Efficacy of maropitant for preventing vomiting associated with motion sickness in dogs.

Maropitant is a neurokinin-1 inhibitor that acts to prevent and treat vomiting by blocking stimuli to the final common pathway in the emetic centre of the brain. The field efficacy and safety of a single oral dose of maropitant were investigated for the prevention of vomiting in dogs with a history of motion sickness resulting from transportation by car in two blinded, placebo-controlled studies. In an exploratory study designed as a two-way crossover trial with 17 dogs, 10 of the dogs given the placebo vomited during a car journey but only three of the dogs vomited under maropitant treatment. In a larger multicentred parallel design study, 69 of 105 dogs treated with the placebo vomited during the journey compared with 15 of 106 dogs treated with maropitant (P < 0.0001).

The anti-emetic efficacy of maropitant (Cerenia) in the treatment of ongoing emesis caused by a wide range of underlying clinical aetiologies in canine patients in Europe.

OBJECTIVES: The efficacy of maropitant (Cerenia; Pfizer Inc.) as an anti-emetic for use in dogs with ongoing emesis was evaluated in a two-phase multi-centric study conducted at veterinary clinics in France, Italy, Slovakia and the UK. METHODS: In phase I, dogs with ongoing emesis were randomised in a 1:1 ratio to either maropitant (32 dogs) or metoclopramide (34 dogs). In phase II, dogs were randomised in a 2:1 ratio to maropitant (77 dogs) or metoclopramide (40 dogs). Maropitant was administered subcutaneously at 1 mg/kg/day for up to five days. Metoclopramide was administered as recommended on the product labels as licensed at 0.5 to 1 mg/kg/day subcutaneously or orally with the daily dose divided over two to three administrations per day for up to three to five days. RESULTS: In phase I, 97 per cent of dogs treated with maropitant and 71 per cent of dogs treated with metoclopramide did not vomit after treatment (P<0.01). The mean number of emetic events after maropitant treatment was significantly reduced compared with that after metoclopramide treatment (P=0.01). In phase II, the occurrence of emesis was lower for maropitant during the first 24 hours (P<0.0001) and for each day thereafter. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: A single daily dose of maropitant was more effective than metoclopramide administered two or three times daily in the treatment of emesis caused by various aetiologies in dogs.

Detection and subtyping of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strains by PCR-RFLP analysis of the tbpA and tbpB genes.

A PCR-based procedure for detection and serotype identification of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae strains was developed and evaluated. The A. pleuropneumoniae tbpA and tbpB genes were used as targets for amplification of DNA fragments, with a pair of specific primers for each gene. Amplification with tbpA primers rendered a 2.8-kb PCR product from all 12 A. pleuropneumoniae reference strains as well as from Actinobacillus suis strain CCM 5586, while amplification of a 1.9-kb PCR product was observed when testing ten Haemophilus parasuis strains of different serovars. Amplification of the tbpB gene from A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 6, 8 and 12, and A. suis CCM 5586 rendered an identical 1.8-kb fragment, while from A. pleuropneumoniae serotypes 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10 and 11, and H. parasuis strains it produced a 1.7-kb fragment. No PCR amplification product was observed when examining strains of 19 other swine pathogens or closely related species. The minimal detection limit for whole-cell A. pleuropneumoniae templates was between 5-50 and 3 x 10(2)-3 x 10(3) CFU when tbpA and tbpB specific primers, respectively, were used. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the PCR-generated products rendered different patterns, easily allowing us to discriminate between A. pleuropneumoniae, H. parasuis and A. suis and, more importantly, to distinguish ten RFLP A. pleuropneumoniae groups (the highest discrimination reported so far for a PCR assay with A. pleuropneumoniae), in such a way that the only serotypes with profiles identical to each other were 4 to 11 and 7 to 9. Moreover, the PCR-RFLP analysis was assayed in 36 A. pleuropneumoniae field isolates and in porcine samples (lungs and nasal swabs from experimentally infected animals). In both cases the system proved to be very efficient in A. pleuropneumoniae identification and serotype discrimination.

Apx toxins in Pasteurellaceae species from animals.

Pasteurellaceae species particularly of porcine origin which are closely related to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae were analyzed for the presence of analogues to the major A. pleuropneumoniae RTX toxin genes, apxICABD, apxIICA and apxIIICABD and for their expression. Actinobacillus suis contains both apxICABD(var.suis) and apxIICA(var. suis) operons and was shown to produce ApxI and ApxII toxin. Actinobacillus rossii contained the operons apxIICA(var.rossii) and apxIIICABD(var.rossii). However, only the toxin ApxII and not ApxIII could be detected in cultures of A. rossii. The Apx toxins found in A. suis and A. rossi may play a role in virulence of these pathogens. Actinobacillus lignieresii, which was included since it is phylogenetically very closely related to A. pleuropneumoniae, was found to contain a full apxICABD(var.lign.) operon which however lacks the -35 and -10 boxes in the promoter sequences. As expected from these results, no expression of ApxI was detected in A. lignieresii grown under standard culture conditions. Actinobacillus seminis, Actinobacillus equuli, Pasteurella aerogenes, Pasteurella multocida, Haemophilus parasuis, and also Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica, which is known to secrete leukotoxin, were all shown to be devoid of any of the apx toxin genes and did not produce ApxI, ApxII or ApxIII toxin proteins. However, proteins of slightly lower molecular mass than ApxI, ApxII and ApxIII which showed limited cross-reactions with monospecific, polyclonal anti-ApxI, anti-ApxII and anti-ApxIII were detected on immunoblot analysis of A. equuli, A. seminis and P. aerogenes. The presence of Apx toxins and proteins that imunologically cross react with Apx toxins in porcine Actinobacillus species other than A. pleuropneumoniae can be expected to interfere with serodiagnosis of porcine pleuropneumonia.

Typing of Haemophilus parasuis strains by PCR-RFLP analysis of the tbpA gene.

On the basis of a species-specific PCR assay, a RFLP analysis for typing of Haemophilus parasuis strains was developed and evaluated. Amplification was based on the gene tbpA, encoding a transferrin-binding protein. RFLP analysis of the 1.9-kb tbpA-amplicon using TaqI, AvaI and RsaI endonucleases produced 12 different patterns for the reference strains of the 15 known H. parasuis serovars, and showed a high heterogeneity (33 RFLP groups) for 101 H. parasuis clinical isolates tested. The sensitivity, typeability (100% versus 65% for immunodiffusion), high degree of discrimination (0.93 versus 0.84 for immunodiffusion), simplicity and low cost per test make this PCR-RFLP assay a useful method for typing H. parasuis and, therefore, for studying the epidemiology of outbreaks of Glässer's disease.

Field evaluation of the single intradermal cervical tuberculin test and the interferon-gamma assay for detection and eradication of bovine tuberculosis in Spain.

A field comparison of the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) assay and the single intradermal cervical tuberculin (SICT) test for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis was conducted. A total of 1136 cattle belonging to 85 herds placed in 'Castilla y León' (northwestern Spain) were chosen, and 21 of these herds were subjected to the diagnostic assays two or three times at intervals of at least 4 months. All the animals positive to any of the tests were slaughtered and tuberculosis was confirmed by culture isolation method (CIM) and further identification by means of PCR. Only 10.6% of cattle reacted with the bovine PPD in the SICT test, a percentage that increased to 12.8% in the IFN-gamma assay. The sensitivity of the IFN-gamma assay compared to CIM was shown to be higher (84.9%) than that of the SICT test (80.2%), but the combination of both tests offered the highest sensitivity (92.9%). The number of false positive reactors (those animals in which CIM was negative) was considerably higher for the IFN-gamma assay than for the SICT test and, conversely, the number of false negative animals (M. bovis isolation but negative immunological result) was higher for the skin test than for the interferon assay. In the herds tested twice, tuberculosis was eradicated after the second cycle of testing in 50%, and in 75% after the third cycle in herds tested three times. The combination of these two techniques instead of separately seems, therefore, to be useful in eradication programmes against bovine tuberculosis.

Isolation of Actinobacillus seminis from the genital tract of rams in spain.

Actinobacillus seminis isolates were cultured from the semen (two isolates) and the left testis (one isolate) of two one-year-old rams in León, Spain. One animal showed lesions of chronic unilateral orchitis and epididymitis while the other appeared to suffer a subclinical infection and only a moderate number of pleomorphic rods and inflammatory cells were present in its semen. The isolates were biochemically similar to the A. seminis type strain NCTC 10851 and two other European A. seminis isolates, except that they produced acid from sorbitol; their identity was confirmed by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction. The isolates were also tested against 30 antimicrobial agents, and only marbofloxacin was found active against all of them. As far as is known, this is the first report of A. seminis isolation from rams in southern Europe.

Systemic infection by Pasteurella canis biotype 1 in newborn puppies.

Pasteurella canis biotype 1, usually associated with the oral cavity of dogs and cats, or with human wound infections following dog bites, was isolated from newborn puppies with a fatal systemic infection. The identity of P. canis was confirmed by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction and the organism was susceptible to all the penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones tested and to most of the aminoglycosides tested. This represents the first report of systemic pasteurellosis caused by P. canis in dogs.

In vitro susceptibility of field isolates of Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica recovered in Spain to several antimicrobial agents.

Forty-two recent (1997-1999) Spanish isolates of Francisella tularensis subsp.holarctica were tested in a broth microdilution method for their susceptibilities to 29 antimicrobial agents, including penicillins, cephalosporins, cephamicins, monobactams, penems, aminoglycosides, tetracyclines, macrolides, quinolones, chloramphenicol and fosfomycin. The isolates were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics and susceptible to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and norfloxacin.

Simultaneous serological evidence of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, PRRS, Aujeszky's disease and influenza viruses in Spanish finishing pigs.

A total of 198 pigs with tachypnoea and temperature >/= 40 degrees C were selected on a Spanish finishing unit, and their sera were examined for antibodies to Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App), porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), Aujeszky' disease virus (ADV), and swine influenza virus (SIV). Eighty-nine point nine per cent of the pigs were seropositive to App, 88.6 per cent to PRRS, 73.0 per cent to ADV, and 30.6 per cent to SIV. Thirty-one pigs (15.6 per cent) were seropositive for App, PRRSV, ADV and SIV, and only one (0.5 per cent) was seronegative for all. Statistical association was assessed for dual infections but it was not found in any case (P > 0.05). Other parameters (dyspnoea, nasal discharge and coughing) were also recorded, and no significant associations between them and the presence of antibodies against any of the four infections was found.

Epidemic infection caused by Citrobacter rodentium in a gerbil colony.

Non-motile, Gram-negative rods, isolated from the intestinal tract and kidney of several dead animals in a gerbil colony, were identified as Citrobacter rodentium (formerly included in C. freundii species) on the basis of 31 biochemical tests. The isolates were tested against 40 antimicrobial agents and were all susceptible to ticarcillin plus clavulanate, ceftazidime and most of the quinolones studied, but were all resistant to most of the penicillins and aminoglycosides tested, and to fosfomycin, metronidazole and tiamulin. This bacterial species has been primarily associated with transmissible murine colonic hyperplasia, and this appears to be the first report of an epidemic infection in a gerbil colony with a fatal outcome in most of the animals affected.

The effect of N-duopropenide (a new disinfectant with quaternary ammonium iodides) and formaldehyde on survival of organisms of sanitary interest in pig slurry.

The counts of different groups of organisms (mesophilic total aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, enterobacteriaceae, faecal coliform bacteria and faecal streptococci type D), as well as the presence or absence of Pseudomonas spp. and Salmonella spp., were recorded in both unfiltered and filtered pig slurry samples at 1, 8 and 29 days of storage, before and after applying N-duopropenide (a new disinfectant with a quaternary ammonium structure) at 1, 2 x 1, 5 and 2 x 5% concentrations of the commercial product (equivalent to 0.11, 2 x 0.11, 0.55 and 2 x 0.55%, respectively, of active ingredient) for 1 h, or 0.5% commercial formaldehyde for 6 days. Before disinfection, anaerobic and aerobic organisms resulted in the highest counts (between 6 and 7 log units/ml), followed by enterobacteriaceae, faecal coliforms and streptococci (4-5 log units/ml). The unfiltered slurry showed higher bacterial counts than the filtered slurry. The variation in counts was similar for all the groups studied, with the highest count on day 1 of storage with a continuous decrease over the 3 days studied. N-duopropenide efficacy depended on the dose used, but a 2 x 5% concentration resulted in total inactivation (100% reduction) of all the bacteria studied, except for the total aerobic and anaerobic organisms present in unfiltered slurry. Formaldehyde efficacy was much lower. In respect of Pseudomonas spp., more isolates were obtained after using N-duopropenide at lower concentrations (1 and 2 x 1%) than before treatment, thus suggesting its suitability for selective isolation of this genus. Finally, no Salmonella spp. strains were isolated in any of the cases considered in this study.

Comparison of different PCR approaches for typing of Francisella tularensis strains.

In this study, we evaluated three PCR methods for epidemiological typing of Francisella tularensis: repetitive extragenic palindromic element PCR (REP-PCR), enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence PCR (ERIC-PCR), and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay with both M13 and T3-T7 primers. The analysis was performed with 40 strains of F. tularensis isolated from hares, humans, ticks, and a vole. On the basis of the combination of REP, ERIC, and RAPD fingerprints, F. tularensis strains were divided into 17 genetic groups (designated A to Q), and one Francisella novicida strain was classified in group R. The F. novicida strain is of special concern, since previous genetic methods have been unable to clearly distinguish between F. tularensis and F. novicida. The F. tularensis isolates recovered from hares were included in groups A to J, M, and P; those recovered from humans were included in groups A, D, G, J, L, O, and N; those isolated from ticks were included in groups B and Q; and that recovered from a vole was in group K. The diversities calculated for the 40 F. tularensis isolates, according to Simpson's index, were 0.14 for REP-PCR, 0.52 for ERIC-PCR, 0.39 for RAPD assay with the M13 primer (RAPD/M13-PCR), and 0.65 for RAPD/T3-T7-PCR, and the diversity increased up to 0.90 when ERIC-PCR, RAPD/M13-PCR, and RAPD/T3-T7-PCR were combined. Our results suggest that although limited genetic heterogeneity among F. tularensis strains was observed, this small variation is enough to validate the PCR methods used in this study and their combinations, because they can provide safe, useful, and rapid tools for the typing of F. tularensis.