Publications by authors named "P Lait"

Outbreaks of suspected tick-borne disease (redwater fever) have been reported in captive deer of the Scottish Highlands. In this pilot study, polymerase chain reaction and amplicon sequencing were used to detect tick-borne pathogens in opportunistically collected blood and spleen samples from 63 (healthy, n = 44; diseased, n = 19) cervids, and 45 questing and feeding ticks () from the outbreak sites in 2021-2022. Potentially pathogenic species were detected in deer but not identified in ticks, was detected in both deer and ticks, and was detected in ticks but not in deer.

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Regulatory B (Breg) cells are potentially implicated in the pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). We analysed a prospective cohort of newly diagnosed steroid naïve ITP patients enrolled in the multicentre FLIGHT trial and found that the numbers of Bregs in their peripheral blood were similar to healthy controls. In contrast, Breg numbers were significantly reduced in ITP patients treated with systemic immunosuppression (glucocorticoids or mycophenolate mofetil).

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Article Synopsis
  • * The kitten showed significant deficiencies in calcium and abnormalities in skeletal structure; treatment involved high doses of calcitriol and calcium supplements, which improved her condition but left some skeletal issues.
  • * Whole-exome sequencing revealed a unique genetic mutation in the vitamin D3 receptor gene, explaining the kitten's heritable form of rickets and highlighting the role of precision medicine in identifying genetic disorders.
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Objectives: Feline herpesvirus (FHV), feline calicivirus (FCV) and Chlamydia felis are common causes of upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) in cats. Their prevalence in the UK pet cat population has not been reported and little is known regarding the risk factors for their oral carriage.

Methods: Total nucleic acid was extracted from owner-collected buccal swabs (n=600) from cats enrolled in a self-selected longitudinal cohort study.

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Case Summary: A 9-month-old entire male domestic longhair cat presented with a history of pathological fractures, chronic musculoskeletal pain and poor growth. Multiple facial and skeletal abnormalities were identified on physical examination and advanced imaging (CT and radiographs). A variant in was identified in the affected cat following whole-exome sequencing (WES).

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