Phaidra - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
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Vorkommen und Häufigkeit von Rotavirus B in Kot- und Darmgewebeproben österreichischer Schweine mit Durchfallsymptomatik
No full textDiplomarbeit - Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien - 2024Rotaviren sind eine der Hauptursachen für Gastroenteritiden bei Kindern und Jungtieren. In Schweinebeständen treten sie endemisch auf und schätzungsweise erkrankt jedes Schwein im Laufe seines Lebens mindestens einmal klinisch oder subklinisch an einer Rotavirusinfektion (1). Obwohl die wirtschaftlichen Folgen von Gastroenteritiden enorm sein und Schweine durch verschiedene Rotavirusspezies infiziert werden können, lag das Hauptaugenmerk bislang vor allem auf Rotavirus A (1). Mittlerweile rücken jedoch auch die atypischen porzinen Rotavirusspezies als Erreger von Durchfallerkrankungen vermehrt ins Interesse. Dazu zählt auch das porzine Rotavirus B, worüber weltweit bisher nur wenige epidemiologische Daten verfügbar sind und welches bei österreichischen Schweinen noch nicht untersucht wurde (2). Die vorliegende Diplomarbeit beschäftigt sich daher mit dem Vorkommen und der Häufigkeit von Rotavirus B in Kot- und Darmgewebeproben österreichischer Schweine mit Durchfallsymptomatik. Dazu wurden insgesamt 65 asservierte Proben aus den Jahren 2021 und 2022 untersucht, die am Institut für Virologie bereits routinemäßig auf Rotavirus A, Rotavirus C, Transmissibles Gastroenteritis-Virus und Porzines Epidemisches Diarrhoe-Virus getestet wurden. Mittels verschiedener PCR-Protokolle zum Nachweis von Genomabschnitten in den viralen Genomsegmenten VP6 und VP7 sowie anschließender Sequenzierung der Amplifikate, konnte in zehn von 65 Proben Rotavirus B nachgewiesen werden. Alle zehn Nachweise von Rotavirus B waren mit viralen, bakteriellen und/oder parasitären Koinfektionen vergesellschaftet. Trotz einem Detektionslimit von 102 GE/μl Nukleinsäureextrakt blieb die Sensitivität der etablierten real-time RT-PCR VP6 beim Probenscreening hinter den Erwartungen. Andere Autoren berichten von ähnlichen Schwierigkeiten beim Design einer real-time RT-PCR VP6 für Rotavirus B (3,4). Aufgrund der hohen genetischen Variabilität von Rotaviren und ihren segmentierten Genomen mit hoher Tendenz zum Reassortment, ist es daher wichtig, die eingesetzten Primer und Sonden regelmäßig anzupassen (4).Diplomarbeit - Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien - 2024Rotaviren sind eine der Hauptursachen für Gastroenteritiden bei Kindern und Jungtieren. In Schweinebeständen treten sie endemisch auf und schätzungsweise erkrankt jedes Schwein im Laufe seines Lebens mindestens einmal klinisch oder subklinisch an einer Rotavirusinfektion (1). Obwohl die wirtschaftlichen Folgen von Gastroenteritiden enorm sein und Schweine durch verschiedene Rotavirusspezies infiziert werden können, lag das Hauptaugenmerk bislang vor allem auf Rotavirus A (1). Mittlerweile rücken jedoch auch die atypischen porzinen Rotavirusspezies als Erreger von Durchfallerkrankungen vermehrt ins Interesse. Dazu zählt auch das porzine Rotavirus B, worüber weltweit bisher nur wenige epidemiologische Daten verfügbar sind und welches bei österreichischen Schweinen noch nicht untersucht wurde (2). Die vorliegende Diplomarbeit beschäftigt sich daher mit dem Vorkommen und der Häufigkeit von Rotavirus B in Kot- und Darmgewebeproben österreichischer Schweine mit Durchfallsymptomatik. Dazu wurden insgesamt 65 asservierte Proben aus den Jahren 2021 und 2022 untersucht, die am Institut für Virologie bereits routinemäßig auf Rotavirus A, Rotavirus C, Transmissibles Gastroenteritis-Virus und Porzines Epidemisches Diarrhoe-Virus getestet wurden. Mittels verschiedener PCR-Protokolle zum Nachweis von Genomabschnitten in den viralen Genomsegmenten VP6 und VP7 sowie anschließender Sequenzierung der Amplifikate, konnte in zehn von 65 Proben Rotavirus B nachgewiesen werden. Alle zehn Nachweise von Rotavirus B waren mit viralen, bakteriellen und/oder parasitären Koinfektionen vergesellschaftet. Trotz einem Detektionslimit von 102 GE/μl Nukleinsäureextrakt blieb die Sensitivität der etablierten real-time RT-PCR VP6 beim Probenscreening hinter den Erwartungen. Andere Autoren berichten von ähnlichen Schwierigkeiten beim Design einer real-time RT-PCR VP6 für Rotavirus B (3,4). Aufgrund der hohen genetischen Variabilität von Rotaviren und ihren segmentierten Genomen mit hoher Tendenz zum Reassortment, ist es daher wichtig, die eingesetzten Primer und Sonden regelmäßig anzupassen (4).Diploma thesis - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna - 2024Rotaviruses are a major cause of gastroenteritis in children and young animals. They are endemic in pig populations and every pig will experience a clinical or subclinical rotavirus infection at least once in its life (1). Although the economic consequences of gastroenteritis are enormous and pigs can be infected by various rotavirus species, the main focus up until now has been on rotavirus A (1). However, atypical porcine rotavirus species are now also attracting increasing interest as causative agents of diarrheal diseases. This includes porcine rotavirus B, for which only little epidemiological data is available globally and which has not yet been investigated in Austrian pigs (2). Therefore, this thesis deals with the prevalence of rotavirus B in feces and intestinal tissue samples from Austrian pigs with diarrhea. For this purpose, a total of 65 samples from 2021 and 2022 were examined. These samples had already been routinely tested for rotavirus A, rotavirus C, transmissible gastroenteritis virus and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus at the Institute of Virology. Using various PCR protocols to detect genome segments in the viral genome segments VP6 and VP7 and subsequent sequencing of the amplicons, rotavirus B was detected in ten of 65 samples. All ten findings of rotavirus B were associated with viral, bacterial and/or parasitic coinfections. Despite a detection limit of 102 genome copies per reaction, the sensitivity of the established real-time RT-PCR VP6 proved to be insufficient for screening samples. Other authors report similar difficulties in designing a real-time RT-PCR VP6 for rotavirus B (3,4). Due to the high genetic variability of rotaviruses and their segmented genomes with a high tendency for reassortment, it is important to frequently adapt the primers and probes used (4)
Dairy calves\u27 time spent in the cow herd in a calf-driven cow-calf contact system during two-step separation with a nose flap
No full textAlthough originally developed for weaning of beef calves, nose flaps are also used on dairy farms nowadays to wean calves which are reared with contact to their dam or a foster cow. These calves are often weaned younger than beef calves and the time they wear nose flaps is highly variable, since it is unknown for how long younger calves need to wear the nose flap in order to induce an effective weaning. The aim of our study was therefore to track changes in dam-contact initiated by dairy calves after insertion of a nose flap in order to determine the minimum duration a nose flap needs to be worn to effectively reduce suckling motivation of calves. The study was conducted in two sequential experiments using 3-month-old dairy calves that were reared with full-time dam contact. Calves were weaned with a nose flap over either 14 (experiment I, 9 calves in herd A and 9 calves in herd B) or 7 days (experiment II, 11 calves in herd A and 12 calves in herd B) before they were fence-line separated from their dams. The total time a calf spent within the cow herd (TIC) per day was determined from continuous video recordings during 7 days before nose flap insertion (baseline), as well as during the 7 or 14 days in which calves had free access to the cow area while wearing the nose flap. Statistical analysis was conducted using linear mixed effects models. Results from both experiments showed that calves reduced their TIC at the fourth day of wearing the nose flap compared to their individual baseline (p=0.03 =0.03 and p=0.001 =0.001 respectively). In experiment I, calves showed a further numerical reduction in TIC from day 4 to day 5, while in experiment II, calves showed no further reduction in TIC after the 4 days of wearing the nose flap. After these 4 or 5 days respectively, TIC of calves in both experiments stayed at a constant low level of several hours per day. Taken together, these results indicate that in 3-month-old dairy calves it needs at least 4 days until the motivation to spend time with the cow decreases after insertion of a nose flap, while there seems to be no further decrease in motivation when using a nose flap longer than this time. However, results were subject to considerable inter-individual variability already during the baseline week and need replication in a pasture-based setting with less space-restrictions
Pathohistological Findings after Bilateral Ovariectomy in Mares with Behavioral Problems.
No full textBehavioral problems in reproductively healthy mares are a challenging issue that is successfully treated with bilateral ovariectomy (BO). This laparoscopic procedure represents an alternative to conservative treatment for mares not intended for breeding and results in high owner satisfaction regarding behavioral improvement. However, a pathohistological explanation to justify surgical ovarian removal regarding animal welfare is lacking. Therefore, the objective of this study was to pathohistologically evaluate bilaterally removed, clinically unremarkable ovaries of mares with behavioral problems (bOE, n = 20) and to compare them with pathohistologically confirmed granulosa cell tumors of mares with neoplastic ovaries (GCT-uOE, n = 10). A complete data set including preliminary presentation, clinical examination, and serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) and testosterone was further analyzed in both groups. Both hormones were significantly higher in GCT-uOE compared with bOE. Immunohistochemical expression of Ki-67, AMH, aromatase, epidermal growth factor receptor, calretinin, and epithelial cadherin in granulosa cells of large follicular structures in bOE did not differ from neoplastic granulosa cells in GCT-uOE. Ultrasonographically nondetectable early neoplastic changes were pathohistologically evaluated in 15% of mares and anovulatory-like follicles in 30% of mares in bOE and might be one explanation for the high success rate of BO in 85% of bOE in this study
Navigating the evolving landscape of atopic dermatitis: Challenges and future opportunities: The 4th Davos declaration
No full textThe 4th Davos Declaration was developed during the Global Allergy Forum in Davos which aimed to elevate the care of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) by uniting experts and stakeholders. The forum addressed the high prevalence of AD, with a strategic focus on advancing research, treatment, and management to meet the evolving challenges in the field. This multidisciplinary forum brought together top leaders from research, clinical practice, policy, and patient advocacy to discuss the critical aspects of AD, including neuroimmunology, environmental factors, comorbidities, and breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The discussions were geared towards fostering a collaborative approach to integrate these advancements into practical, patient-centric care. The forum underlined the mounting burden of AD, attributing it to significant environmental and lifestyle changes. It acknowledged the progress in understanding AD and in developing targeted therapies but recognized a gap in translating these innovations into clinical practice. Emphasis was placed on the need for enhanced awareness, education, and stakeholder engagement to address this gap effectively and to consider environmental and lifestyle factors in a comprehensive disease management strategy. The 4th Davos Declaration marks a significant milestone in the journey to improve care for people with AD. By promoting a holistic approach that combines research, education, and clinical application, the Forum sets a roadmap for stakeholders to collaborate to improve patient outcomes in AD, reflecting a commitment to adapt and respond to the dynamic challenges of AD in a changing world
How do soundboard-trained dogs respond to human button presses? An investigation into word comprehension
No full textPast research on interspecies communication has shown that animals can be trained to use Augmentative Interspecies Communication (AIC) devices, such as soundboards, to make simple requests of their caretakers. The recent uptake in AIC devices by hundreds of pet owners around the world offers a novel opportunity to investigate whether AIC is possible with owner-trained family dogs. To answer this question, we carried out two studies to test pet dogs\u27 ability to recognise and respond appropriately to food-related, play-related, and outside-related words on their soundboards. One study was conducted by researchers, and the other by citizen scientists who followed the same procedure. Further, we investigated whether these behaviours depended on the identity of the person presenting the word (unfamiliar person or dog\u27s owner) and the mode of its presentation (spoken or produced by a pressed button). We find that dogs produced contextually appropriate behaviours for both play-related and outside-related words regardless of the identity of the person producing them and the mode in which they were produced. Therefore, pet dogs can be successfully taught by their owners to associate words recorded onto soundboard buttons to their outcomes in the real world, and they respond appropriately to these words even when they are presented in the absence of any other cues, such as the owner\u27s body language
Prevalence and significance of a canine bocavirus-2 outbreak in a cohort of military dogs in Austria
No full textBocaviruses are single-stranded DNA viruses from the Parvoviridae family, which have been minimally discussed in veterinary literature and are considered potentially pathogenic. Due to the recurring illness among young dogs in a closed cohort of military dogs in Austria, we assessed the prevalence, possible disease manifestation and outcome of CBoV-2 infection in this cohort.This led to a comprehensive study that not only analyzed past cases but also performed prospective screening PCR tests to identify CBoV-2 positive dogs within this specific dog population. Pharyngeal and rectal swabs were taken. In addition, a control group (n = 20) of clinically healthy client-owned dogs was sampled. A total of 190 samples were taken and tested for the presence of CBoV-2 specific nucleic acid using screening PCR. In addition to the primers used for routine diagnostics, two other primer pairs were used to verify questionable results. The retrospective part of the study includes a total of 13 military dogs that had previously shown suspected clinical signs. At the time of the first examination within the prospective part of the study, CBoV-2 was detected in 31% (12/39) of the dogs. During the second examination, 2% (1/47) tested positive, while all PCR testing in the control group (n = 20) was negative in all cases. The retrospective evaluation of the 13 cases revealed a total of six animals tested positive for CBoV-2 via screening PCR. All puppies suffered from skin lesions (papules, vesicles, or pustules). Other clinical signs included diarrhea (83%), vomiting (77%), respiratory (15%), and neurological (8%) signs.According to the study there are certain indications that CBoV-2 shares similarities with CPV-2 infection but also exhibits critical differences, making their differentiation essential for patient management, outcomes, and prevention strategies
Associations between Ultrasonographically Diagnosed Lung Lesions, Clinical Parameters and Treatment Frequency in Veal Calves in an Austrian Fattening Farm
No full textThis study evaluated the significance and predictive value of ultrasonographic and physical examination on arrival at an Austrian fattening farm. Treatment frequency and average daily weight gain (ADG) were related to physical and ultrasonographic examination results. Additionally, the effect of an intranasal vaccination in half of the examined calves was studied. The clinical and ultrasonographic health status 600 calves was recorded at the beginning and end of fattening. Half of the calves received an intranasal vaccination (Bovalto® Respi Intranasal). Overall, 44.5% showed an abnormal respiratory scoring (RS) and 56.0% showed signs of respiratory diseases in transthoracic ultrasonography (TUS) at arrival on the farm. For both RS and TUS, a categorization between ILL and HEALTHY was conducted. Results showed lower ADG in ILL calves (RS median: 0.93 kg/d; TUS median: 0.96 kg/d) compared to HEALTHY calves (RS median: 1.01 kg/d; TUS median: 1.01 kg/d). The median ADG was lower in not treated and ILL calves (RS median 0.90 kg/d; TUS: 0.93 kg/d) compared to treated and ILL calves (RS median 1.01 kg/d; TUS: 1.02 kg/d). Vaccination did not affect growth performance or occurrence of ILL, though treatment frequency was lower in VAC calves (17.0% in NVAC; 11.3% in VAC). The implementation of examination protocols for respiratory diseases may have a positive impact on production parameters (e.g., treatment frequency and ADG)
Dogs with a vocabulary of object labels retain them for at least 2 years
No full textLong-term memory of words has a crucial role in the developing abilities of young children to acquire language. In dogs, the ability to learn object labels is present in only a small group of uniquely gifted word learner (GWL) dogs. As they are very rare, little is known about the mechanisms through which they acquire such large vocabularies. In the current study, we tested the ability of five GWL dogs to retrieve 12 labelled objects 2 years after the object-label mapping acquisition. The dogs proved to remember the labels of between three and nine objects. The results shed light on the process by which GWL dogs acquire an exceptionally large vocabulary of object names. As memory plays a crucial role in language development, these dogs provide a unique opportunity to study label retention in a non-linguistic species
Refining pain management in mice by comparing multimodal analgesia and NSAID monotherapy for neurosurgical procedures
No full textWhile neurosurgical interventions are frequently used in laboratory mice, refinement efforts to optimize analgesic management based on multimodal approaches appear to be rather limited. Therefore, we compared the efficacy and tolerability of combinations of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug carprofen, a sustained-release formulation of the opioid buprenorphine, and the local anesthetic bupivacaine with carprofen monotherapy. Female and male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to isoflurane anesthesia and an intracranial electrode implant procedure. Given the multidimensional nature of postsurgical pain and distress, various physiological, behavioral, and biochemical parameters were applied for their assessment. The analysis revealed alterations in Neuro scores, home cage locomotion, body weight, nest building, mouse grimace scales, and fecal corticosterone metabolites. A composite measure scheme allowed the allocation of individual mice to severity classes. The comparison between groups failed to indicate the superiority of multimodal regimens over high-dose NSAID monotherapy. In conclusion, our findings confirmed the informative value of various parameters for assessment of pain and distress following neurosurgical procedures in mice. While all drug regimens were well tolerated in control mice, our data suggest that the total drug load should be carefully considered for perioperative management. Future studies would be of interest to assess potential synergies of drug combinations with lower doses of carprofen
Das Konzept "Dirty work" in der Mensch-Tier-Beziehung
No full textDiplomarbeit - Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien - 2024Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem berufssoziologischen Konzept „Dirty work“, das berufliche Tätigkeiten in den Fokus rückt, die aus unterschiedlichen Gründen ein geringes gesellschaftliches Prestige aufweisen und deren Berufsangehörige oftmals eine Stigmatisierung erfahren. Die Veterinärmedizin spielt in der entsprechenden Forschung bislang keine Rolle: Tierärzte und Tierärztinnen gelten gemeinhin als anerkannte Expertinnen und Experten mit hohem gesellschaftlichem Standing. Zugleich geht der Ansatz davon aus, dass jeder Beruf bestimmte „Dirty work“-Anteile aufweist, deren Identifizierung dabei hilft, ein Berufsfeld besser zu verstehen. Diese Aspekte bilden die Basis der vorliegenden Arbeit: Sie erläutert das Konzept „Dirty work“ auf Basis relevanter Literatur, um im Anschluss daran der Frage nachzugehen, inwieweit dieser Ansatz das Potenzial aufweist, auch Berufe in der Mensch-Tier-Beziehung (z.B. die Arbeit in einem Tierheim) in dieser Perspektive auszuleuchten und in weiterer Sicht dies auch auf den tierärztlichen Beruf anzuwenden ist. Es zeigt sich, dass es durchaus wünschenswert wie substanziell ergiebig wäre, die unterschiedlichen veterinärmedizinischen Berufsfelder auf Basis des Ansatzes zu analysieren.Diploma thesis - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna - 2024This thesis deals with the occupational sociological concept of „Dirty work“, which focuses on professional activities that have low social prestige for various reasons and whose professionals often experience stigmatization. Veterinary medicine has not played a role in the relevant research so far: Veterinarians are generally regarded as recognized experts with a high social standing. At the same time, the approach assumes that every profession has certain „Dirty work“ components, their identification helps to get a better understanding of a professional field. With that specific background in mind the presented work is built upon: It explains the concept of „Dirty work“ on the basis of relevant literature in order to pursue subsequently the potential extent that this approach may have to illuminate professions in the Human-Animal Interactions (e.g. work in an animal shelter) from this perspective and, in the longer term, also the veterinary profession. It becomes clear that it would not only be desirable but also substantially productive to analyze the various veterinary professions on the basis of this approach