1,721,136 research outputs found
Clinicopathological findings in cats tested for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV)
Full text linkThis retrospective study aimed to evaluate the clinicopathological changes in a population of cats tested for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV), in an Italian Veterinary University Hospital, in the period between January 2002 and May 2016. During the period of 14 years, 1834 cats were tested, and of these 241/1834 (13.1%) were positive for FIV antibodies and 92/1834 (5%) cats were positive for FeLV antigen. These data confirm the presence of a high prevalence of these viruses on Italian territory. To the authors’ knowledge, this study describes findings that have never been evaluated before, such as iron status in retrovirus-infected cats and urinalysis in FeLV-positive cats. In this study, FIV-positive cats were more likely to have higher serum protein concentration and lower albumin-globulin ratio than other groups of cats. Lower urine specific gravity and higher urine protein to creatinine ratio were also detected for FIV-positive cats when compared with negative and healthy cats. FeLV-positive cats were more likely to have cytopenia, decreased haemoglobin, haematocrit and RBC compared with other groups of cats. The data obtained underline the importance of considering retroviral infections in the presence of a broad spectrum of risk factors and laboratory anomalies
Canine distemper: description of clinical cases referred to a veterinary hospital in Barcelona, Spain
No full textMolecular detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in hair and spleen of cats revealed a possible underestimation of feline vector-borne pathogens
Full text linkFeline Vector-Borne Diseases show increased global prevalence and some Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species may
pose a risk to human health. The diagnosis of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species infection in cats is achieved by the
combined use of different methods as cytologic examination evidencing intracytoplasmic morulae, serologic tests
and molecular assays. The peripheral whole blood is considered the sample of choice for Anaplasma and Ehrlichia
species DNA detection in cats, but false negative results are reported leading to underestimation of infection
prevalence. In order to have a more accurate assessment of the spread of feline vector-borne pathogens, the
presence of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. DNA in 37 owner and shelter cats subjected to necropsy were
prospectively investigated by testing in end-point PCR spleen, bone marrow, blood clot and hair samples. The
bacteria identified were genetically characterised. Three shelter cats tested positive for A. phagocytophilum DNA
in spleen (one cat) or in hair samples (two cats). None of the cats tested positive in bone marrow and blood
samples. From the results obtained, it can be assumed that the use of spleen or hair samples could allow a more
reliable detection of A. phagocytophilum DNA in cats with blood tested negative. In the phylogeny constructed
with a fragment of the heat shock (groEL) gene nucleotide sequences, all the identified A. phagocytophilum
clustered with bacteria infecting a wide range of hosts, including humans, showing a potential zoonotic role
Analysis of variabilitiy and antigenic peptides prediction of E2 BVDV glicoproteiniIn a Mucosal Diseases affected animal
No full textAnalisi della variabilità e predizione di peptidi antigenici della glicoproteina E2 del BVDV in un soggetto con malattie delle mucose
No full textThe E2 protein is the major glycoprotein of the envelope of Bovine Viral
Diarrhea virus (BVDV). This protein is highly variable and induces a strong immune response
with the production of neutralizing antibodies; therefore this protein is widely used to set up
vaccines providing complete protection from the infection. In persistently infected animals it
was assumed that immunological tolerance favoured maintenance of an antigenically conserved
population of persisting virus over the emergence of quasispecies which stimulate an effective
immune response. However, further studies showed genetic variability of BVDV in the E2
region and 5’UTR region in persistent infected animals. The aim of our work was to study the
variability of BVDV analysing the antigenic properties of clones obtained by cloning PCR
products of two organs from mucosal disease affected anima
Detection of a virus related to betacoronaviruses in Italian greater horseshoe bats
No full textThe association between coronaviruses and bats is a worldwide phenomenon and bats belonging to genus Rhinolophus are the reservoir host for several coronaviruses, including a large number of viruses closely related genetically to severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV). We carried out a survey in colonies of Italian bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) for the presence of coronaviruses. Two of 52 R. ferrumequinum captured from different Italian areas tested positive by reverse transcription-PCR for a fragment of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene of viruses related to Coronavirus. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close correlations between one of the positive samples and SARS-related CoV belonging to the genus Betacoronavirus
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Development of a SYBR Green real-time PCR for the simultaneous detection of canine circovirus infecting dogs and wild carnivores
No full textCanine Adenoviruses in Wildlife: Role in At-Risk Species Conservation and Interface with Domestic Animals
Full text linkCanine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1) and type 2 (CAdV-2) are well known pathogens of domestic dogs but are little investigated in wild animals. The few available studies about CAdV-1 in wild animals show that it circulates in various species and that transmission of the virus in the interface between wildlife and domestic animals is a frequent event. Furthermore, wild animals are usually subject to asymptomatic infections, but cases of serious and fatal diseases have been documented, with possible effects on the conservation of the species. In contrast, CAdV-2 infection was reported only recently and sporadically in some wild animals, with few data regarding its pathogenic role in these species. However, the real prevalence of these viruses in wildlife is still uncertain due to the use of serological tests that are largely unable to distinguish antibodies against CAdV-1 and CAdV-2. This review, reporting all the data currently available on CAdV-1 and CAdV-2 infection in wild animals, highlights the importance of these pathogens for wildlife conservation and their role in the potential transmission of the infection to domestic dogs
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