Lung ultrasound allows for earlier diagnosis of bronchiolitis than auscultation: an animal experiment and human case series.

Purpose: Early diagnosis of bronchiolitis in infants allows for risk stratification for central apnea, and, when available, the timely initiation of antiviral treatment. An animal model could demonstrate if earlier diagnosis is possible with ultrasound than with clinical exam. Even if possible, translating this to pediatrics would require observations from undifferentiated human infants.

Validating a bovine model for lung ultrasound of bronchiolitis.

Purpose: Bronchiolitis is a very common acute lung disease in infants caused commonly by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Point-of-care lung ultrasound is increasingly used in clinical care but proof that ultrasound reflects histological disease is lacking. Bovine calves are a good model for RSV bronchiolitis.

Polycystic liver in two adult llamas.

Polycystic liver is usually considered an incidental finding in human and veterinary medicine. Two unrelated adult llamas ( Lama glama) with a history of marked anorexia and weight loss were received for autopsy and diagnostic workup. The main gross change in the liver of both animals was multiple variably sized cysts randomly distributed throughout the parenchyma.