Chronic Emaciation Research Articles

Pathogenesis of Pyometra: Treatment and Diagnosis

Pyometra refers to an acute or persistent suppurative inflammation of the uterine wall. A six-year-old Persian cat was admitted to Pet Hospital, with history of anorexia and chronic emaciation. During abdominal examination, the uterus felt larger and firmer than usual. Then ultrasonography examination was done and it revealed anechoic multiple pus pockets. Blood analysis showed that the level of AST, ALT, urea, creatinine increased, and PCV and Hb% decreased. All the findings confirmed that cat had suffering from pyometra. After confirmation, it was decided to do ovariohysterectomy under general anaesthesia. The suture was removed after fourteen days. The cat had a complete recovery without any complication.

Pathological and molecular identification of Mycobacterium avium infection in a loft of domestic pigeons (Columba livia var. domestica) from India.

Mycobacterium avium is a zoonotic pathogen associated with a wide range of pulmonary and extrapulmonary manifestations in a range of host species like humans, animals, and birds. The disease is more common in the avian population, and opportunistic infections have been reported in immune-compromised or debilitated animals and humans. This study reports the pathological and molecular identification of Mycobacterium avium causing avian mycobacteriosis in a loft of domestic pigeons (Columba livia var. domestica). Out of 30 pigeons aged 2-3 years, ten adult racing pigeons revealed a severe chronic and debilitating disease followed by death. The clinical signs included chronic emaciation, dullness, ruffled feathers, lameness, and greenish, watery diarrhea. Post-mortem examination of birds revealed multifocal gray- to yellow-colored raised nodules in the liver parenchyma, spleen, lungs, intestines, bone marrow, and joints. Avian mycobacteriosis was suspected based on the tissue impression smears stained by Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Histopathological examination also revealed multifocal granulomatous lesions in affected organs, which is characteristic of avian mycobacteriosis. The PCR analysis based on 16S rRNA, IS1245, and IS901 regions suggested the presence of Mycobacterium avium infection belonging to either subspecies avium or sylvaticum. This is the first detailed report of avian mycobacteriosis in pigeons from India, warranting a strict surveillance program to identify the carrier status of these microorganisms in the pigeons, which may prove a fatal zoonotic infection in humans.

English

Chronic emaciation reflects the severity and duration of the aetiologies associated with a disease condition. The primary aim of this investigation was to determine the trend and most significant causes of chronic emaciation and cachexia in off-take cattle in Ibadan metropolis and to evaluate the clinico-pathologic findings. The study was a prospective one. In this particular study, causative factors of chronic emaciation were examined. The purposive sampling technique was used for this study which was carried out at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, between September, 2019 and December, 2019. Samples were collected from 100 chronically emaciated off-take cattle of different breeds, sexes and ages, not less than two years old. The diagnostic protocol of complete physical examination and comprehensive laboratory investigations such as parasitology, haematology, serum chemistry and urinalysis amongst others, were followed as well. The study revealed six major groups of aetiologies of chronic emaciation and cachexia. The haematologic parameters of packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), neutrophil and platelet count were statistically significant (p<0.05) with differences between the mean values of emaciated cases compared to control subjects. The serum chemistry parameters of albumin, globulin, bilirubin, aspartate amino transferase (AST) and gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) were statistically significant (p<0.05) with differences between the mean values of emaciated cases and control subjects. The increasing prevalence of dicrocoeliasis and paramphistomiasis as revealed in the study should be of epidemiological and clinical relevance to livestock health institutions and large scale animal practitioners in Nigeria. Key words: Aetiologies, chronic emaciation, investigation, endoparasitic infection, organ disorders, cattle, Ibadan metropolis.

Aetiologies of Chronic Emaciation: Trematodiasis and Secondary/Concurrent Organ Compromise in Off-Take Cattle in Ibadan Metropolis

Aetiologies of Chronic Emaciation: Trematodiasis and Secondary/Concurrent Organ Compromise in Off-Take Cattle in Ibadan Metropolis

Report on antemortem diagnosis of sarcocystosis in a buffalo

Sarcocystosis is one of the zoonotic parasitic diseases noticed in different species of animals. The diagnosis is difficult because of the long latency between infection and manifestation of a disease. Fourteen years old buffalo was referred to the hospital with a history of anorexia, diarrhea, cough, and chronic emaciation. Clinical examination revealed mild tympany and enlarged lymph nodes. Ultrasonography of the thorax revealed anechoic structures surrounding the heart along with the hyper echoic structures. Thoracic fluid was collected by the thoracocentesis and microscopic examination of the fluid revealed presence of the bradyzoites of Sarcocystis.

Identification of a haplotype associated with cholesterol deficiency and increased juvenile mortality in Holstein cattle.

Over the last decades, several genetic disorders have been discovered in cattle. However, the genetic background of disorders in calves is less reported. Recently, German cattle farmers reported on calves from specific matings with chronic diarrhea and retarded growth of unknown etiology. Affected calves did not respond to any medical treatment and died within the first months of life. These calves were underdeveloped in weight and showed progressive and severe emaciation despite of normal feed intake. Hallmark findings of the blood biochemical analysis were pronounced hypocholesterolemia and deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins. Results of the clinical and blood biochemical examination had striking similarities with findings reported in human hypobetalipoproteinemia. Postmortem examination revealed near-complete atrophy of the body fat reserves including the spinal canal and bone marrow. To identify the causal region, we performed a genome-wide association study with 9 affected and 21,077 control animals genotyped with the Illumina BovineSNP50 BeadChip (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA), revealing a strong association signal on BTA 11. Subsequent autozygosity mapping identified a disease-associated haplotype encompassing 1.01 Mb. The segment of extended homozygosity contains 6 transcripts, among them the gene APOB, which is causal for cholesterol disorders in humans. However, results from multi-sample variant calling of 1 affected and 47 unaffected animals did not detect any putative causal mutation. The disease-associated haplotype has an important adverse effect on calf mortality in the homozygous state when comparing survival rates of risk matings vs. non-risk matings. Blood cholesterol values of animals are significantly associated with the carrier status indicating a codominant inheritance. The frequency of the haplotype in the current Holstein population was estimated to be 4.2%. This study describes the identification and phenotypic manifestation of a new Holstein haplotype characterized by pronounced hypocholesterolemia, chronic emaciation, growth retardation, and increased mortality in young cattle, denominated as cholesterol deficiency haplotype. Our genomic investigations and phenotypic examinations provide additional evidence for a mutation within the APOB gene causing cholesterol deficiency in Holstein cattle.

Pancreatite intersticial crônica em bovino causada por Eurytrema coelomaticum

Descrevem-se os achados clínicos e patológicos atribuídos à infecção maciça por trematódeos pancreáticos do gênero Eurytrema (Loos, 1907) em uma novilha da raça Jersey, procedente do município de Seara, região oeste do estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil. O animal de dois anos de idade apresentava desenvolvimento insuficiente, emagrecimento crônico, caquexia, decúbito prolongado e anemia, sendo submetido à eutanásia in extremis. Na necropsia observou-se aumento de volume do pâncreas, que estava esbranquiçado, crepitante, com a superfície de corte irregular, onde foram visualizados inúmeros trematódeos emergindo ativamente do órgão. Histologicamente havia pancreatite intersticial crônica. O parasito foi identificado como Eurytrema coelomaticum (Giard & Billet, 1882). Trata-se do primeiro registro de euritrematose clínica em bovino no estado de Santa Catarina.

Mucosal lesions in a sheep infected with the Border Disease Virus (BDV)

A 28-week-old sheep was presented at the animal hospital because of chronic emaciation, anemia and slight diarrhea. Due to poor general condition and bad prognosis the animal was euthanized and submitted for postmortem investigation. Multiple erosions and ulcerations were found in the dorsal region of the tongue, the pharynx, the hard palate, in the esophagus and the ruminal pillars. Histologically, these lesions consisted of necrosuppurative inflammation. The animal was tested positive for pestivirus antigen both by immunohistochemical and by virological examination (cell culture, antigen capture ELISA and RT-PCR). A non-cytopathic Border Disease Virus was identified, and sequencing revealed a virus belonging to the BDV-3 cluster. Based on the macroscopical, histological, immunohistological and virological results this case was diagnosed as Border Disease with mucosal lesions. This is the first report of such a case in Switzerland.

Effects of water temperature on experimentally-induced infections of juvenile white sturgeon ( Acipenser transmontanus) with the white sturgeon iridovirus (WSIV)

The effect of four water temperatures (10, 14, 19 and 23°C) on mortality and selected health indicators of juvenile white sturgeon was assessed following a water-borne exposure to white sturgeon iridovirus (WSIV). The epithelium of gills, skin and olfactory organ were confirmed as targets of WSIV by viral infectivity assay and microscopic examination of stained tissue sections. The highest mortality rate of 3% day −1 occurred at 23°C, corresponding to a 50% survival time of 20 days. Flavobacterium spp. infections were most prevalent at 23°C and a cumulative mortality of 54% was attributed to combined WSIV and secondary bacterial infections. Conversely, at 10°C the daily mortality rate was 1% which was attributed primarily to WSIV. In addition, the highest cumulative mortality of 71% occurred at 10°C and corresponded with a 50% survival time of 70 days. Challenged fish reared at higher temperatures experienced acute transitory decreases in plasma protein, reduction of hepatosomatic index (HSI) and hematocrit and a more pronounced hyperplasia of the gill epithelium. Conversely, infected fish at lower water temperatures exhibited chronically depressed HSI, condition factors ( K) and specific growth rates ( G). Chronic emaciation at 10°C was associated with more severe and extensive lesions in the epithelial mucosa of the olfactory organ.

Gastrointestinal Nematodiasis in Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) at Edinburgh Zoo

A study was undertaken at Edinburgh Zoo to investigate gastrointestinal nematodiasis in blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) involving Camelostrongylus mentulatus and to a lesser extent Nematodirus spathiger. Camelostrongylus mentulatus was associated with chronic emaciation and the death of a subdominant adult male animal following fighting. It was found to overwinter as infective larvae on pasture, and circumstantial evidence suggests that it may also do so as adults and arrested larvae within the blackbuck. Control was not achieved until anthelmintics were given monthly from June onward. This regime successfully reduced fecal egg counts and pasture larvae of C. mentulatus, but numbers of N. spathiger larvae on pasture were unaffected and reached a peak in mid-August. The possible factors involved in this infection and their impact on neonatal viability are briefly discussed.

Chronic Emaciation with Stunting of Growth

Chronic Emaciation with Stunting of Growth