Street Dogs Research Articles

Dog ecology and population studies in Lagos State, Nigeria.

Dog population dynamics have a major impact upon the effectiveness of rabies control strategies. As such, understanding domestic dog ecology has been recognized as central to the design of effective rabies control programmes. This study was conducted to determine the dog ecology in Lagos State using compound dog count and street dog count in the three senatorial districts (Lagos West, East and Central) of Lagos State from February, 2011 to January, 2012. A total of 546 questionnaires were distributed for the compound dog count and all were completed and returned. Various aspects of dog ecology were determined, including size, sex, breed of the dog population, management of dogs and rabies awareness among the respondents. Out of the 546 compounds surveyed, 518 (94.87%) owned at least one dog. A total of 1,427 dogs were counted from the street counts while a total of 1,447 dogs (2.8 dogs/compound) were counted from the compound count. The dogs comprised of 583 males and 864 females, out of which 64.10% are confined. The dog vaccination coverage in the dog population surveyed was 64.10% and administered majorly (91.30%) by veterinarians. Security (60%) and pets (26%) were the major reasons for keeping dogs. Majority (88.80%) of the respondents were aware of rabies and its mode of transmission, but still believed in the use of concoctions (40.40%), herbs (19.90%) and consumption of the organ of the offending dog (11.50%) for the treatment of rabies. The findings of this study showed a male: female ratio of dog to be 1:1.5 and a dog: human ratio of 1:5.6. There was also a responsible dog ownership as majority of the respondents do confine, vaccinate and provide food for their dogs. Vaccination coverage of the total dog population was however below the 70-80% target recommended by the World Health Organization to achieve herd immunity.

Seroprevalence of vector borne parasites in naturally exposed dogs of Assam, India

Aim: To determine the seroprevalence of vector(tick)-borne Babesia canis, Babesia gibsoni, Ehrlichia canis and Borrelia burgdorferi and mosquito-borne Dirofilaria immitis in naturally exposed pet, working, and street dogs in Assam, India. Materials and Methods: Seroprevalence of B. canis and B. gibsoni was determined using Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT) kit and for D. immitis, E. canis and B. burgdorferi by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) in SNAP 3DX kit. The results along with blood microscopy findings were analyzed according to different categories of dogs. Results: The present study revealed the presence of Babesia canis, Babesia gibsoni, Dirofilaria immitis, and Ehrlichia canis usually in mixed infections. Seropositivity against B. gibsoni and B. canis in IFAT was found comparatively higher in hospital dogs (84.0% and 22.0%) than the street dogs (73.3% and 10%), whereas evidence of D. immitis infection in SNAP 3DX ELISA was found higher in street dogs (37.5%) than the hospital group (10%). Antibody to E. canis was detected in hospital dogs (32.0%) only and none of the dogs was found positive for Borrelia burgdorferi in the same ELISA kit. Besides detection of B. canis, B. gibsoni, D. immitis and E. canis in single or mixed infections, Hepatozoon canis and Anaplasma platys were also recorded in 2.0% and 8.0% respectively in hospital dogs and 3.33% and 6.66% in street dogs during microscopic examination of blood. Conclusion: High seroprevalence supported by microscopic findings indicate a very strong influence of ticks and mosquitoes as competent vectors in establishing an endemic situation for different species of Babesia, Dirofilaria and Ehrlichia.

Seroprevalance of leishmaniosis and toxoplasmosis in healthy appearanced street dogs in Eskisehir

Seroprevalance of leishmaniosis and toxoplasmosis in healthy appearanced street dogs in Eskisehir

Complications of ovariohysterectomy procedures performed in 1880 dogs

Canine ovariohysterectomy (OVH) is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in companion animal practice. The aim of the study was to determine the frequency and types of complications related to OVH. The clinical records of all street dogs admitted to the public dog shelters of the Veneto Region (Italy) between January 2010 and December 2011 were reviewed for dogs that had undergone OVH. Specific comparison was made between anaesthesia time, body weight of the patients and intra- and postoperative complications (occurring up to 4weeks postoperatively). The data were statistically analyzed. Complications were recorded in 141 of 1880 bitches corresponding to an overall complication rate of 7.5%. Mean ±standard deviation (SD) weight of the bitches was 25.7±6.7kg and mean ± SD anaesthesia time was 42.8 ±8.6 minutes. Distinct types of complications included significant ovarian artery haemorrhage, haemorrhage from the surgical wound, wound healing complications, urinary incontinence, ovarian remnant syndrome. Twenty-one patients had intraoperative complications and 120 patients had postoperative complications. Analy- sis of the grouped data showed a significant association between body weight and the incidence of complications. There was also a significant association between anaesthesia time and the incidence of complications. The results of this study indicate that patient weight is related to the incidence of complications and the odds of a complication occurring increase by a factor of 1.03 for every one kilogram of increase in patient weight. The period of general anaesthesia also appears to be related to the incidence of complications and the odds of a complication occurring increase by approximately 2% for each additional minute in anaesthesia time. Increasing patient weight and duration of anaesthesia time were found to be risk factors for the incidence of complications of OVH in the bitch.

Epidemiological aspects of Dirofilaria immitis infection in dogs from Assam of Northeast India

ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemiology of Dirofilaria immitis (D. immitis) infection in different categories of dogs in Assam. MethodsMicroscopy of blood in wet film preparation was conducted in two dog populations during 2009 and 2010, and data obtained were analyzed to investigate the infection pattern according to season, living condition, breed, sex and age of dogs. ResultsExamination of 424 clinically ill dogs (hospital population) presented at the referral Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Guwahati, Assam revealed 5.42% cases microfilaraemic. Clinical cases of D. immitis infection were recorded throughout the year with 9.10% as the highest record during pre-monsoon and 1.12% as the lowest in the winter. Pet dogs staying indoor showed 4.76% microfilaria positive compared to 7.95% record among working dogs with restricted outdoor activity. Breed wise, Dalmatian dogs representing 3.53% of the study population were negative to microfilaria while among the positives, Doberman showed 30.76% infection rate as the highest and 2.94% lowest record in the Labrador. Rate of infection was slightly higher in the males (5.81%) than the females (4.81%). Dogs below 2 years of age were negative to microfilaria while it was 3.70% in 2–4 years age group with a rising trend reaching 28.00% as the highest in 6–8 years age group. Examination of non-descript (street dog population) adult dogs living outdoor showed 29.54% microfilaraemic, the rate of infection being higher in males (37.50%) than the females (25.00%). Similar non-descript dogs living indoor as pets however showed only 11.11% microfilaria positive. ConclusionsThe study shows endemicity of D. immitis in dogs of Assam with living condition and age as the host related important risk factors, which have significant role in its epidemiology.

Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology in the Diagnosis of Canine Cutaneous Transmissible Venereal Tumor— Case Report

Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) has been widely used in the diagnosis of lesions from various origins, especially neoplastic. The technique is simple, fast, safe, minimally invasive and inexpensive, which allows through the evaluation of cell morphology to establish prognosis, delineate surgical margins, monitor lesion growth, validate indication euthanasia during surgery and monitor chemotherapy protocols. Diagnosis of canine transmissible venereal tumor (TVT) can be accomplished with ease and precision, even to be rated, according to the degree of aggressiveness. The study objective was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the examination in the diagnosis of TVT plasmacytoid type. An eight-month dog presented to the veterinary hospital (HV), faculty of veterinary medicine and animal science, FMVZ, UNESP-Univ Estadual Paulista with clinical suspicion of cutaneous lymphoma. By presenting multiple nodular lesions, FNAC was performed to cytological diagnosis. The tissue showed cells consistent with TVT. The animal was treated, and a total cure was achieved. According to the literature, TVT mainly affects external genitalia of sexually active animals and its transmission is more frequent during intercourse. In addition, animals sexually immature and without contact to the street dogs, hardly have injuries by TVT. In this case, verrucous and ulcerated lesions on the vulva of its mother during pregnancy and childbirth infected the animal. Diffuse and predominant dorsal injuries occurred due to both exfoliation of breast tumor during delivery and immunosuppression of pup at birth, thus favoring an atypical transmission.

Intérêt de la trichoscopie dans le diagnostic et le suivi des teignes du cuir chevelu : une série de 12 patients

Animals exhibit intraspecific variation in foraging behaviour when alternative strategies are likely to fetch greater returns for one individual over another. The mechanisms underlying such variation are often behavioural, physiological or ecological in nature. We studied intraspecific variation in foraging strategies and its possible causes in a population of urban free-ranging dogs by accounting for variables of performance in novel food extraction tasks and responses to perceived threats. When presented with specially made food packets, dogs extracted food using two distinct techniques: ‘gap widening’ and ‘rip opening’. The two techniques were distinguishable also in terms of their qualitative and quantitative attributes, that is, the sophistication of the process and latency in food extraction. Typically, males employed the sophisticated gap-widening technique, which was associated with faster food extraction and lower risk aversion; in contrast, females used the relatively underdeveloped rip-opening technique, which was relatively ineffective and mostly accompanied by active food guarding. Females during pregnancy/lactation behaved similarly to males. Upon exposure to an artificial threat, the performance of the dogs in foraging activities declined as a result of the more frequent usage of the less effective technique. Furthermore, foraging performance was positively related to both fearlessness and sensitivity to perceived threats. We explain these findings through both functional and mechanistic arguments.

Disease control through fertility control: Secondary benefits of animal birth control in Indian street dogs

We sought to (1) survey sexually intact street dogs for a wide range of diseases in three cities in Rajasthan, India and (2) evaluate links between the health of non-treated dogs and both the presence and duration of animal birth control (ABC) programs. ABC regimes sterilize and vaccinate stray dogs in an attempt to control their population and the spread of rabies. They are commonly suggested to improve the health of those dogs they serve, but here we provide evidence that these benefits also extend to untreated dogs in the community.Viral and bacterial disease seroprevalences were assessed in 240 sexually intact street dogs from Jaipur, Jodhpur, and Sawai Madhopur cities in October and September 2011. Those individuals and 50 additional dogs were assessed for the presence of ticks, fleas, fight wounds, and given body condition scores. Dogs in cities with an ABC program had with significantly (p<0.05) higher overall body condition scores, lower prevalence of open wounds likely caused by fighting, flea infestations, infectious canine hepatitis, Ehrlichia canis, Leptospira interrogans serovars, and canine distemper virus antibodies. However, those same dogs in cities with ABC programs had significantly higher prevalence of Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) infestations. Canine parvovirus and Brucella canis prevalences were not significantly different between cities. This study is the first to demonstrate the health benefits of ABC on non-vaccinated diseases and non-treated individuals.

VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS IS ENDEMIC IN GOLDEN JACKALS OF BANGLADESH AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY CAMPUS, A THREAT FOR EXPANDING FUTURE ZOONOTIC VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), now a day, is an endemic protozoal disease of human in Bangladesh. The disease is transmissible to canids and endemic in canids in many parts of the world including western China and India. In Bangladesh, the occurrence of VL in canids is unknown. Golden jackals, a common wild canid of Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) Campus, living with street dogs, cats and often get closure to human shelter. It is not surprising to find VL in golden Jackals of BAU campus, Mymensingh and this study was, therefore, aimed to identify the occurrence of leishmanial infection in their visceral organs. Venous blood, liver, kidney, spleen and bone marrow from the jackals (N=5) were collected, impression smears from these organs were made onto clean slides and stained with Giemsa’s stain. Leishmanial pro - and amastigote stages of the parasite were detected in the impression smears made from liver, spleen, kidney and bone marrow in all jackals. Leishmanial amastigote stage of the parasite was seen in the macrophages of blood, spleen and liver. Part of liver, kidney, spleen and bone marrow from the jackal were fixed in 10% buffered neutral formalin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&amp;E). Histopathological study revealed scatteredly distributed microgranuloma in the hepatic parenchyma, consisting of closely packed collection of macrophages and lymphocytes with fibrous tissue encapsulation. In kidney, chronic glomerulonephritis was seen; the inflamed areas were infiltrated with lymphocytes and macrophages. Specific pathology in spleen and bone marrow was not observed. Genomic DNA was extracted from the liver, kidney, spleen and bone marrow of jackals. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with species specific primers were used to identify the species of leishmanial protozoa involved. Results of PCR showed 145bp amplicon, specific for Leishmania donovani infection in all five jackals. This is the first report in Bangladesh describing the occurrence of VL in golden jackals. This result reinforce the assumption that golden jackals of BAU campus harbour leishmanial protozoa, could serve as a symptomless carrier and transmit the infection to other canids and human, require further investigation.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v10i1-2.15655

Seroprevalence of Leptospiral Antibodies in Canine Population in and around Namakkal.

Leptospirosis is a reemerging and a complex zoonotic bacterial disease, caused by pathogenic serovars of Leptospira interrogans. A total of 124 sera samples of dogs belonging to different categories like vaccinated, unvaccinated-semiowned, and stray dogs were subjected to sampling. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) was conducted by using Leptospira culture. Out of 42 vaccinated dogs, 24 (57%) were positive to one or more serovars. Of the 24, 22 (52.3%), 11 (26.19%), 4 (9.5%), 1 (3%), and 2 (4.7%) were positive to icterohaemorrhagiae, canicola, pomona, grippotyphosa, and autumnalis, respectively. Of the 48 unvaccinated semiowned dogs, 10 (28.8%) showed positive agglutination to one or more serovars. Of the 10 samples, 7 (14.5%), 2 (4.1%), 3 (6.2%), 3 (6.2%), and 5 (10.2%) were positive to icterohaemorrhagiae, canicola, pomona, grippotyphosa, and autumnalis, respectively. Among the 34 stray dogs, 12 showed positive agglutination to one or more leptospiral antibodies. Of the 12 samples, 6 (17.6%) showed positive agglutination to icterohaemorrhagiae, 2 (5.8%) to canicola, 5 (14.7%) to pomona, 7 (20.5%) to grippotyphosa, and 5 (4.7%) to autumnalis. This study emphasized the changing trends in the epidemiology of leptospirosis with higher prevalence of serovar L. grippotyphosa in street dogs.

Decline in human dog-bite cases during a street dog sterilisation programme in Jaipur, India

Human dog-bite injuries are a major public health problem, particularly where there are large populations of free-roaming or street dogs. Dog bites are also the major source of human rabies...

Differential foraging strategies: motivation, perception and implementation in urban free-ranging dogs, Canis familiaris

Animals exhibit intraspecific variation in foraging behaviour when alternative strategies are likely to fetch greater returns for one individual over another. The mechanisms underlying such variation are often behavioural, physiological or ecological in nature. We studied intraspecific variation in foraging strategies and its possible causes in a population of urban free-ranging dogs by accounting for variables of performance in novel food extraction tasks and responses to perceived threats. When presented with specially made food packets, dogs extracted food using two distinct techniques: ‘gap widening’ and ‘rip opening’. The two techniques were distinguishable also in terms of their qualitative and quantitative attributes, that is, the sophistication of the process and latency in food extraction. Typically, males employed the sophisticated gap-widening technique, which was associated with faster food extraction and lower risk aversion; in contrast, females used the relatively underdeveloped rip-opening technique, which was relatively ineffective and mostly accompanied by active food guarding. Females during pregnancy/lactation behaved similarly to males. Upon exposure to an artificial threat, the performance of the dogs in foraging activities declined as a result of the more frequent usage of the less effective technique. Furthermore, foraging performance was positively related to both fearlessness and sensitivity to perceived threats. We explain these findings through both functional and mechanistic arguments.

Memos From the Besieged City: Lifelines for Cultural Sustainability

Memos From the Besieged City: Lifelines for Cultural Sustainability

Sex and physiological state influence the rate of resource acquisition and monopolisation in urban free-ranging dogs, Canis familiaris

In animal populations, the constraints of energy and time can cause intraspecific variation in foraging behaviour. The proximate developmental mediators of such variation are often the mechanisms underlying perception and associative learning. Here, experience-dependent changes in foraging behaviour and their consequences were investigated in an urban population of free-ranging dogs, Canis familiaris by continually challenging them with the task of food extraction from specially crafted packets. Typically, males and pregnant/lactating (PL) females extracted food using the sophisticated ‘gap widening’ technique, whereas non-pregnant/non-lactating (NPNL) females, the relatively underdeveloped ‘rip opening’ technique. In contrast to most males and PL females (and a few NPNL females) that repeatedly used the gap widening technique and improved their performance in food extraction with experience, most NPNL females (and a few males and PL females) non-preferentially used the two extraction techniques and did not improve over successive trials. Furthermore, the ability of dogs to sophisticatedly extract food was positively related to their ability to improve their performance with experience. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that factors such as sex and physiological state can cause differences among individuals in the likelihood of learning new information and hence, in the rate of resource acquisition and monopolization.

Caracterização demográfica das populações de cães e gatos supervisionados do município de São Paulo

A caracterização das populações canina e felina domiciliadas do município de São Paulo (SP) foi realizada utilizando-se amostragem complexa com seleção aleatória em dois estágios. Em cada distrito administrativo, foram visitados seis setores censitários e 20 domicílios em cada setor sorteado, de setembro de 2006 a setembro de 2009, totalizando 11.272 entrevistas. A razão homem:cão foi de 4,34, e a razão homem:gato de 19,33. A população canina foi estimada em 2.507.401, e a felina em 562.965. A população canina era composta por 52,7% de machos, e a felina por 45,1%. A proporção de fêmeas esterilizadas, 23,4% das cadelas e 46,1% das gatas, é maior que a de machos, 11,4% dos cães e 31,5% dos gatos. A idade média dos cães era de 4,99 anos e a dos gatos de 3,53 anos. A proporção de cães com restrição de acesso à rua, 64,4%, foi maior que a de gatos, 42,5%. A média de animais/domicílio foi estimada em 1,60 para cães e 1,69 para gatos. A guarda destes animais está associada a fatores culturais, assim a caracterização da população de animais é base da estruturação adequada de programas de controle populacional e de zoonoses.

English

Rabies is a zoonotic disease and its magnitude of problem is underestimated due to lack of surveillance. In spite of hundred percent fatality, the optimistic view is that it is totally and absolutely preventable with the aid of effective post-exposure prophylaxis. It is prevalent mainly in the developing countries like Africa and Asia. Wild carnivorous animals act as reservoir and domestic/peridomestic warm blooded animals transmit the virus to the human population. It is popularly known as Hydrophobia in human and children are at particularly risk. More than 3.3 billion people live in regions where rabies is enzootic. Dog bite is the principal mode of infection in India and lower limb is the most common site of injury. Ineffective surveillance, shortage of TCV and Immunoglobulin manufacturer and its high cost, peoples ignorance of first aid measures after bite and the importance of compliance of PEP, uncontrolled street dog population etc. are the key issues which should be addressed to tackle this problem.

Genetic characterization of healthy and sebaceous adenitis affected Standard Poodles from the United States and the United Kingdom

The degree of heterogeneity associated with geographic origin and sebaceous adenitis (SA) status in Standard Poodles from the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) was assessed. Healthy and SA-affected Standard Poodles from the US and the UK shared a major mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotype and a single Y chromosome haplotype. However, minor mtDNA haplotypes and frequencies were somewhat different between US and UK dogs and were significantly less associated with SA than major haplotypes across both populations. The US and UK populations exhibited recent divergence from a common gene pool, based on allele frequencies of 24 highly polymorphic short tandem repeats and principle coordinates and cluster analyses of genotype frequencies. However, there was no differentiation between SA affected and unaffected dogs. Over 90% of US and UK Poodles shared a common dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) class II haplotype, but showed some differentiation in minor haplotype frequency. No difference was observed in haplotype heterozygosity between SA affected and unaffected dogs from the same country and no disease association for SA was found within the DLA region by a high density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) scan. Zygosity mapping in the DLA region of Poodles indicated much lower site-specific diversity than in an outbred population of street dogs from Bali, Indonesia, reflecting the degree that breed associated historical bottlenecks have reduced diversity in a polymorphic region of the genome. This study shows possible pitfalls in more extensive genome-wide association studies, such as case and control numbers, population stratification, the involvement of multiple genes, and/or the possibility that SA susceptibility is fixed or nearly fixed within the breed, which can reduce power to detect genetic associations.

Molecular similarities and differences between Trichinella spp., isolated from canine skeletal muscle in Zacatecas, Mexico

Four different isolates of Trichinella spp. (Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4) obtained from the skeletal muscle of street dogs in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico were serial passaged in Wistar rats; infective larvae from the skeletal muscle of the rats were collected and frozen in liquid nitrogen. After centrifugation, DNA was extracted and the 5SRNAr and IsRNAr genes were amplified. The isolates were identified by the size of the amplified products from the 5SRNAr and IsRNAr genes (750 and 290bp, respectively). The amplicons obtained by PCR were sequenced, aligned, and compared to the reference strain Trichinella spiralis MSUS/MEX/91//EM isolated from pigs.Based on our results, we determined that the Trichinella isolates from canine (Z1–Z4) belonged to the T. spiralis species and had 83% identity with the reference strain. The phylogenetic tree constructed from the sequences showed differences between the isolates from pig and dog. These genetic differences may be related to the immune response of the host or the pathogenicity of the isolates. Therefore, these findings have important epidemiological and public health implications.

BUENOS AIRES, CITY OF STATUES

1 2 4 Y B U E N O S A I R E S , C I T Y O F S T A T U E S B O N N I E C O S T E L L O Everyone told me I’d love it – the dance, the food, the sports, the blend of cultures, the Old World charm, and the New World vitality. YetduringmytendaysinBuenosAires(anescapetosummerduring a paralyzing Boston winter) the city seemed strangely frozen, or at least immobile. This certainly had a lot to do with economic stagnation , corrupt government, stony bureaucracy, the eroding social institutions, neglected infrastructure, the spectacle of desperate poverty amid lavish, aimless wealth. Not to mention a heat wave that caused repeated power outages throughout the city. (The traf- fic lights would suddenly grow dark, creating gridlock and pedestrian paralysis on the Avenida 9 Julio, one of the widest streets in the world.) These are the conditions that drive so many Argentines to a feeling of bronca (the word basically means really frustrated and angry, or ‘‘pissed’’). But perhaps it was also the monuments. If you take the standard bus tour – the one that picks up tourists at six di√erent downtown hotels, moving less than a mile in thirty minutes until you finally head down to Libertador, where you could easily have walked in ten – the word you will hear more than any other from the guide with the microphone at the front of the bus is monument, or, as our particular guide pronounced it in 1 2 5 R Spanglish, muonoment, as in ‘‘on your left you will see a muonoment to Carlos Pellegrini,’’ without a word to enlighten us as to the backstory of this looming e≈gy. There are probably more statues per square mile in Paris, but somehow they make a stronger collective impression (as statues, not as commemorated persons) here in this so-called Paris of South America. Buenos Aires is cluttered with public monuments, and for the most part nobody cares anymore what or whom they honor. (Nothing unique to Buenos Aires about that!) Perhaps because it was the Christmas holiday and most of B.A.’s porteños (locals) who could had left the city, it seemed to belong to these forgotten memorials (and to the intimidating and ubiquitous street dogs). Anything can be a monument, of course. Buenos Aires has embraced the pop artist Claes Oldenburg’s blow-up scale, but without his irony. Still life is a favorite genre. One of the city’s most famous monuments is a giant flower, Floralis genérica, in United Nations Square, commissioned and paid for by Lockheed. The sixty-sixfoot -high piece of metal includes a light-sensitive element that causes the petals to open and close according to solar activity, turning pink at sunset. (Often the mechanism is out of order, however.) Does it stand for anything other than naturaleza muerta? Perhaps if we had thought about scale in terms of an aerial view (Lockheed’s), the flower would have seemed less grotesque. In Buenos Aires, the body itself is treated like a monument. There are more nip-and-tuck surgeons, lifting bottoms and enlarging busts, than anywhere else in the world. Argentina’s signature art form, the tango, brings dance very close to sculpture. Not surprisingly, Buenos Aires has many monuments to the tango legends. There are, of course, several statues to those who made tango famous: particularly Carlos Gardel, whose tango songs pervaded the radio in the twenties. He reaches out his hand in serenade to that remote and eternal beloved, the Audience. (This is a favorite pose as well of Argentine politicians – living and bronzed – Evita on her balcony crooning to the crowds.) The most famous statue of Gardel is the one in the Abasto neighborhood where he grew up. Mute though he is, he holds a cigarette burning between his bronze fingers – an ember ever replenished by admirers . Gardel died in an airplane crash at the height of his career (Lockheed again?) and was mourned as if he were Napoleon. 1 2 6 C O S T E L L O Y The city has recently erected a monument...

Evaluation of a rapid immunochromatographic test strip for detection of Rabies virus in dog saliva samples

An immunochromatographic test strip for Rabies virus was evaluated with dog saliva samples. The test was initially validated against 237 dogs of known infection status, and then evaluated in the field with 1,290 live dogs. By validation of paired saliva-brain specimens obtained from dogs at necropsy, the saliva strip test was 94.4% specific and 93.0% sensitive when compared to the gold standard fluorescent antibody test (FAT) on brain smears. The sensitivity and specificity of a nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR) assay using saliva were 100% compared to the FAT results. The performance of strip test with field saliva samples from street dogs had a specificity of 98.7% in comparison to nPCR as the reference method. As the strip test kit can potentially be used outside the laboratory and be applicable as an on-site testing assay, it represents a powerful screening tool for epidemiological surveys and disease control. The test could be useful for the surveillance of rabies in dogs and, in particular, be used to monitor the success of rabies control programs.