Clinical Study and Serological Diagnosis of Vector-Borne Pathogens in Sardinian Dogs.

Canine vector-borne diseases (CVBDs) comprise a group of infectious diseases caused by a wide range of pathogens transmitted by arthropod vectors. Clinical signs commonly involve symptoms such as fever, anorexia, weight loss, blood disorders, hepatosplenomegaly, and others that can lead to death in dogs with comorbidities. Some pathogens responsible for CVBDs constitute a serious threat to human health due to their zoonotic transmission.

The echocardiographic pulmonary to left atrial ratio: A noninvasive variable for the hemodynamic classification of pulmonary hypertension in dogs.

Background: Hemodynamic classification of pulmonary hypertension (PH) has important clinical implications. However, only a few echocardiographic variables have been used to hemodynamically classify PH in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate the echocardiographic pulmonary to left atrial ratio index (ePLAR) in dogs with PH.

The groundbreaking impact of digitalization and artificial intelligence in sheep farming.

The integration of digitalization and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has marked the onset of a new era of efficient sheep farming in multiple aspects ranging from the general well-being of sheep to advanced web-based management applications. The resultant improvement in sheep health and consequently better farming yield has already started to benefit both farmers and veterinarians. The predictive analytical models embedded with machine learning (giving sense to machines) has helped better decision-making and has enabled farmers to derive most out of their farms.

Coagulation Abnormalities in Dogs with Parvoviral Enteritis.

Hemostatic alterations have been documented in dogs with canine parvoviral enteritis. This study's aims were to measure the standard coagulation parameters, and to assess the relationship between them and the clinical variables in dogs with canine parvoviral enteritis. Nine client-owned dogs with a canine parvoviral infection were included in a prospective, observational clinical study.

Strain Elastography of Injured Equine Superficial Digital Flexor Tendons: A Reliability Study of Manual Measurements.

Early diagnosis of tendon injuries and accurate long-term monitoring of the healing process are key for equine veterinarians that use conventional ultrasonography. The development of strain elastography could improve the management of clinical cases. The aim of the study was to assess the intraobserver repeatability and interobserver reproducibility of manual measurements of the colored areas of the tendons within elastograms and to standardize this manual modality by comparing the analysis of the images with ImageJ.

Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Babesia and Theileria spp. in Sardinian ruminants.

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) caused by Theileria and Babesia spp. are common in tropical and subtropical regions. This study investigates the presence of Theileria and Babesia spp.

Use of saline contrast ultrasonography in the diagnosis of complete jugular vein occlusion in a horse.

Background: Thrombophlebitis and thrombosis are the most common causes of jugular vein occlusion in horses. Medical and surgical treatments aim to recanalize the occluded vessel and reduce proximal venous congestion and edema.

Case Description: The present report describes a clinical case of equine jugular vein thrombosis (JVT) with complete vein occlusion diagnosed by saline contrast ultrasonography (SCU) and confirmed by contrast venography.

Αcute visceral cysticercosis caused by Taenia hydatigena in lambs: ultrasonographic findings.

Background: Cysticercosis caused by cysticercus tenuicollis is a metacestode infection that affects several species of ungulates. It is caused by the larval stage of Taenia hydatigena, an intestinal tapeworm in dogs and wild canids. In the intermediate host, the mature cysticerci are usually found in the omentum, mesentery, and peritoneum, and less frequently in the pleura and pericardium.

Ultrasonographic assessment of abdominal aortic elasticity in hypertensive dogs.

Background: Systemic hypertension (SH) is a persistent and pathological increase in arterial blood pressure (BP). Chronic SH leads to an increase in aortic (Ao) stiffness, and measuring Ao elasticity is useful for estimating Ao stiffness in humans. Currently, no literature in veterinary medicine describes noninvasive assessment of abdominal Ao elasticity in dogs with SH.

Repeatability of ultrasound examination of the optic nerve sheath diameter in the adult cat: comparison between healthy cats and cats suffering from presumed intracranial hypertension.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to test: (1) the repeatability of ultrasonographic examination of the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in the cat; (2) the association between the ONSD and age, sex and body weight in healthy cats; and (3) the difference in the ONSD between healthy cats and those suffering from presumed intracranial hypertension (ICH).

Methods: This study had a prospective, blinded, observational cross-sectional study design. Two groups of animals were considered: healthy cats (group A) and cats with a diagnosis of presumed ICH (group B).

Molecular epidemiology of Anaplasma spp. related to A. phagocytophilum in Mediterranean small ruminants.

The genus Anaplasma currently comprises 6 bacterial species mostly pathogenic to animals and/or human, including the zoonotic species Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the causative agent of tick-borne fever (TBF) of ruminants, and of granulocytic anaplasmosis of horses, dogs and human. Recently, novel potentially non-pathogenic strains related to A. phagocytophilum have been identified in Japan, China, and Tunisia.

A pilot study evaluating the effect of mannitol and hypertonic saline solution in the treatment of increased intracranial pressure in 2 cats and 1 dog naturally affected by traumatic brain injury.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of iso-osmolar doses of 18% mannitol and 3% sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions in decreasing intracranial pressure (ICP) in animals with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Design: Prospective uncontrolled interventional study.

Setting: Veterinary university teaching hospital.

Transthoracic M-mode echocardiographic assessment of pulmonary vein-to-pulmonary artery ratio in healthy horses.

Equine cardiovascular structures and function are routinely assessed by transthoracic echocardiography. Recently, investigators have described the echocardiographic visualization of equine pulmonary vein ostia. In companion animals, the right pulmonary vein (RPV) to right pulmonary artery (RPA) ratio has been used as an index to estimate the severity of cardiac diseases resulting in left ventricular volume overload.

Pulmonary arterial response to Angiostrongylus vasorum in naturally infected dogs: echocardiographic findings in two cases.

Background: Angiostrongylus vasorum is a nematode living in the pulmonary arteries of canids. Infected dogs develop severe pulmonary lesions which can potentially lead to pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, reports of PH in natural infected dogs are scant.

Use of 2-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography to assess left ventricular systolic function in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Background: Early identification of systolic dysfunction in dogs with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) potentially could improve the outcome and decrease mortality.

Objective: To compare 2-dimensional speckle tracking (2D-STE) with 2-dimensional (2D) and M-mode echocardiography in the evaluation of systolic function in SIRS dogs.

Animals: Seventeen SIRS and 17 healthy dogs.

Ultrasonography for early diagnosis of Toxocara canis infection in puppies.

Toxocara canis is one of the most common intestinal parasites in dogs and represents a highly infectious zoonotic parasite worldwide. Adult worms live in the bowel of dogs, and infections in puppies are commonly acquired transplacentally. The biology of the parasite and the commonly used diagnostic method, based on faecal examination, often prevent an early diagnosis of toxocariasis in puppies.

Vaginal fold prolapse in a dog with pyometra and ovarian papillary cystadenocarcinoma.

Case Description: A 7-year-old 42-kg (92.4-lb) sexually intact nulliparous female Italian Mastiff was examined because of a history of vaginal prolapse during diestrus.

Clinical Findings: A physical examination revealed vaginal fold prolapse.

Molecular epizootiology and diagnosis of porcine babesiosis in Sardinia, Italy.

The recent characterization of the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) of a pathogenic Babesia species in a domestic sow paved the way for establishing diagnostic and epidemiological tools for porcine babesiosis. Here, we developed the first specific Babesia sp. Suis PCR, and we applied this test to a panel of samples collected from animals living in a typical Mediterranean environment (Sardinia, Italy), including domestic pigs, wild boars, and ticks.

Cisternal cerebrospinal fluid analysis in 24 sheep with chronic coenurosis.

Coenurosis, a neurological parasitic infection of ruminants caused by the larval stage of Taenia multiceps, is commonly reported in Sardinia, the most representative region for ovine population in Italy. Chronic form appears as a consequence of cyst development, frequently reported in the brain and spinal cord. Diagnostic suspect of coenurosis is based on physical and neurological examination.

Molecular investigation and phylogeny of Anaplasma spp. in Mediterranean ruminants reveal the presence of neutrophil-tropic strains closely related to A. platys.

Few data are available on the prevalence and molecular typing of species belonging to the genus Anaplasma in Mediterranean ruminants. In this study, PCR analysis and sequencing of both 16S rRNA and groEL genes were combined to investigate the presence, prevalence, and molecular traits of Anaplasma spp. in ruminants sampled on the Island of Sardinia, chosen as a subtropical representative area.

First molecular identification and phylogeny of a Babesia sp. from a symptomatic sow (Sus scrofa Linnaeus 1758).

Porcine babesiosis is a widespread yet overlooked disease causing economic losses in many regions of the world. To date, the etiological agent of porcine babesiosis has not been molecularly characterized. Here, we provide the first molecular characterization of a piroplasm detected in a symptomatic sow, phylogenetically closely related to the Ungulibabesids.

Equine and canine Anaplasma phagocytophilum strains isolated on the island of Sardinia (Italy) are phylogenetically related to pathogenic strains from the United States.

The presence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a tick-transmitted zoonotic pathogen, was investigated in Sardinia using a molecular approach. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Sardinian strains are genetically distinct from the two lineages previously described in Europe and are closely related to strains isolated in different areas of the United States.