Prospective Study of 506 Dogs with Tick Paralysis: Investigating Measures of Severity and Clinical Signs as Predictors of Mortality and Assessing the Benefits of Different Therapeutics.

Survey data from 42 Australian eastern seaboard veterinary practices involving 506 cases are reported with regard to clinical signs, disease severity, mortality, use of pharmaceuticals, and recovery times. New measures of disease severity (visual analogue scales (VAS) and facial expressions) were tested alongside "gold standard" measures (neuromuscular junction (NMJ) scores). Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate associations between variables.

Clinical presentations, treatments and risk factors for mortality in cats with tick paralysis caused by Ixodes holocyclus: 2077 cases (2008-2016).

Objectives The objective of this study was to describe seasonality, demographics, presentations, treatments, complications and outcomes for cats with Ixodes holocyclus causing tick paralysis, and to identify risk factors for mortality. Methods This was a retrospective single cohort study with 2077 cases occurring between 2008 and 2016, and presenting to one of four emergency clinics in south-eastern Queensland, Australia. Case mortality at 5 days post-presentation could be determined for 1742 cases, and potential risk factors for mortality were assessed using random-effects logistic regression.

Phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships in Ixodes holocyclus and Ixodes cornuatus (Acari: Ixodidae) inferred from COX1 and ITS2 sequences.

We inferred the phylogenetic and phylogeographic relationships in ticks, which were identified morphologically as Ixodes holocyclus and Ixodes cornuatus, from mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences. We obtained COX1 (640bp) and ITS2 (527-568bp) sequences from 429 ticks from 49 localities in Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, Australia. Our analyses show that there are two species of Ixodes in eastern Australia that cause paralysis in dogs and other mammals: I.

Acute death in heartworm-infected cats: unraveling the puzzle.

Although the acute death syndrome in feline heartworm disease is widely recognized, its pathogenesis remains a mystery. The most widely held hypothesis is that an acute anaphylactic reaction, perhaps precipitated by the death of the parasite, is the underlying cause. This study investigated the role of the physical form of antigen (Ag) in the ensuing reaction when Dirofilaria immitis-sensitized cats are challenged by intravenous (IV) administration of heartworm Ag.

Guided bone augmentation around a titanium bone-anchored hearing aid implant in canine calvarium: an initial comparison of two barrier membranes.

Background: The placement of a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) implant in young children may be hampered by the presence of thin, poor-quality calvarial bone. The use of extraskeletal guided skull bone augmentation around the titanium implant is one potential solution.

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of a collagen membrane BioSISt (Cook Biotech Inc.

Radiographic cardiac size in cats and dogs with heartworm disease compared with reference values using the vertebral heart scale method: 53 cases.

Objectives: To measure the size of the heart, caudal vena cava and right pulmonary artery (cats) or right caudal lobar artery (dogs) using the vertebral scale method in heartworm-infected cats and dogs and compare the results with reference values.

Background: The vertebral heart scale (VHS) method is an objective measure of heart size relative to body size.

Animals: Thoracic radiographs from heartworm-infected cats (n=28) and dogs (n=25).

Evaluation of a single injection of a sustained-release formulation of moxidectin for prevention of experimental heartworm infection after 12 months in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of a single injection of a sustained-release formulation of moxidectin in preventing heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis) infection for 12 months in dogs.

Animals: 14 healthy dogs.

Procedure: Group A (nontreated control dogs; n = 6) received sterile vehicle administered SC, and group B (treated dogs; n = 6) received a sustained-release formulation of moxidectin administered SC.

Cardiovascular effects of the toxin(s) of the Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, in the rat.

An extract of toxin(s) from the Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, produced positive inotropic responses in rat left ventricular papillary muscles and positive contractile responses in rat thoracic aortic rings. There was no measurable chronotropic response in rat right atria, but positive inotropic concentrations in papillary muscles produced arrhythmias in right atria. Positive inotropic responses were attenuated by verapamil, but unaffected by metoprolol, cimetidine, pyrilamine, tetrodotoxin and pinacidil.