Upper Respiratory Tract Disease in a Dog Infected by a Highly Pathogenic Avian A/H5N1 Virus.

In summer 2023, during an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in cats in Poland, a 16-year-old dog was presented to the veterinary clinic with persistent, debilitating, dry cough, submandibular lymphadenomegaly, mild serous nasal discharge, and left apical heart murmur. A preliminary diagnosis of kennel cough was made and the treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and dexamethasone was initiated. Due to the lack of improvement within 2 days, a blood check-up, thoracic radiography and ultrasonography, and echocardiography were performed. Moreover, a rapid test for orthomyxovirus type A antigen in a throat swab was carried out and proved positive. The result was verified using RT-qPCR, which yielded a positive result for A/H5N1 influenza virus and negative results for A/H1N1, A/H3N2, type B influenza, and SARS-CoV-2. This case indicates that HPAI should be considered as a differential diagnosis not only in cats, but also in dogs with upper respiratory tract disease, particularly in regions experiencing A/H5N1 avian influenza outbreaks.

A Fatal A/H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus Infection in a Cat in Poland.

A European Shorthair male cat, neutered, approximately 6 years of age, was presented to the veterinary clinic due to apathy and anorexia. The cat lived mostly outdoors and was fed raw chicken meat. After 3 days of diagnostic procedures and symptomatic treatment, respiratory distress and neurological signs developed and progressed into epileptic seizures, followed by respiratory and cardiac arrest within the next 3 days. Post-mortem examination revealed necrotic lesions in the liver, lungs, and intestines. Notably, the brain displayed perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes and histiocytes. Few foci of neuronal necrosis in the brain were also confirmed. Microscopic examination of the remaining internal organs was unremarkable. The A/H5N1 virus infection was confirmed using a one-step real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The disease caused severe neurological and respiratory signs, evidence of consolidations and the presence of numerous B lines, which were detected on lung ultrasound examination; the postmortem findings and detection of A/H5N1 viral RNA in multiple tissues indicated a generalized A/H5N1 virus infection. Moreover, a multidrug-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecium was isolated in pure culture from several internal organs. The source of infection could be exposure to infected birds or their excrements, as well as contaminated raw poultry meat but, in this case, the source of infection could not be identified.

A large-scale study on the seroprevalence of small ruminant lentiviral infection in the Polish goat population.

A large-scale study was carried out in a Polish goat population in 2014-2022 to determine the herd-level (between-herd) and within-herd seroprevalence of small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection. A total of 8354 adult goats (aged >1 year) from 165 herds located in various regions of Poland were serologically tested using a commercial ELISA. One hundred twenty eight herds were randomly selected while 37 were enrolled based on convenience non-random sampling. At least 1 seropositive result was obtained in 103 / 165 herds. For all these herds the probability that they were truly positive (herd-level positive predictive value) was calculated. It was ≥ 90% in 91 seropositive herds and 73% to < 90% in 12 herds in which only 1-4 goats were seropositive (22 goats in total). The seropositive goats in the latter herds were retested using a different commercial ELISA and 14 goats (9 males and 5 females) from 9 herds were confirmed to be seropositive (serial testing). The true herd-level seroprevalence was estimated at 61% (95% confidence interval [CI 95%]: 53%-68%). It differed significantly between herd size classes (p = 0.003): the highest prevalences were found in the medium (51 - 100 adult goats) and large herds (>100 adult goats) - 72% (CI 95%: 56-84%) and 86% (CI 95%: 67%-95%), respectively, while prevalences in very small (≤ 20 adult goats) and small herds (21 - 50 adult goats) were 46% (CI 95%: 34%-59%) and 57% (CI 95%: 43%-70%), respectively. The true herd-level seroprevalence differed significantly also between geographical regions of Poland (p = 0.003), with the highest values in the north-western and the lowest in the southern region of the country. The true within-herd seroprevalence estimated using a Bayesian approach ranged from 0.7% to 100% with the median (IQR) of 42% (17%-84%), and did not vary significantly between herd size classes (p = 0.393) or geographical regions of Poland (p = 0.570). Concluding, SRLV infection is widespread in the Polish goat population, the north-western region of Poland is most extensively infected, and herds counting > 50 adult goats are more often infected.

Serological testing of an equal-volume milk sample - a new method to estimate the seroprevalence of small ruminant lentivirus infection?

BACKGROUND: In cattle attempts to evaluate within-herd prevalence of various infectious and parasitic diseases by bulk-tank milk (BTM) testing with ELISA have been made with moderate success. The fact that BTM is composed of variable and unknown volumes of milk from individual lactating animals weakens the relationship between numerical result of the ELISA and the within-herd prevalence. We carried out a laboratory experimental study to evaluate if a pooled milk sample created by mixing an equal volume of individual milk samples from seropositive and seronegative goats, henceforth referred to as an equal-volume milk sample (EVMS), would allow for accurate estimation of within-herd seroprevalence of caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) using 3 different commercial ELISAs. By mixing randomly selected milk samples from seronegative and seropositive goats, 193 EVMS were created - 93 made of seronegative samples and 100 with the proportion of seropositive individual milk samples (EVMS%POS) ranging from 1 to 100%. EVMS%POS could be considered as a proxy for the within-herd seroprevalence. Then, OD of EVMS (ODEVMS) of the 193 EVMS was measured using 3 commercial ELISAs for CAE - 2 indirect and 1 competitive. RESULTS: The cut-off values of ODEVMS indicating SRLV infection were determined. The regression functions were developed to link ODEVMS with EVMS%POS. A significant monotonic relationship between ODEVMS measured with 2 commercial indirect ELISAs and EVMS%POS was identified. Two regression models developed on this basis described approximately 90% of variability and allowed to estimate EVMS%POS, when it was below 50%. High ODEVMS indicated EVMS%POS of > 50%. CONCLUSION: Our study introduces the concept of serological testing of EVMS as a method of detecting SRLV-infected herds and estimating the proportion of strongly seropositive goats. Further field studies are warranted to assess practical benefits of EVMS serological testing.

The Prevalence of Histopathological Features of Pneumonia in Goats with Symptomatic Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis.

Chronic interstitial pneumonia (CIP) is a main pathology of sheep infected with small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV). Caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) is caused by the same pathogen; however, the presence of CIP has been only occasionally reported in SRLV-infected goats. We carried out a cross-sectional study to determine the prevalence of histopathological lesions indicative of CIP in goats with symptomatic CAE, and to investigate whether CIP was associated with a higher prevalence of other types of pneumonia (purulent bronchopneumonia, fibrinous pleuropneumonia) or bacterial infections. Lung specimens and bronchial swabs were collected for histopathological and bacteriological examination, respectively, from 116 goats from a CAE-affected herd. All goats were euthanized due to severe clinical signs of CAE. The goats were seropositive for SRLV infection in two different ELISAs and the presence of SRLV antigen in the lung tissue was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Histopathologically, pneumonia of any type was confirmed in 82 goats (70.7%) and CIP was present in 67 goats (57.8%). In most goats, the severity of the histopathological features of pneumonia was mild. Bacteria were detected in bronchial swabs from 73 goats (62.9%). CIP proved to be significantly positively linked to the occurrence of purulent bronchopneumonia (p < 0.001), fibrinous pleuropneumonia (p = 0.001), and of the infection of lungs with bacteria capable of causing pneumonia (p = 0.050). The causal character of these associations should be considered and warrants further investigation.

Effect of Serial in Vivo Passages on The Adaptation of H1N1 Avian Influenza Virus To Pigs.

Introduction: The lack of proofreading activity of the viral polymerase and the segmented nature of the influenza A virus (IAV) genome are responsible for the genetic diversity of IAVs and for their ability to adapt to a new host. We tried to adapt avian IAV (avIAV) to the pig by serial passages in vivo and assessed the occurrence of point mutations and their influence on viral fitness in the pig's body. Material and Methods: A total of 25 in vivo avIAV passages of the A/duck/Bavaria/77 strain were performed by inoculation of 50 piglets, and after predetermined numbers of passages 20 uninoculated piglets were exposed to the virus through contact with inoculated animals. Clinical signs of swine influenza were assessed daily. Nasal swabs and lung tissue were used to detect IAV RNA by real-time RT-PCR and isolates from selected passages were sequenced. Results: Apart from a rise in rectal temperature and a sporadic cough, no typical clinical signs were observed in infected pigs. The original strain required 20 passages to improve its replication ability noticeably. A total of 29 amino-acid substitutions were identified. Eighteen of them were detected in the first sequenced isolate, of which 16 were also in all other analysed strains. Additional mutations were detected with more passages. One substitution, threonine (T) 135 to serine (S) in neuraminidase (NA), was only detected in an IAV isolate from a contact-exposed piglet. Conclusion: Passaging 25 times allowed us to obtain a partially swine-adapted IAV. The improvement in isolate replication ability was most likely related to S654 to glycine (G) substitution in the basic protein (PB) 1 as well as to aspartic acid (D) 701 to asparagine (N) and arginine (R) 477 to G in PB2, glutamic acid (E) 204 to D and G239E in haemagglutinin and T135S in NA.

Longitudinal Study on Seroreactivity of Goats Exposed to Colostrum and Milk of Small Ruminant Lentivirus-infected Dams.

Introduction: Small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) causes caprine arthritis-encephalitis in goats and maedi-visna disease in sheep. Transmission is via ingestion of colostrum and milk from infected dams or long-term direct contact between animals. Lifelong seroconversion can occur several weeks after infection via ingestion. However, sub-yearling lambs that ingest contaminated colostrum may be able to clear the infection and become seronegative. Whether a similar phenomenon occurs in goats remains unknown. Therefore, the serological status of goats was studied longitudinally from the moment of natural exposure to colostrum and milk of SRLV-positive dams through the age of 24 months. Material and Methods: Between February 2014 and March 2017 a dairy goat herd was studied which had been infected with SRLV for more than 20 years and carried maedi-visna virus-like genotype A subtype A17. Thirty-one kids born to dams seropositive for SRLV for at least a year beforehand were followed. They ingested colostrum immediately after birth and then remained with their dams for three weeks. The goats were tested serologically every month using two commercial ELISAs. The clinical condition of the goats was also regularly assessed. Results: Out of 31 goats, 13 (42%) seroconverted at the age ranging from 3 to 22 months with a median of 5 months. Two goats seroconverted in the second year of life. The other eleven did so before the age of one year; two of these reverted to seronegative status. Only 9 out of 31 goats (29%) seroconverted in the first year of life and remained seropositive. They were early and stable seroreactors to which SRLV was transmitted lactogenically. The age at which they seroconverted ranged from 3 to 10 months with a median of 5 months. In 8 of the 18 persistently seronegative goats, a single isolated positive result occurred. No goats showed any clinical signs of arthritis. The level of maternal antibodies at the age of one week did not differ significantly between the stable seroreactors and the remainder. Conclusion: Seroconversion appears to occur in less than 50% of goats exposed to heterologous SRLV genotype A via ingestion of colostrum and milk from infected dams and is delayed by 3-10 months. The natural lactogenic route of transmission of SRLV genotype A in goats appears to be less effective than this route of genotype B transmission reported in earlier studies.

Serological Survey of Leptospira Infection in Arabian Horses in Poland.

Leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonotic infections worldwide, including in most livestock, some companion animals, horses, wildlife, and humans. Epidemiological estimation of its prevalence in all species is difficult due to the variety of clinical presentations and challenges regarding laboratory diagnosis. The purpose of this study was to measure the seroprevalence of leptospiral infection in Arabian horses kept in the largest breeding farms in Poland, representing over 15% of the Polish Arabian horse population. Leptospira antibodies were detected by MAT (cut-off 1:100) in 33.2% of serum samples (204 of 615 animals) (CI 95%: 29.6-37.0%), most frequently reacting with the serovar Grippotyphosa, similar to previous reports in populations of randomly selected horses. These results indicated high Leptospira seropositivity, thus, although any form of clinical leptospirosis is rare, it may be postulated that the leptospiral exposure is widespread.

Diagnostic accuracy of three commercial immunoenzymatic assays for small ruminant lentivirus infection in goats performed on individual milk samples.

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) caused by small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection is one of the most widespread and devastating diseases of goats. Serological methods, mainly immunoenzymatic assays (ELISA), are the mainstay of CAE diagnostics. Even though blood is still the most commonly tested material, animal welfare issues and increasing costs of veterinary service prompt the development of serological methods based on milk testing. Several different types of ELISAs for CAE are available on the market. All of them perform well on serum, however their diagnostic accuracy for testing milk has not been so far compared. Therefore, we carried out the study in 5 dairy goat herds in Poland whose previous epidemiological situation regarding CAE was known. Paired serum and milk samples were collected from all adult females (n = 420) and tested with 3 commercial ELISAs - indirect ELISA based on the whole-virus antigen (wELISA), indirect ELISA based on the recombined transmembrane and capsid protein (TM/CA-ELISA), and competitive ELISA based on the surface glycoprotein (SU-ELISA). Milk was tested as lactoserum at dilution of 1/2 in wELISA and TM/CA-ELISA, and undiluted in SU-ELISA. The true status of goats was based on the composite reference standard comprising the results of all three ELISAs done on serum and the true prevalence of SRLV infection in the herd of origin. 243 (57.9 %) goats were classified as truly positive and 177 (42.1 %) goats as truly negative. Diagnostic accuracy was evaluated using the area under the ROC curve (AUROC) as well as sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) for a range of cut-off values. AUROC was 98.8 % (CI 95 %: 97.5 %, 100 %) for wELISA, 97.9 % (CI 95 %: 96.5 %, 99.2 %) for TM/CA-ELISA, and 91.7 % (CI 95 %: 88.9 %, 94.5 %) for SU-ELISA. At the cut-off values recommended by the manufacturers both indirect ELISAs were highly sensitive (89.3 % and 91.4 %, respectively) and highly specific (98.3 % and 95.5 %, respectively), whereas SU-ELISA had only moderate Se (71.2 %) at comparably high Sp (96.6 %). Nevertheless, the optimal cut-off values were lower than those recommended by manufacturers for serum - sample-to-positive control serum ratio (S/P%) of 10 % for wELISA, S/P% of 80 % for TM/CA-ELISA, and percentage inhibition of 23 % for SU-ELISA. Concluding, the study shows that wELISA and TM/CA-ELISA may be interchangeably used for testing individual goat milk samples for SRLV infection. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of these ELISAs appear not to be lower on milk than on serum. SU-ELISA is considerably less sensitive on milk samples than indirect ELISAs.

Prevalence of anthelmintic resistance of gastrointestinal nematodes in Polish goat herds assessed by the larval development test.

BACKGROUND: Helminthic infections, in particular those caused by gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), are found worldwide and are among the most economically important diseases of goats. Anthelmintic resistance (AR) in GIN of goats is currently present worldwide, and single- or multidrug resistant species are widespread. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of AR to benzimidazoles (BZ), macrocyclic lactones (ML) and imidazothiazoles represented by levamisole (LEV) in the Polish goat herds by using an in vitro larval development test, which is useful especially in large-scale epidemiological surveys. RESULTS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2018 to June 2019 and enrolled 42 dairy goat herds scattered over the entire country. The most commonly used anthelmintic class in goat herds in Poland were BZ (92%), followed by ML (85%) and LEV (13%). BZ-resistant GIN populations were found in 37 herds (88%, CI 95%: 75 to 95%), ML-resistant GIN populations in 40 herds (95%, CI 95, 84 to 99%), and LEV-resistant GIN populations in 5 herds (12%, CI 95%: 5 to 25%). Multidrug resistance involving all three anthelmintic classes was found in 5 herds (12%, CI 95, 5 to 25%). Based on the morphological features of stage 3 larvae the main resistant GIN turned out to be Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus spp. The use of BZ and frequency of anthelmintic treatments were significantly related to the presence of AR to BZ in Polish goat herds. CONCLUSIONS: This cross-sectional study demonstrates the existence of AR to BZ, ML and LEV on Polish goat farms. Resistance to BZ and ML is widespread, while AR to LEV is currently at a low level. A considerable proportion of herds harbours multidrug resistant GIN, which requires further consideration. An effective anthelmintic treatment strategy, reasonable preventive measures and better understanding of the resistance-related management practices by farmers and veterinarians may delay further development of AR.

Profile of serum lipid metabolites of one-week-old goat kids depending on the type of rearing.

BACKGROUND: Weaning of goat kids immediately after birth and feeding them on bovine or heat-treated caprine colostrum, referred to as snatching, is considered an effective control measure in some infectious diseases. The study was carried out in one-week-old goat kids to gain insight into the profile of lipid metabolites and to investigate the influence of snatching on kids' metabolism. Fifty-two goat kids born to 23 female goats were included in the study - 22 kids were weaned immediately after birth and kept isolated from their mothers; 30 remaining kids were left with their mothers for next 3 weeks so that they could nurse on dams' milk at will. Blood was collected at the age of 1 week and serum was obtained by centrifugation. The concentration of lipid metabolites was determined with mass spectrometry using a commercial MxP® Quant 500 kit (Biocrates Life Sciences AG, Innsbruck, Austria). RESULTS: Concentration of 240 lipid metabolites belonging to 10 lipid classes was above the limit of detection of the assay. These lipid metabolites were quantified and included in the analysis. Concentration of 2 lipid classes (acyl-alkyl-phosphatidylcholines and ceramides) and 31 lipid metabolites (14 triacylglycerols, 5 acyl-alkyl-phosphatidylcholines, 2 diacylphosphatidylcholines, 1 lyso-phosphatidylcholine, 5 ceramides, 2 sphingomyelins, and 2 cholesterol esters) differed significantly between the two groups of kids. CONCLUSION: Snatching of kids results in reduction of serum concentration of lipid metabolites, however, the magnitude of this phenomenon does not seem to be sufficient to negatively affect kids' health condition. This study is the first in which the broad set of lipid metabolites of young ruminants was quantified using the novel metabolomic assay MxP® Quant 500 kit.

The effect of the subclinical small ruminant lentivirus infection of female goats on the growth of kids.

A longitudinal observational study was carried out to evaluate the influence of prenatal exposure to small ruminant lentivirus(SRLV)-infected does on the body weight (BWT) of young kids. The study was carried out in years 2001-2017 in the research dairy goat herd. Goats in the herd were regularly serologically tested and individuals showing clinical signs of caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) were promptly culled. As a result all goats enrolled in the study were asymptomatic. Moreover, kids were weaned immediately after birth, fed on bovine colostrum and kept in strict separation from mothers to prevent SRLV lactogenic transmission. Kids were weighed immediately after birth, and then 1-3 times within the first 3 months of life. In total 620 goat kids were weighed at least once, excluding weighing at birth, providing 992 BWT records. The mixed linear model including four variables fitted as random effects (doe, kid, the year of kid's birth and the exact age of a kid at weighing) and four potential confounders fitted as fixed effects (parity, kid's sex, litter size and birth body weight) was developed and showed that BWT was not significantly associated with SRLV serological status of a doe, regardless of the time for which does had been infected before the delivery of the kid (p = 0.242). This study provides strong evidence that kids born to SRLV-infected does grow equally well as kids from uninfected does, provided that the lactogenic viral transmission is prevented by maintaining strict separation between the offspring and mothers. This observation is important for choosing the most optimal strategy of CAE control in a goat herd.

Effect of Immediately-After-Birth Weaning on the Development of Goat Kids Born to Small Ruminant Lentivirus-Positive Dams.

A longitudinal study was carried out to investigate the influence of two different rearing systems of young kids on their development to sexual maturity. Kids born to small ruminant lentiviruses-infected (SRLV) female goats were split into two groups: the immediately-after-birth weaned group and the unweaned group. Kids' body weight (BWT) was measured before the first consumption of colostrum, and then at the age of one week, and one, two, four, and seven months. The relationship between the rearing system and BWT at each age was investigated using mixed linear models adjusted for potential confounders. The mean BWT of kids of the immediately-after-birth weaned group was significantly lower at the age of one week, one month, and two months, and then the difference became insignificant. The mean daily body weight gain (DWG) was significantly lower in the immediately-after-birth weaned group during the whole first month of life, but then DWG in both groups became equal. Crude mortality rate did not differ significantly between groups. This study shows that weaning kids immediately after birth does not appear to have any negative impact on kids' development except transient growth retardation, which is fully compensated until they reach sexual maturity.

RECENT CHANGES IN INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN EUROPEAN WILDLIFE.

Many infectious diseases originating from, or carried by, wildlife affect wildlife conservation and biodiversity, livestock health, or human health. We provide an update on changes in the epidemiology of 25 selected infectious, wildlife-related diseases in Europe (from 2010-16) that had an impact, or may have a future impact, on the health of wildlife, livestock, and humans. These pathogens were selected based on their: 1) identification in recent Europe-wide projects as important surveillance targets, 2) inclusion in European Union legislation as pathogens requiring obligatory surveillance, 3) presence in recent literature on wildlife-related diseases in Europe since 2010, 4) inclusion in key pathogen lists released by the Office International des Epizooties, 5) identification in conference presentations and informal discussions on a group email list by a European network of wildlife disease scientists from the European Wildlife Disease Association, or 6) identification as pathogens with changes in their epidemiology during 2010-16. The wildlife pathogens or diseases included in this review are: avian influenza virus, seal influenza virus, lagoviruses, rabies virus, bat lyssaviruses, filoviruses, canine distemper virus, morbilliviruses in aquatic mammals, bluetongue virus, West Nile virus, hantaviruses, Schmallenberg virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, African swine fever virus, amphibian ranavirus, hepatitis E virus, bovine tuberculosis ( Mycobacterium bovis), tularemia ( Francisella tularensis), brucellosis ( Brucella spp.), salmonellosis ( Salmonella spp.), Coxiella burnetii, chytridiomycosis, Echinococcus multilocularis, Leishmania infantum, and chronic wasting disease. Further work is needed to identify all of the key drivers of disease change and emergence, as they appear to be influencing the incidence and spread of these pathogens in Europe. We present a summary of these recent changes during 2010-16 to discuss possible commonalities and drivers of disease change and to identify directions for future work on wildlife-related diseases in Europe. Many of the pathogens are entering Europe from other continents while others are expanding their ranges inside and beyond Europe. Surveillance for these wildlife-related diseases at a continental scale is therefore important for planet-wide assessment, awareness of, and preparedness for the risks they may pose to wildlife, domestic animal, and human health.

Relationship between the dissemination of small ruminant lentivirus infection in goat herds and opinion of farmers on the occurrence of arthritis.

Small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) infection manifests itself mainly with chronic progressive arthritis affecting mainly carpal joints. The data from serological and questionnaire surveys were retrospectively analyzed to determine how the dissemination of SRLV infection in the herd influenced farmer's subjective opinion on the occurrence of swelling of carpal joints (considered as a proxy of arthritis). Between 1996 and 2017 153 different Polish dairy goat herds counting at least 20 adult goats were serologically screened for CAE and their owners were asked about their opinion on the occurrence of arthritis (never, rarely, often). Of them 73 SRLV-seropositive herds, in which true seroprevalence had been estimated, were included in the analysis. The ordinal logistic regression model was developed to determine the relationship between the true within-herd seroprevalence and the probability that the farmer would observe arthritis in the herd never, rarely or often. True within-herd seroprevalence ranged from 0.2% to 100% with the median of 34.6%. Farmers declared not to have observed arthritis in 40 (54.8%) herds, to have seen it rarely in 9 (12.3%) of herds, and to have observed it often in 24 (32.9%) of herds. The model proved that the probability of observing goats with carpal arthritis in the herd was significantly linked to the true within-herd seroprevalence (OR = 1.058, CI 95% from 1.037 to 1.078; p<0.001), but this relationship was not linear and SRLV infection proved to remain unapparent to farmers even when a considerable part of the herd had already become infected. Concluding, the study shows that when the farmer realizes that goats in the herd suffer from arthritis, SRLV infection is almost certainly already widespread in the herd.

Decline of maternal antibodies to small ruminant lentivirus in goat kids.

We carried out this study to determine for how long small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV)-specific antibodies can be detected by three commercial ELISA kits in goat kids after suckling infected does in field conditions. Forty-one kids born to SRLV-seropositive asymptomatic does were blood sampled prior to colostrum consumption, and then weekly for 6 months in total. The sera were screened with three commercial ELISA kits: whole-virus ELISA (wELISA), recombinant transmembrane and capsid antigen ELISA (TM/CA-ELISA), and surface antigen ELISA (SU-ELISA). All but one kid were seronegative in all three ELISAs right after birth. At the age of 1 week all kids turned seropositive in wELISA, 39 kids (95%) in TM/CA-ELISA, and 35 kids (85%) in SU-ELISA. All seropositive kids turned seronegative in wELISA by the 15th week, and in SU-ELISA by the 19th week (median of 8 weeks in both ELISA), whereas in TM/CA-ELISA five kids (13% of 39 initially seropositive) were still seropositive at the age of 6 months (median of 11 weeks). Antibody levels at the age of 1 week proved significantly linked to the duration of maternal antibodies in all three ELISAs and could be employed to predict for how long maternal antibodies would remain detectable.

Change of heart dimensions and function during pregnancy in goats.

The study aimed to evaluate the effect of pregnancy on heart diameters and function in goats. Transthoracic echocardiography of 12 female dairy goats of two Polish regional breeds was performed. A Mindray M7 diagnostic ultrasound system with Phased Array transducer was used. Simultaneously, electrocardiography was recorded. All animals were examined four times - at mating season, at the end of the first trimester, at the end of the second trimester and just before kidding. Eleven measurements were taken each time: aortic and left atrial diameter (AoD and LAD), right and left ventricular internal diameter in diastole (RVIDd and LVIDd), left ventricular internal diameter in systole (LVIDs), inter-ventricular septum thickness in diastole and systole (IVSd and IVSd) and left ventricular posterior wall in diastole and systole (LVPWd and LVPWs), maximum left and right ventricular outflow tract velocity (RVOT Vmax and LVOT Vmax). Nine consecutive measurements were derived: the ratio of the left atrial diameter to the aortic diameter (AoD/LAD), left ventricular fractional shortening (FS%), left ventricular ejection fraction (EF%), maximum outflow tract pressure gradients (RVOT PGmax and LVOT PGmax), left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) and left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), stroke volume (SV) and cardiac output (CO). HR, LAD, LVPWs, IVSs increased significantly in the first trimester. AoD and RVIDd were significantly higher around parturition. LVIDd, FS%, EF%, SV and CO rose both in the first and third trimester. No measurement decreased during pregnancy. The study confirms that pregnancy causes changes in the heart size and functioning.

Use of two commercial caprine arthritis-encephalitis immunoenzymatic assays for screening of arthritic goats.

Roughly one-fourth of goats infected with small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) develop caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE). We compared the profile of antibody response to surface glycoprotein (SU), and combined transmembrane glycoprotein and capsid protein (TM/CA) in SRLV-infected arthritic and asymptomatic goats, and determined the ability of 2 commercial ELISAs to distinguish between arthritic and asymptomatic goats. We used sera from 312 SRLV-seropositive dairy goats in a whole-virus ELISA; 222 were collected from arthritic goats and 90 from apparently healthy goats. Sera were screened with a competitive inhibition ELISA based on SU antigen (SU-ELISA) and an indirect ELISA based on TM and CA antigens (TM/CA-ELISA). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were prepared for both ELISAs, and areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were compared. The proportion of goats with antibody response stronger to SU antigen than to TM/CA antigen was significantly higher among arthritic than asymptomatic goats (58.1% vs. 28.9%; p < 0.001). Antibody response to SU antigen was a good predictor of the arthritic form of CAE: AUC for SU-ELISA was 89.7% (95% CI: 85.2%, 94.2%), compared to 59.3% (95% CI: 51.9%, 66.8%) for TM/CA-ELISA ( p < 0.001). With the cutoff set at percentage of inhibition of 56%, SU-ELISA had sensitivity of 86.9% (95% CI: 81.9%, 90.7%) and specificity of 84.4% (95% CI: 75.6%, 90.5%) in discriminating between arthritic and asymptomatic goats.

Agreement between commercial assays for haptoglobin and serum amyloid A in goats.

Haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA) are considered as the major acute phase proteins (APPs) in goats. These APPs have been investigated in several studies during the last decade. In most studies, a colorimetric assay for Hp and a solid phase sandwich ELISA for SAA have been used for quantification. In 2015, reference intervals for APPs were determined using a new type of assay, the competitive ELISA (cELISA). Results obtained by the cELISA differed significantly from results obtained by previously used assays. The present study aimed to assess the agreement between so far used assays and cELISAs. Sera of 152 female dairy goats of two Polish national breeds were analysed. The concentration of Hp was determined using a colorimetric assay (Hp-CA) and the cELISA (Hp-cELISA), while a solid phase sandwich ELISA (SAA-sELISA) and the cELISA (SAA-cELISA) were used to measure SAA. Agreement between test results was assessed by preparing Bland-Altman plots, and analyzing 95% limits of agreement (LoA). Finally, the assays for Hp and SAA were compared using 147 and 138 serum samples, respectively, as 5 and 14 paired measurements, respectively, were excluded from agreement analyses to avoid extrapolation of Hp and SAA concentration. Measurements obtained by the Hp-CA and Hp-cELISA showed weak positive correlation (r = 0.24, P = 0.003). Limits of agreement (LoA) ranged from + 1.6 (95% CI 1.4 to 1.8) g/L to - 1.5 (95% CI - 1.7 to - 1.3) g/L. Measurements yielded by the SAA-sELISA and SAA-cELISA did not correlate (r = - 0.01, P = 0.855). LoA ranged from + 14.5 mg/L (95% CI 12.9 to 16.1) to - 8.5 mg/L (95% CI - 10.1 to - 6.9). Agreement between the two types of commercial assays for determination of Hp and SAA concentrations in goats is poor and cELISAs tend to underrate both Hp and SAA concentrations.

Reference intervals of echocardiographic measurements in healthy adult dairy goats.

OBJECTIVES: To determine references intervals for echocardiographic measurements in adult dairy goats. ANIMALS: 125 clinically healthy, adult dairy goats aged 2-9 years, belonging to two breeds-Polish Fawn Improved (PFI, n = 64, weight range from 46 to 73, median of 58.5kg) and Polish White Improved (PWI, n = 61, weight range from 48 to 80 kg, median of 67.9kg), closely related to French Alpine and Saanen, respectively. METHODS: Non-invasive transthoracic echocardiography examination was performed in unsedated goats in a standing position. Two-dimensional, M-mode and pulsed wave Doppler measurements were obtained. A non-parametric method was applied for determination of reference intervals. Measurements for the two breeds were compared using an analysis of covariance to control for their body weight. Repeatability was assessed using a between-day coefficient of variation and a coefficient of repeatability. RESULTS: Following reference intervals were determined: aortic diameter in diastole 2.2-3.3, left atrial diameter in systole 2.5-4.3cm cm, the ratio of the left atrial diameter to the aortic diameter 0.96-1.5, right ventricular internal diameter in diastole 0.4-1.7cm, left ventricular internal diameter in systole and diastole 1.8-3.2 and 3.2-5.6 cm, respectively, inter-ventricular septum thickness in systole and diastole 0.7-1.5 and 0.5-1.1cm, respectively, left ventricular posterior-wall in systole and diastole 0.8-1.6 and 0.5-1.2cm, respectively, E-point to septal separation 0.3-0.8cm, left ventricular fractional shortening 28-54%, left ventricular ejection fraction 55-86%, maximum Left and Right Ventricular Outflow Tract velocity 80-140 cm/s and 70-130 cm/s, respectively Left and Right Ventricular Outflow Tract pressure gradient 2.5-8.9mmHg and 1.9-6.5mmHg, respectively. Most of the differences between the two breeds could be attributed to different body weight. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides echocardiographic reference intervals determined on the highest sample of apparently healthy goats so far enrolled.