Comparison of 2 sampling methods for molecular detection of bacteria or fungi from feline hair and scale specimens.

Skin diseases of cats are among the most frequent client motivations for a veterinary consultation. Both carpet and toothbrush sampling are commonly used to obtain hair and scale samples for microbiologic testing. Although molecular tests have become more accessible and more widely used by clinicians, the ideal collection method for clinical specimens is unclear.

Pathology in Practice.

In collaboration with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Validation of the 0-10 verbal numeric scale for assessment of pruritus severity in dogs.

Background: The pruritus Visual Analog Scale (pVAS) is currently the only validated tool for assessing canine pruritus. A verbal numeric scale (VNS) offers an alternative if clients are not present or able to complete the pVAS.

Hypothesis/objective: To validate the 0-10 VNS and evaluate its interchangeability with the pVAS.

Patulous Eustachian tube and palatine defect in a Dachshund with chronic unilateral otitis externa and otitis media.

Background: Patulous Eustachian tube (pET) is a rare dysfunction of the Eustachian tube described in humans. It is characterized by failure of the ET to close, resulting in unrestricted passage of air, sound and material between the nasopharynx and the middle ear.

Objective: To report a case of pET associated with otitis in a dog.

Dermal arteritis of the nasal philtrum: a retrospective study of 23 dogs.

Background: Dermal arteritis of the nasal philtrum (DANP) is a cutaneous vascular condition that selectively targets large vessels of the nasal philtrum of dogs; little information is published about this disease.

Objective: The aim of this study was to report the signalment, clinical signs, treatment options and outcome of dogs with DANP, and to propose a rationale for the clinical diagnosis.

Animals: Twenty-three dogs from four referral veterinary clinics from January 2002 to July 2018.

Canine Pruritus Visual Analog Scale: how does it capture owners' perception of their pet's itching level?

Background: Accurate measurement of pruritus severity is difficult in veterinary medicine.

Objectives: To determine how the changes in Pruritus Visual Analog Scale (PVAS) scores at follow-up visits agree with the owners' perceptions of improvement of their pet's pruritus.

Animals: One hundred and ninety two pruritic dogs were included in the prospective study and 196 in the retrospective study.

Comparison of demographic data, disease severity and response to treatment, between dogs with atopic dermatitis and atopic-like dermatitis: a retrospective study.

Background: Limited information is available describing the features of canine atopic-like dermatitis (ALD) compared with atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objectives: To compare demographic data, disease severity and response to therapy between ALD and AD dogs.

Animals: Two hundred and fifty-three atopic dogs with intradermal and serum allergen-specific IgE test results were selected retrospectively.

Retrospective analysis of necropsy reports suggestive of abuse in dogs and cats.

OBJECTIVE To identify historical and necropsy findings suggestive of neglect or abuse of dogs and cats by retrospective analysis of necropsy reports from a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SAMPLE 119 necropsy reports of dogs and cats.

Subcutaneous administration of ciclosporin in 11 allergic cats - a pilot open-label uncontrolled clinical trial.

Background: Oral ciclosporin has been reported to be efficacious for feline inflammatory skin diseases; however, cats are often difficult to medicate orally.

Hypothesis/objective: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of subcutaneous ciclosporin administered to cats with allergic skin disease.

Animals: Eleven client-owned cats with nonseasonal clinical signs.

Evaluation of intraepidermal nerve fibres in the skin of normal and atopic dogs.

Background: Interest in intraepidermal nerve fibres (IENFs) is rising in human medicine, because variations in fibre density occur in some diseases and these neurites might contribute to disease pathogenesis. An increase in IENF density is seen in human atopic dermatitis (AD); there are no such data in atopic dogs.

Objectives: To compare the prevalence of IENFs in normal and atopic canine skin.

Can immunosuppressive therapy facilitate the diagnosis and affect the clinical signs of canine scabies? A retrospective study of 79 cases.

Background: Scabies infestation is one of the most pruritic dermatoses of dogs. It is often misdiagnosed and dogs are treated with immunomodulatory drugs (IMD) to relieve pruritus.

Hypothesis/objectives: The primary goals of this study were to determine the impact of IMD on skin scraping results, pruritus level and extent of skin lesions, and to evaluate whether disease duration is associated with positive skin scrapings and contagion.

Breed-specific reference intervals for assessing thyroid function in seven dog breeds.

Thyroxine (T4), free T4 (FT4), and thyrotropin (TSH) concentrations were measured in serum from 693 healthy representatives from 7 dog breeds (Alaskan Malamute, Collie, English Setter, Golden Retriever, Keeshond, Samoyed, or Siberian Husky) to determine whether breed-specific reference intervals (RIs) are warranted. Veterinarians reviewed the health history, performed a physical examination, and approved laboratory data for the enrolled dogs. Many purebred dogs had T4 and FT4 concentrations that were at, or below, the lower limits previously determined for non-breed-specific RIs.

Papillomavirus-associated diseases.

This article reviews various aspects of 3 clinical disorders associated with papillomavirus in horses commonly known as classical viral papillomatosis, genital papillomas/papillomatosis, and aural plaques. Classical papillomatosis is usually asymptomatic and spontaneously resolves within 1 to 9 months; therefore, treatment is often not required. Genital papillomas/papillomatosis have not been reported to spontaneously resolve, and there is increasing evidence that genital papillomas may evolve to in situ or invasive squamous cell carcinomas.

Altered expression of antimicrobial peptide genes in the skin of dogs with atopic dermatitis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Background: Reports indicate that human and canine patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) have reduced production of several skin antimicrobial peptides, but more recent data have called those results into question.

Hypothesis/objectives: To compare the mRNA expression of seven antimicrobial peptide genes in lesional and adjacent nonlesional skin biopsy specimens from dogs with AD with those from normal dogs and from dogs experiencing other inflammatory skin conditions.

Animals: Normal dogs and patients with AD or other inflammatory skin conditions were enrolled with owner permission and approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Comparison of three staining methods to identify eosinophils in formalin-fixed canine skin.

Background: Studies comparing the ability of staining methods to detect eosinophils in formalin-fixed canine skin are lacking.

Hypothesis/objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of eosinophil peroxidase monoclonal antibody (EPXmAb), Luna and haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) to detect eosinophils in fixed canine skin by assessing the following parameters: (i) specificity of eosinophil staining; (ii) extracellular eosinophil granule staining; (iii) tissue background staining; (iv) contrast between eosinophil and surrounding tissue staining; and (v) differences in the number of eosinophils detected by each stain.

Methods: Three serial sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of predominantly eosinophilic skin diseases (n = 8), noneosinophilic skin diseases (n = 7) and normal canine skin (n = 1) were stained with the three stains.

Gene transcription abnormalities in canine atopic dermatitis and related human eosinophilic allergic diseases.

Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is clinically similar to human AD, implicating it as a useful model of human eosinophilic allergic disease. To identify cutaneous gene transcription changes in relatively early inflammation of canine AD, microarrays were used to monitor transcription in normal skin (n=13) and in acute lesional AD (ALAD) and nearby visibly nonlesional AD (NLAD) skin (n=13) from dogs. Scanning the putative abnormally transcribed genes, several potentially relevant genes, some abnormally transcribed in both NLAD and ALAD (e.

Frequency of urinary tract infection in dogs with inflammatory skin disorders treated with ciclosporin alone or in combination with glucocorticoid therapy: a retrospective study.

Background: Few studies have investigated the frequency of urinary tract infection (UTI) in dogs receiving long-term ciclosporin therapy.

Hypothesis/objectives: The goal of the study was to investigate the frequency of UTI in dogs receiving ciclosporin with or without glucocorticoids. A secondary goal was to determine whether bacteriuria, pyuria and urine specific gravity were good predictors of UTI, and if ciclosporin dose, concurrent ketoconazole therapy, sex or duration of therapy affected the frequency of UTI.

The expression of histamine H4 receptor mRNA in the skin and other tissues of normal dogs.

The histamine 4 (H(4)) receptor was first cloned and characterized in 2000 using the human H(3) receptor DNA sequence. The H(4) receptor has been shown to participate in various aspects of inflammation, such as chemotaxis, upregulation of adhesion molecule expression and modulation of cytokine secretion. The primary goal of this study was to determine whether H(4) receptor mRNA is expressed in normal canine skin by performing an RT-PCR.

The efficacy of imiquimod 5% cream (Aldara® in the treatment of aural plaque in horses: a pilot open-label clinical trial.

Aural plaques affect at least 22% of horses and can be asymptomatic or cause ear sensitivity. Immunohistochemical and electron microscopy studies have shown a strong association between aural plaques and papilloma virus. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of imiquimod 5% cream, an immune response modifier with potent antiviral activity, in the treatment of equine aural plaques.

Characterization and quantification of ceramides in the nonlesional skin of canine patients with atopic dermatitis compared with controls.

As in humans, there is mounting evidence in support of an abnormal skin barrier contributing to the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis (AD). Studies in people with AD have associated an abnormal skin barrier with deficiencies in ceramides, which represent important components of the stratum corneum (SC) intercellular lipid lamellae. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine if the SC of dogs with AD is deficient in ceramides compared to normal dogs.

Investigation of the pruritogenic effects of histamine, serotonin, tryptase, substance P and interleukin-2 in healthy dogs.

There are numerous studies of the pruritus-producing effects of histamine, serotonin, tryptase, substance P and interleukin-2 in humans and mice, but very little reported in dogs even though a common reason dogs are presented to veterinarians is pruritus. The aim of this study was to determine whether substances known to cause pruritus in humans also cause pruritus in dogs. Twenty-five clinically healthy research beagle dogs were included in the study.