in different doses of experimental infected lambs with Cryptosporidium parvum. 32 male lambs were used in the study and the lambs were divided into 4 groups with 8 lambs in each group. Groups 1, 2 and 3, twice a day, were administered chitosan oligosaccharide at a dose of 100, 500, and 1000 mg/kg for 7 days, respectively, with milk replacer. In group 4, lambs with cryptosporidiosis were subjected to normal feeding as control without drug administration. Clinical examinations of lambs were made before treatment (day 0) and on days 1, 3, 5 and 7 after treatment and 5 ml of blood was collected from vena jugularis for blood analysis of all lambs. Weight changes of lambs were recorded at 0, 7, 14, and 21 days. Stool specimens were collected pre-treatment (day 0) and on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 and 21 post-treatment to determine oocyst excretion of lambs with cryptosporidiosis. Lambs with a mean oocyte counts >10 after stool examination were included to the treatment. Changes in clinical hematology, blood gases and biochemical parameters were observed during the course of treatment, but these changes were limited. Weight loss was observed at 7th day according to 0th day the lambs with experimental cryptosporidiosis but gradually weight increase was observed at 14th and 21st days and these changes were similar in all groups. Oocyst excretion decreased in all groups during treatment. According to 0th day, there was a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in oocyte excretions in the third day in group 1 and 2, and in day 5 in the group 3 and 4. Significant changes (p < 0.05) were observed in oocyst excretions on the third and fifth days among the groups. As a result, in lambs with experimental cryptosporidiosis, chitosan oligosaccharide improved in clinical signs and stool character shorter than the positive control group and the administration of chitosan oligosaccharide at doses of 100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg for 7 days significantly reduced oocyst excretion but not enough to remove cryptosporidiosis completely.

Evaluation of Intestinal Damage Biomarkers in Calves with Atresia Coli.

INTRODUCTION: Intestinal obstruction such as atresia coli causes pathophysiological changes in gastrointestinal tissue due to the rise of intra-abdominal pressure. The aim of this study is to determine the intestinal damage with intestinal biomarkers in calves with atresia coli. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 40 Holstein calves diagnosed with atresia coli with mild to moderate abdominal distention and 10 healthy Holstein calves which served as the control. Blood samples were collected from all calves, and then serum concentrations of intestinal biomarkers were estimated, namely intestinal fatty acid binding protein (IFABP), liver fatty acid binding protein (LFABP), trefoil factor 3 (TFF3), and intestinal alkaline phosphatase (IAP), using commercially available specific bovine ELISA kits. An automatic blood gas analyser was employed for determining the lactate concentration. RESULTS: The concentrations of serum LFABP (P < 0.01), IFABP, TFF3, IAP, and blood lactate (P < 0.001) were significantly higher in calves with atresia coli than in healthy calves. CONCLUSION: The calves affected with atresia coli exhibited severe intestinal damage, and IFABP, LFABP, and TFF3 have significant diagnostic importance and play a useful role in determining the intestinal damage due to intestinal obstruction. High levels of IAP and lactate may serve as a signal for the development of intestinal injury.

Cardiac biomarkers in premature calves with respiratory distress syndrome.

The aim of this study was to determine the clinical relevance of cardiac biomarkers [troponin I and T, creatine kinase-MB fraction (CK-MB) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)] in premature calves with respiratory distress syndrome. Seventy premature calves were admitted to the clinic within 24 h after birth. Respiratory distress syndrome was diagnosed in premature calves by clinical examination and venous blood gas analysis. Ten healthy calves, aged 5 days, were used as control. Cardiac troponin I and T were analysed using ELISA and ELFA, respectively. Serum CK-MB and LDH were also analysed in an automatic analyser. The calves had low venous pH, pO2, O2 saturation and high pCO2 values consistent with dyspnoea, hypoxaemia, and inadequate oxygen delivery. Mean serum troponin I, troponin T, CK-MB and LDH levels were increased in the premature calves compared to the control group. In conclusion, the results in this study demonstrated that serum CK-MB, troponin I and troponin T concentrations could be used for evaluating myocardial injury in premature calves with respiratory distress syndrome.

Babesia ovis infections: detailed clinical and laboratory observations in the pre- and post-treatment periods of 97 field cases.

Ovine babesiosis, caused by Babesia ovis, is of major economic importance in Turkey. The changes in the blood profile of infected animals are informative about the course of infection. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hematological and biochemical changes in the pre- and post-treatment periods of the natural B. ovis infections. The presence of the parasites was confirmed by microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. On the basis of the clinical and laboratory findings, the infections were categorized into different groups according to the degree of anemia and the level of parasitemia. All infected sheep were treated with imidocarb dipropionate (IMDP). The blood pictures in the pre- and post-treatment periods were compared. Pancytopenia occurred in animals with severe anemia and very high parasitemia, and bicytopenia in the other groups. The platelet count (PLT), plateletcrit (PCT) and mean platelet volume (MPV) returned to the normal ranges after treatment, except those in the group with severe anemia. In the biochemical profile, B. ovis infection caused an increase in blood urea nitrogen and total bilirubin, and these parameters returned to normal levels after treatment. The indirect fluorescein antibody test (IFAT) results showed that 38.1% of the cases raised specific antibodies during the period of infection, with titers ranging from 1/160 to 1/640. All of 45 animals re-examined after treatment were seropositive, with high titers that rose up to 1/5120.