Annual Veterinary Research Articles

Assessing of Veterinary and Sanitary Measures against Glanders and the risk of disease introduction into Republic of Kazakhstan

A possible revised sentence could be: "Veterinary and sanitary measures against glanders consist of preventing the introduction of the pathogen into the country, systematically monitoring the welfare of the horse population, preventing the spread of the disease, and implementing timely eradication or control measures in the event of an outbreak.
 This article presents the results of an analysis of veterinary and sanitary measures currently implemented against glanders in the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the results of epizootological forecasting. Special measures for preventing glanders in horses in the territory of veterinary and sanitary well-being, which is Kazakhstan, include basic requirements such as quarantine, clinical examination, and negative malleinization test results for imported animals. Local veterinary services systematically monitor the well-being of the horse population and conduct annual scheduled allergy testing procedures, such as eye malleinization
 Outbreaks of glanders have not been recorded in the Republic since 1939, indicating the effectiveness of annual veterinary and sanitary measures. However, due to the intensive development of horse breeding and close economic ties of Kazakhstan with neighboring regions and countries where glanders is prevalent or endemic, the risk of introducing the pathogen into the Republic remains. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct ongoing epizootological monitoring, including short-term and long-term forecasting of glanders outbreaks, as well as analysis of veterinary and sanitary measures against the disease.

Veterinarians as a Risk Group for Zoonoses: Exposure, Knowledge and Protective Practices in Finland

BackgroundVeterinarians may encounter a variety of zoonotic pathogens in their work. MethodsWe conducted two cross-sectional questionnaire studies among veterinarians in Finland. Participants were recruited during two Annual Veterinary Congresses. In 2009, 306 veterinarians participated in an extensive questionnaire study, and in 2016, 262 veterinarians participated in a more focused study that included two same questions. ResultsIn 2009, the majority (90.9%) of the participating veterinarians reported having been occupationally exposed to zoonotic pathogens. Zoonotic infections (15.0%), needle stick incidents (78.8%), bites (85.0%), as well as infected skin lesions (24.2%) were reported. In 2009, 8.2% of the participants fully agreed with the statement “I have good knowledge of zoonoses and their prevention”; in 2016, the proportion was 10.3%. The reported use of protective practices and personal protective equipment in connection with specific veterinary procedures indicated that there was room for improvement, particularly in protection from pathogens that are transmissible via inhalation and mucous membranes. ConclusionThe results confirm that veterinarians are commonly occupationally exposed to zoonotic pathogens. Education should aim to improve and maintain the knowledge of zoonoses and their prevention. Use of protective practices should be advocated.

Anaesthesia of laboratory, aquaculture and ornamental fish: Proceedings of the first LASA-FVS Symposium

Following on from the Annual Fish Veterinary Society Conference, this symposium was organised with the Laboratory Animal Science Association and brought together experts from ornamental (pond and aquarium) fish practice, aquaculture and aquatic-research facilities to discuss good practice of anaesthesia. This proceedings paper gives an overview of relevant experiences involving a range of immersion drugs including tricaine, benzocaine and isoeugenol, as well as a summary of the main topics of discussion. While fish anaesthesia is commonplace, administration methods, drugs and monitoring procedures may often be regarded as antiquated when compared with mammalian practice. These limitations notwithstanding, individual fish will benefit from good anaesthetic monitoring. Although the most common anaesthetic drugs may be perceived as equally efficacious and therefore interchangeable for different settings, challenges are different for the anaesthesia of grouped fish, when determining species-dependent anaesthetic dosing in a multi-species tank, or adapting to farming requirements, nationally licensed products, costs and withdrawal periods. The fish anaesthetic arsenal fails to address premedication, analgesia and issues of averseness. The two latter factors should be part of the evaluation of anaesthetic protocols; therefore, instructions for the analgesic provision of lidocaine to fin clipped zebrafish are proposed. Euthanasia practices could sometimes be refined too. Alternative physical methods such as electrical stunning are options to be considered.

Publication Rate and Evidence-Based Evaluation of Abstracts Presented at the Annual Veterinary Orthopedic Society Conference.

Scientific abstracts are a common method for disseminating new research. There is no information on the publication rate of orthopaedic surgery abstracts presented at the annual Veterinary Orthopedic Society (VOS) Conference. The objectives of this study were to document the publication rate, the publication timeline and the level of evidence (LoE) of abstracts presented at an annual orthopaedic meeting. All conference abstracts from the 2001 to 2014 annual VOS meeting were reviewed, and final publication was determined through a comprehensive bibliographic search. Over 14 conferences, 1,112 scientific abstracts were presented with an overall publication rate of 47%. The majority of abstracts had low LoE scores, and those abstracts were published less timely than ones with higher LoE scores. Once presented, most abstracts took 1 year to be submitted and 2 years to be published. Dog (45%) and ex vivo (19%) studies were the most common. Publication occurred most frequently in Veterinary Surgery (40%), Veterinary and Comparative Orthopaedics and Traumatology (17%) and the American Journal of Veterinary Research (12%). The publication rate for abstracts presented at the annual VOS meeting is lower than those from a more generalized veterinary surgery conference. Publication occurs most frequently in a select group of journals, and the subject matter is limited in scope with a focus on dog and ex vivo studies. Overall, most abstracts presented at VOS contain a lower LoE.

Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors' Veterinary Conference: from pups to pensioners

The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellor's Annual Veterinary Conference was held on 25 October 2017. The theme was ‘Effective strategies to support the emotional and behavioural welfare of your canine clients throughout their lifetimes, from pups to pensioners’, and the focus was encouraging veterinary staff who understood the importance of behavioural awareness in their practice, but were not yet sure how best to provide that support to their patients and clients. The four presentations considered four stages in a dog's life: young puppies, who would be affected by the breeder's environment; older puppies and adolescents in the new owner's home; adult dogs, and elderly dogs that might need additional behavioural support.

Today's students are tomorrow's professionals

I recently attended VetEd 2017 – the annual Veterinary Education Symposium. Hosted by a different veterinary school each year, this year it was held at the University of Liverpool. Many veterinary conferences place their emphasis on providing continued professional development (CPD) for veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses in practice; highlighting recent knowledge and skills within the industry and showcasing new developments in veterinary equipment and practice management. These highly valuable sources of CPD and networking for veterinary professionals and students, however, do not bridge the gap between education, teaching and student learning experiences and the workplace.

Validation of an assay to measure glucocorticoid metabolites in the droppings of little penguins (Eudyptula minor)

Monitoring adrenal activity can provide insight into an animal’s physiological state and can be assessed non-invasively via excreta (e.g. bird droppings). However, before this technique can be used, it needs to be validated for each species. In this study, we biologically validated an assay for monitoring adrenocortical activity via faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM) in little penguins ( Eudyptula minor ). The validation incorporated a pre-scheduled husbandry event that is potentially stressful (annual veterinary health check). Four penguins were randomly selected a priori and immediately following their veterinary examination, they were transferred to off-display housing to facilitate individual collection of droppings over the following five days. All penguins exhibited a peak in FGM concentrations within 24 h of the start of the health check and on average FGM concentrations increased six-fold above an individual’s mean baseline value. This validated FGM assay provides a valuable addition to the suite of tools available to monitor little penguins in zoos and in the wild.

Zoonotic disease risk perceptions and infection control practices of Australian veterinarians: Call for change in work culture

This study was conducted to determine the perceptions of zoonotic disease risk among Australian veterinarians, the infection control practices they use to protect themselves from zoonotic diseases, and the factors influencing their use of these protective practices. A questionnaire was designed and piloted prior to its administration to veterinarians at the annual Australian Veterinary Association Conference in May 2011. The questionnaire comprised 21 closed, semi-closed and open questions. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed using ordinal logistic regression analyses to determine significant factors for veterinarians’ use of personal protective equipment (PPE).A total of 344 veterinarians completed the questionnaire of which 63.7% were women, 63.2% worked in small/companion animal practice, and 79.9% worked in private veterinary practice. Of the respondents, 44.9% reported contracting a zoonosis during their careers with 19.7% reporting a suspected case and 25.2% reporting a confirmed incidence. Around 40–60% of veterinarians perceived exposure to zoonosis likely or very likely in a variety of situations. With reference to current national industry guidelines, the reported use of PPE was less than “adequate” for most scenarios except for performing postmortems, surgery or dental procedures. No PPE was used by 60–70% of veterinarians for treating respiratory and neurological cases and by 40–50% when treating gastrointestinal and dermatological cases. Workplace conditions need improvement as 34.8% of workplaces did not have isolation units for infected animals, 21.1% did not have separate eating areas for staff, and 57.1% did not have complete PPE kits for use. Veterinarians were more likely to use PPE if they had undertaken postgraduate education, perceived that zoonosis exposure from animals and procedures was likely, consciously considered PPE use for every case they dealt with and believed that liability issues and risks encouraged use of PPE. In contrast, those working in private practices, those who tended to ‘just hope for the best’ when trying to avoid zoonotic diseases, and those who were not aware of industry guidelines were less likely to use PPE.The results suggest that veterinarians’ perceptions and workplace policies and culture substantially influence their use of PPE. Efforts should be made to encourage veterinarians and their workplaces to use infection control practices to protect themselves and their staff from zoonotic diseases.

26th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

26th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

Serosurvey of veterinary conference participants for evidence of zoonotic exposure to canine norovirus – study protocol

BackgroundNoroviruses have emerged as the leading cause of outbreaks and sporadic cases of acute gastroenteritis in humans worldwide. Person-to-person contact and consumption of contaminated food are considered the most important ways of transmission of noroviruses however zoonotic transmission has been suggested. Recently, noroviruses have been found in dogs which, unlike bovine and swine noroviruses, may present a higher risk of zoonotic transfer, given to the often close contacts between humans and pet dogs in many societies across the world. The present paper describes a seroepidemiologic study aiming to provide information on the exposure level of humans to canine norovirus.Methods/DesignA case–control study was designed to address the potential exposure to canine norovirus based on the presence of antibodies against canine norovirus. Sera from veterinarians (a population repeatedly in close contact with dogs) will be collected in an annual Veterinary Sciences Congress in Portugal. In addition, sera from general population will be obtained and used as controls for comparative purposes. All sera will be tested for the presence of canine norovirus antibodies using a virus-like particle-based enzyme immune assay. Risk factors for canine norovirus antibodies presence in veterinarians will be investigated through the delivery of an anonymized questionnaire to the participants.DiscussionThe present study aims to identify seropositive individuals to canine norovirus and to assess risk profiles among veterinary professionals with occupational exposure to dogs. To our knowledge this is the first study providing information on the potential zoonotic risk of canine norovirus, thus allowing the development of preventive measures and ascertaining potential risks for Public Health resulting from contact to dogs.

25th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

25th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

24th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

24th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

23rd Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

23rd Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

22nd Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

22nd Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

21st Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

21st Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

20th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

20th Annual Veterinary Dental Forum Report

ACVIM 23rd Annual Veterinary Medical Forum Abstract Program

ACVIM 23rd Annual Veterinary Medical Forum Abstract Program

Vaccination coverage and epidemiological parameters of the owned-dog population in Thungsong District, Thailand

Canine rabies vaccination is delivered in Thungsong District, Thailand, as an annual campaign between March 1 and 31, and also at other times through private veterinary clinics, para-veterinarians and health-care staff residing in the villages. The current questionnaire-interview survey was conducted between June 23 and July 18, 2002 to determine: rabies-vaccination coverage amongst the owned-dog population; basic dog-population information; and community awareness about rabies. The modified expand programme on immunization cluster-survey method was used to collect information about dog demography and management characteristics. Household knowledge about rabies and sources of rabies information were assessed. Vaccinated dogs were identified from vaccine certificates or owner reports confirmed by vaccinators. Seventy percent (95%CI 62–78) of 364 eligible owned dogs were vaccinated within the 6 months prior to data collection. Of these 255 vaccinated dogs, 44, 21, 13, 17 and 5% were vaccinated through the annual vaccination campaign, veterinary clinics, para-veterinarians, other vaccinators and owners, respectively. Fifty-four percent of households owned dogs. The sex ratio in dogs was 2 males per female; the dog: human ratio was 1: 4.6 with an average of 0.9 dogs per household (1.7 dogs per dog-owning household). Most dogs roamed freely and these were less likely to be vaccinated compared to dogs being kept on premises or on a leash. Almost all households were aware of rabies and the need for dog rabies vaccination as a control method. Seventy-six percent believed that rabies only occurred in summer. There was little awareness about cat rabies amongst households. Vaccination coverage in the total dog population clearly has not yet reached the 80% target level set by Thailand's official rabies-control programme. Improved effectiveness of the owned-dog rabies-vaccination campaigns in each community is needed–perhaps by more community education about dog management or by better management of ownerless dogs.

11th Annual ACVS Veterinary Symposium

11th Annual ACVS Veterinary Symposium

DeBakey lectures at annual ACVS Veterinary Surgical Symposium

Veterinary SurgeryVolume 30, Issue 1 p. 105-105 DeBakey Lectures at Annual ACVS Veterinary Surgical Symposium Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, Dr. Michael E. DeBakeySearch for more papers by this author Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, Dr. Michael E. DeBakeySearch for more papers by this author First published: 29 April 2004 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-950X.2001.00105.xRead the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume30, Issue1January 2001Pages 105-105 RelatedInformation