Evaluation of cytology collection techniques and prevalence of Malassezia yeast and bacteria in claw folds of normal and allergic dogs.

Background: Canine bacterial and Malassezia paronychia are common secondary complications of atopic dermatitis and adverse food reactions.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to compare three different sampling methods for claw fold cytology and to evaluate the numbers of bacteria, Malassezia yeast and inflammatory cells.

Animals: Sixty client-owned dogs were classified into three groups: (A) normal dogs; (B) allergic dogs with no clinical evidence of claw disease (brown staining, erythema, swelling, crusts or exudates); and (C) allergic dogs with clinical paronychia.

Antibody responses of calves to Histophilus somni recombinant IbpA subunits.

Histophilus somni causes bovine pneumonia and septicemia, but protective immune responses are not well understood and immunodiagnostic methods are not well defined. We previously showed that antibody to a new virulence factor, IbpA, neutralizes cytotoxicity and immunization with a recombinant IbpA domain protects calves against experimental H. somni pneumonia.