16 research outputs found
Microscopical Evaluation of Smears of the Leptomeninges to Predict Meningitis in Piglets
No full textSIMPLE SUMMARY: Meningitis (inflammation of the membranes covering the brain) is a common problem in 3- to 10-week-old piglets. It is often caused by bacteria that are called Streptococcus. Clinical signs such as problems with coordination of the limbs can be observed by the farmer, but it is also possible that piglets die suddenly, before clinical signs are detected. Therefore, examining dead piglets is often performed to establish a diagnosis. Unfortunately, meningitis is often difficult to recognise by the eye. To assist veterinarians in forming a quick diagnosis of meningitis and possible bacterial involvement, a microscopic evaluation of cells taken from the meninges was performed. This examination allowed the prediction of the likely presence of meningitis and the involvement of Streptococcus species in most of the cases. Microscopic findings were compared with bacteriological culture results, and based on this comparison, indications of meningitis and Streptococcal presence seemed correct in 89% and 100% of the cases, respectively. However, if only a few cells indicating meningitis were observed microscopically, no reliable prediction was possible. In conclusion, microscopic evaluation of cells from the meninges of piglets can help swine practitioners in establishing a tentative diagnosis of meningitis more quickly, which allows for better treatment, improves animal welfare, and reduces antimicrobial use. ABSTRACT: Meningitis, caused by bacterial infections such as Streptococcus spp., is a frequently observed cause of death in pigs. In order to implement effective treatment and avoid further losses, it is important to establish this diagnosis quickly. However, this is often difficult because macroscopic lesions may not be visible, and additional laboratory testing may take several days. The present study investigated whether microscopical examination of impression smears of the leptomeninges taken during necropsy can help in establishing a presumptive diagnosis of meningitis in pigs more quickly. In total, 54 pigs suffering from neurological signs and/or (acute) mortality were examined. They were 3 to 10 weeks old and originated from 16 farms. From each pig, bacterial culture was performed on one half of the brain using a swab from the leptomeninges. From the other half, paired cytological impression smears of the leptomeninges were stained with a commercial quick stain dye (Hemacolor(®)) and Gram stain and microscopically evaluated for the abundance of neutrophils and the presence of short-chain coccoid bacteria. Bacterial culture of the leptomeninges was positive in 36/54 cases, in 28 of which Streptococcus spp. were found. The numbers of smears with low, moderate, or high abundance of neutrophils were 19, 17, and 18, respectively. Short-chain coccoid bacteria were detected successfully in 12 pigs in the Gram-stained smear. The positive predictive value of smears with moderate or high abundance of neutrophils for bacterial presence and, therefore, likely meningitis was 89%, whereas the negative predictive value of smears with low abundance of neutrophils was 74%. The positive predictive value of smears with short chains of coccoid bacteria for diagnosis of Streptococcus spp. was 100%, whereas the negative predictive value was 62%. In conclusion, microscopical examination of impression smears of the leptomeninges of piglets with neurological signs and/or (acute) mortality is a feasible procedure that can help swine practitioners in establishing a tentative diagnosis of meningitis more quickly, especially if neutrophils are abundant, and short chains of coccoid bacteria are present
The NICU Neighbourhood: Creating a low-stress parental experience
No full textThis master thesis is the result of a graduation project for the master Design for Interaction at Delft University of Technology. The aim of this project was to design a concept that improves the parental experience at the Intensive Care Neonatology (ICN) at the Amsterdam UMC. The experiences at the ICN can strongly influence the parental well-being and can even lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Therefore, this project focused on creating a low-stress parental experience. Various researches were done to specify the values and needs that need to be addressed. This resulted in the NICU Neighbourhood. This concept contains three different elements: The Lamp, the NICU Mailbox and the Writing Wall. The Lamp embodies the ritual of arriving and leaving, and makes parents feel decisive, competent and confident. It is a non-verbal connecting element between parents and informative tool for the medical staff. The NICU Mailbox creates a moment to settle in the Single Bed Unit (SBU) and makes the parents feel knowledgeable and reassured by providing them with information and enable them to make social contact in an accessible way. The Writing Wall ensures that the name of the baby is written on the glass door of the SBU for a higher sense of ownership. Together, these elements address all needs that need to be fulfilled in order to create a low-stress parental experience.Design for Interactio
Two novel porcine teschovirus strains as the causative agents of encephalomyelitis in the Netherlands
No full textBackground: Porcine teschovirus (PTV) circulates among wild and domesticated pig populations without causing clinical disease, however neuroinvasive strains have caused high morbidity and mortality in the past. In recent years, several reports appeared with viral agents as a cause for neurologic signs in weanling and growing pigs among which PTV and new strains of PTV were described. Case presentation: On two unrelated pig farms in the Netherlands the weanling pig population showed a staggering gate, which developed progressively to paresis or paralysis of the hind legs with a morbidity up to 5%. After necropsy we diagnosed a non-suppurative encephalomyelitis on both farms, which was most consistent with a viral infection. PTV was detected within the central nervous system by qPCR. From both farms PTV full-length genomes were sequenced, which clustered closely with PTV-3 (98%) or PTV-11 (85%). Other common swine viruses were excluded by qPCR and sequencing of the virus. Conclusion: Our results show that new neuroinvasive PTV strains still emerge in pigs in the Netherlands. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of PTV and other viral agents causing encephalomyelitis within wild and domestic pig populations supported by the awareness of veterinarians.</p
Additional file 1 of Two novel porcine teschovirus strains as the causative agents of encephalomyelitis in the Netherlands
No full textAdditional file 1:Table S1. Overview histopathology central nervous system for animals farm A and B. Table S2. Primer and probe overview for qPCR. Table S3. Overview animals and analysis
Dynamics of the Enteric Virome in a Swine Herd Affected by Non-PCV2/PRRSV Postweaning Wasting Syndrome
No full textA commercial pig farm with no history of porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) or porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) repeatedly reported a significant reduction in body weight gain and wasting symptoms in approximately 20–30% of the pigs in the period between three and six weeks after weaning. As standard clinical interventions failed to tackle symptomatology, viral metagenomics were used to describe and monitor the enteric virome at birth, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks of age. The latter four sampling points were 7 days, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks post weaning, respectively. Fourteen distinct enteric viruses were identified within the herd, which all have previously been linked to enteric diseases. Here we show that wasting is associated with alterations in the enteric virome of the pigs, characterized by: (1) the presence of enterovirus G at 3 weeks of age, followed by a higher prevalence of the virus in wasting pigs at 6 weeks after weaning; (2) rotaviruses at 3 weeks of age; and (3) porcine sapovirus one week after weaning. However, the data do not provide a causal link between specific viral infections and the postweaning clinical problems on the farm. Together, our results offer evidence that disturbances in the enteric virome at the preweaning stage and early after weaning have a determining role in the development of intestinal barrier dysfunctions and nutrient uptake in the postweaning growth phase. Moreover, we show that the enteric viral load sharply increases in the week after weaning in both healthy and wasting pigs. This study is also the first to report the dynamics and co-infection of porcine rotavirus species and porcine astrovirus genetic lineages during the first 9 weeks of the life of domestic pigs
Correlation between placental measures and birth weight.
No full text<p>Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficients (rPM), the associated probabilities (two tailed), and the number of measurements (Ns) are listed. Correlation coefficients with associated probabilities <0.05 are printed bold, whereas coefficients with 0.1 ><i>P</i> >0.05 are printed in italics.</p
Performance of ALLO-treated and untreated LBW and NBW pigs in the cognitive pig holeboard task.
No full text<p>The transition from the originally learned pattern of baited holes to a new pattern (reversal) was taken as index for response flexibility. Strategies are reflected by the measure choice correspondence and have been analyzed across block of trials without considering through which pigs entered the holeboard arena (block differences), and also per door. n/a: not applicable.</p><p>Differences between 4 treatment groups: Performance of LBW and NBW piglets born from allopurinol treated sows (n = 6) and controls (n = 4).</p
Effect of birth weight, ALLO treatment and their interaction on slaughter weight, and relative hippocampal and spleen weight (for means and SEMs see Table 6).
No full text<p>Effect of birth weight, ALLO treatment and their interaction on slaughter weight, and relative hippocampal and spleen weight (for means and SEMs see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0086396#pone-0086396-t006" target="_blank">Table 6</a>).</p
Absolute and relative weights per birth weight by treatment group.
No full text<p>The means and standard errors of the mean (SEM) are listed.</p
