Investigation of pathological haemorrhage in Maine Coon cats.

Objective: Afibrinogenaemic haemorrhage was previously reported in a Maine Coon cat. Two littermates subsequently died from surgical non-haemostasis, suggesting a hereditable coagulopathy.

Methods: We prospectively recruited cats which were: a) Maine Coons with pathological haemorrhage (group 1, n=8), b) healthy familial relatives of group 1 (group 2, n=13) and c) healthy Maine Coons unrelated to groups 1 and 2 (group 3, n=12).

Associations between clinical canine leishmaniosis and multiple vector-borne co-infections: a case-control serological study.

Background: Dogs that have clinical leishmaniosis (ClinL), caused by the parasite Leishmania infantum, are commonly co-infected with other pathogens, especially vector-borne pathogens (VBP). A recent PCR-based study found that ClinL dogs are more likely to be additionally infected with the rickettsial bacteria Ehrlichia canis. Further information on co-infections in ClinL cases with VBP, as assessed by serology, is required.

Analytical quality assessment and method comparison of two immunoassays for the measurement of serum cardiac Troponin I in dogs and cats.

Background: Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a sensitive and specific biomarker for myocardial injury. Validation of point-of-care (POC) analyzers for cTnI measurement is valuable to the critical care setting, in which rapid results can facilitate prompt diagnoses. An immunoassay for detecting cTnI is available for the POC AIA-360 analyzer (Tosoh Bioscience), but this has not been validated using canine and feline serum.

Analytical quality assessment and method comparison of immunoassays for the measurement of serum cobalamin and folate in dogs and cats.

Serum cobalamin and folate are often measured in cats and dogs as part of laboratory testing for intestinal disease, small intestinal dysbiosis, or exocrine pancreatic deficiency. We performed an analytical validation of human immunoassays for cobalamin and folate measurement (AIA-900 analyzer, Tosoh Bioscience) and compared results with those obtained using chemiluminescence assays (Immulite 2000 analyzer, Siemens Medical Solutions Diagnostics). Accuracy, precision, total observable error (TE%), and σ values were calculated for the immunoassays.

Prevalence and risk factor analysis for feline haemoplasmas in cats from Northern Serbia, with molecular subtyping of feline immunodeficiency virus.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of feline haemoplasma infections in Northern Serbia, identify potential risk factors and perform molecular subtyping of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).

Methods: PCR analysis for feline haemoplasmas was performed on surplus EDTA blood samples from 373 cats from the Belgrade region, Serbia. An ELISA was used to determine the prevalence of feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) and FIV; PCR was performed on a subpopulation of these cats.