11 research outputs found
A retrospective study on frequency of canine tumors at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Rabat (Morocco)
No full textThis work is a contribution to the study of tumors in dogs at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the Hassan II Agronomic and Veterinary Medicine Institute in Rabat, Morocco. The study aimed to present a summary of the relative frequency of tumors in dogs, their preferred localization and the influence of age, sex and breed. During the study period from 2004 to 2017, a total of 3099 records were consulted, among them 166 cases of tumors in dogs were diagnosed in both sexes, male and female, whose ages were between 3 months to 15 years. Tumors in dogs have a frequency of approximately 5.4% over the entire canine disease diagnosed at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. The average age group of onset of these tumors are middle-aged dogs of 7-12 years (65.7%). The German shepherd (30.7%), Poodle (22.9%), Labrador (10.2%), Rottweiler (5.4%) and Pekinese (3.6%) would be more prone to tumors. The most common tumors originated from the mammary gland (46.4%) and the skin and subcutis (25.9%). To our knowledge, there was no study like this one considering canine tumors in Morocco. Therefore, this study provides an important preliminary step to characterize and understand the occurrence of canine tumors in Rabat region.
Keywords: Tumor, dog, frequency, sex, age, breed, Morocc
Osteochondroma of the First Phalanx in Tbourida Horses
No full textThis study aimed at describing anatomo-histopathological and imaging features, using computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging on six ex vivo forelimbs of Tbourida horses, that presented a particular bone exostosis on the dorsal and proximal part of the first phalanx, diagnosed by X-ray. Gross anatomy of the bone exostosis revealed an irregular surface with poly-lobulated tissue masses showing a cauliflower shape. The diameter/depth varied from 0.5 to 5.1 cm with a mean of 3.9 ± 0.9 cm. The capsule of the metacarpophalangeal joint was hypertrophic and showed many invaginations in the inner part, in contact with the bone exostosis. Computed tomography revealed cortical and medullary continuity of the bone exostosis, with the underlying bone, and remodeling of the cortical surface of the dorsal and proximal part of the first phalanx. Magnetic resonance imaging showed an increased signal intensity of the bone exostosis on the T1- and T2*-weighted gradient fast echo. Histological examination of the bone exostosis revealed a cap of hyaline cartilage, including large foci of endochondral ossification with a base of cancellous bone surrounding marrow spaces, which confirmed the diagnosis of osteochondroma. The capsule of the metacarpophalangeal joint showed a large amount of recently formed connective tissue fibers in its inner part, interspersed with mature connective tissue. The hyperextension of the metacarpophalangeal joint during a Tbourida show, which occurs on a hard ground surface, and the use of hobbles in horse stabling are most likely responsible for the outgrowth of an osteochondroma of different shapes and sizes, and fracture complications in some cases
Canine cardiopulmonary nematodes in Morocco: Prevalence of Dirofilaria immitis and report of the first autochthonous infection with Angiostrongylus vasorum
No full textDirofilaria immitis and Angiostrongylus vasorum are two of the most important, life-threatening cardiopulmonary nematodes affecting dogs. This study aimed to determine the current prevalence of D. immitis and to investigate, for the first time in Morocco, the occurrence of A. vasorum in dogs. Two hundred and thirteen blood and 291 fecal samples were collected from Moroccan dogs. Blood samples were examined using both the modified Knott’s test and the in-clinic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, whereas fecal samples were examined using the Baermann technique. Fecal analysis revealed the presence of A. vasorum larva in one sample. This was the first reported case in a dog from Morocco. We believe that these preliminary results are of great interest to veterinary practitioners in Morocco, suggesting that veterinarians should consider D. immitis, but also A. vasorum in their differential diagnosis, and should perform regular screenings for these parasites.
Keywords: Cardiopulmonary nematodes, Dirofilaria immitis, Angiostrongylus vasorum, Dogs, Morocc
Hydatid cyst detection by liver ultrasonography in sheep:Impact of cyst abundance, viability and location
No full textCystic echinococcosis (CE) is a major zoonosis in Morocco, common in most livestock including sheep. The objectives of this study, performed in sheep of different ages in the Middle Atlas in Morocco, were (1) to compare CE detection, CE count and cysts classification into viable and calcified by ante-mortem hepatic ultrasound (US) scanning and post-mortem macroscopic hepatic inspection and (2) to investigate post-mortem the hydatid cysts present in the liver and lungs to determine in as far hepatic US scanning would fail to detect sheep with exclusive location of CE in the lungs that are not detected on ultrasound. Among 126 examined sheep, 106 were considered as infected by CE by US scanning, whereas 108 were detected at necropsy. Whatever the diagnostic method used; the total number of cysts increased significantly in function of age (p < 0.001). Differentiation capacity between viable and calcified cysts was similar for US scanning and necropsy. Sheep considered as negative by US scanning (n = 32) were confirmed negative by necropsy, leading to a specificity of US scanning of 100% (95% CI: 90–100%) and sensitivity of 98% (IC: 92–99%). Part 2 of the study evidenced that among 97 infected sheep, 78% (IC 95%: 72–83%) presented hepatics cysts, whereas 22% (IC 95%: 17–28%) presented exclusively pulmonary cysts. 56% (IC 95%: 54–59%) of total cysts were located in the liver. Animals showing exclusively pulmonary cysts were lightly infected in comparison to sheep with liver or with liver and pulmonary cysts. Under the conditions of the Middle Atlas sheep farm, the US scan was able to detect 98% of sheep with liver cysts. The US scan therefore allows easy monitoring of the progress of the control measures and provides data on the infestation of animals without the need for autopsy.</p
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Determining factors and interspecific modeling for serum amyloid a concentrations in working horses, donkeys, and mules
No full textSerum amyloid A (SAA) is an acute phase protein and α-globulin that is produced in the liver in response to inflammatory cytokines. Considered a major acute phase protein in most domestic species, its concentrations rapidly decrease after resolution of inflammation, making SAA measurement a useful tool for monitoring the course of inflammation in an individual animal. The objective of this study was to compare SAA values in working equids including mules, donkeys and horses as well as values for different diseases at various times of the year. Samples were collected from 77 equids; 13 mules, 17 donkeys and 47 horses from sick or injured animals who presented to the clinic. Twenty-eight disease clinical diagnoses were compared with most cases being acute colitis. A highly significant differences between species was found when comparing SAA concentrations of mules to horses (P < .001) using Dunn comparison pairwise test. A difference (P < .05) was found between donkeys and horses, but not donkeys to mules (P > .05). The study suggests that SAA can be a helpful tool for disease diagnosis in mules and donkeys and suggests that the inflammatory response of mules maybe less than that of horses and donkeys but future studies evaluating SAA in healthy mules compared to diseased should be conducted
Serological evaluation of the immune protection conferred by the canine parvovirus vaccine: A comparative study of a recommended brief protocol and WSAVA protocols
No full textCanine parvovirus (CPV) is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease in puppies, with high morbidity and mortality rates. Despite vaccination, failures have been reported, especially with the short protocol (BP) recommended by some pharmaceutical companies, which may not align with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) 2024 guidelines.This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of immunity in puppies vaccinated with the BP protocol and assess whether boosters based on the WSAVA guidelines would improve immunity. Experiment 1 involved unvaccinated puppies receiving the WSAVA vaccination protocol, with four vaccinations at 15-day intervals. Experiment 2 assessed puppies vaccinated with the BP protocol, followed by two additional booster doses administered two weeks apart.In Experiment 1, puppies receiving the WSAVA protocol had insufficient maternal antibodies (32.00 ± 14.99) at 12–16 weeks. After four vaccinations, antibody titers significantly increased to 256.00 ± 79.43 by day 45 (p = 0.0166). In Experiment 2, puppies vaccinated with the BP protocol showed antibody titers of 32.00 ± 32.57 at 5 months, below the protective threshold. Two additional boosters raised antibody titers to 512.00 ± 245.0 at day 45 (p = 0.0154). These results indicate that the BP protocol alone does not provide adequate immunity but that Additional boosters can improve immunity. The WSAVA vaccination protocol effectively protects against CPV, while the BP protocol requires additional boosters to meet protective standards. Implementing WSAVA-guideline-based boosters is essential to improve CPV protection in puppies
Prevalence, risk factors and zoonotic potential of intestinal parasites in dogs from four locations in Morocco
No full textDogs can harbor various intestinal parasites that have serious clinical, economic, and zoonotic impact. In Morocco, the epidemiological status of those parasites is largely unknown.This study aimed to obtain data on the prevalence of intestinal parasites in various Moroccan dog populations, to identify associated risk factors, to evaluate people's knowledge regarding zoonotic parasites and to estimate the risk of human infection. A total of 291 fecal samples were analyzed using a 33% Zinc Sulphate (ZnSO4) centrifugal flotation and a sheather's sugar simple flotation techniques. In addition, 100 dog owners were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their knowledge regarding canine zoonotic intestinal parasites.Overall, 58% of sampled dogs were positive for at least one parasite species. Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp. (31.9%), Toxascaris leonina (27.4%), Toxocara canis (27.1%), Cystoisospora spp. (13.4%) and Giardia spp. (7.2%) were the most frequently isolated parasites. The overall prevalence was associated with the dogs' activity, and feces consistency. More specifically, the prevalence of Ancylostoma/Uncinaria spp., Toxascaris leonina and Cystoisospora spp. was associated with dogs' activity and feces consistency and, additionally with age for Cystoisospora spp. Toxocara canis prevalence was associated with age and feces consistency, while Giardia spp. prevalence was associated with dogs' activity.A weak awareness among dog owners regarding the zoonotic potential of canine intestinal parasites was noticed (33%) especially when their knowledge was compared to another endemic zoonotic disease, i.e. rabies (85%). Furthermore, the rate of respecting the vaccination protocol (82%) was significantly higher than the rate of respecting the deworming protocol (47%).We conclude that intestinal parasites, including the zoonotic ones, were highly prevalent in the dogs sampled in this study whereas people's knowledge about those parasites was very limited. These findings suggest that the risk of human infection is very likely, which highlights the need for effective control programs and health education
Anaplasma spp. in dogs and owners in north-western Morocco
No full textBackground: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an emerging tick-borne zoonotic pathogen of increased interest worldwide which has been detected in northern Africa. Anaplasma platys is also present in this region and could possibly have a zoonotic potential. However, only one recent article reports on the human esposure to A. phagocytophilum in Morocco and no data are available on canine exposure to both bacteria. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional epidemiological study aiming to assess both canine and human exposure to Anaplasma spp. in Morocco. A total of 425 dogs (95 urban, 160 rural and 175 working dogs) and 11 dog owners were sampled from four cities of Morocco. Canine blood samples were screened for Anaplasma spp. antibodies by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and for A. phagocytophilum and A. platys DNA by a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting the msp2 gene. Human sera were tested for specific A. phagocytophilum immunoglobulin G (IgG) using a commercial immunofluorescence assay (IFA) kit.
Results: Anaplasma spp. antibodies and A. platys DNA were detected in 21.9 and 7.5% of the dogs, respectively. Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA was not amplified. Anaplasma platys DNA was significantly more frequently amplified for working dogs. No statistically significant differences in the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. antibodies or A. platys DNA detection were observed between sexes, age classes or in relation to exposure to ticks. A total of 348 Rhipicephalus sanguineus (sensu lato) ticks were removed from 35 urban and working dogs. The majority of dog owners (7/10) were seroreactive to A. phagoyctophilum IgG (one sample was excluded because of hemolysis).
Conclusions: This study demonstrates the occurrence of Anaplasma spp. exposure and A. platys infection in dogs, and A. phagocytophilum exposure in humans in Morocco
Canine Leishmaniasis in Morocco : a descriptive prospective clinical study
No full textCanine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a zoonotic vector-borne disease that is endemic in the Mediterranean Basin including Morocco. Dogs play a major epidemiological role in this zoonosis as reservoir hosts. This study investigated the clinical manifestations of CanL in dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum. A total of 96 dogs presented to the Small Animal Clinic of the Hassan II Agronomy and Veterinary Institute (IAV Hassan II) of Rabat, Morocco, and were tested by RT-PCR and/or serology. Among them, 32 (33.3%) were positive to Leishmania infantum infection. The majority of the positive dogs (93.7%) came from urban areas. Most of them were male (62.5%) and purebreds (65.6%), were aged between 3 and 7 years (71.8%), and had outside activities (guarding, hunting, livestock guarding, and service activities) (71.8%) and all of them were living exclusively outdoor or had free access to the outdoor environment. Lymphadenomegaly (81.2%), dermatological disorders (65.6%) (mostly exfoliative dermatitis), weight loss (59.3%), exercise intolerance (56.2%), anorexia (28.1%), hyporexia (15.6%), and ocular lesions (28.1%) were the most frequent clinical signs and complaints recorded. Anemia and hyperproteinemia due to hyperglobulinemia were observed in 68.7% and 72.7% of the cases, respectively. These results suggest that CanL leads to various nonspecific clinical signs as described previously, making the diagnosis challenging. Since CanL is endemic in Morocco, it should be recommended to systematically test dogs displaying clinical signs compatible with this disease and to regularly screen asymptomatic at-risk dogs. It is also crucial to educate dog owners about the zoonotic aspect of the disease and to encourage intersectorial collaboration following the "One Health" concept, in order to contribute to a more effective control/prevention of human and canine leishmaniasis
