Veterinary journal最新文献

{"title":"Modeling feedback-driven behavioral adaptation in pigs under environmental pressure: a study of behavior modification.","authors":"Zhen Wang, Yunying Liu, Geqi Yan, Xinyi Du, Fei Qi, Zhengxiang Shi, Chaoyuan Wang, Hao Li, Hao Wang, Shihua Pu","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106411","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106411","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In commercial pig farming, aggression and stress during herd mixing negatively affect animal welfare and productivity. This study developed an environmental pressure-feedback (EPF) model that applies metabolic and spatial pressure through brief feed withdrawal and crowding animals together in a limited space, combined with resource-based feedback, to modulate pig behavior and stress. EPF treatment significantly reduced fight frequency (95 % CI: -1.95 to -1.28) and skin lesions (P < 0.001), indicating lower aggression. Compared with controls, EPF-treated pigs showed significantly lower cortisol levels at 12 h (-69.80 ng/mL, P = 0.003) and 24 h (-58.15 ng/mL, P = 0.012) post-mixing. Chromogranin A decreased by 2.80 ng/mL (P = 0.035) and 4.34 ng/mL (P = 0.001) at these times. Glucose dropped significantly at 3 h (-2.48 mmol/L, P < 0.001), 24 h (-0.77 mmol/L, P = 0.017), and 7 days (-1.10 mmol/L, P < 0.001). Additionally, EPF-treated pigs had lower body temperature (P < 0.001) and heart rate (P < 0.05) at 3, 12, and 24 h. The reduction in these indicators demonstrates that the EPF model effectively alleviates stress load. This study reveals that the EPF model, by introducing moderate external pressure and utilizing a contrast effect to enhance feedback perception, prioritizes feeding motivation, suppresses aggressive behavior, and attenuates activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, thereby effectively mitigating stress responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":" ","pages":"106411"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144790133","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Canagliflozin: Pharmacokinetics, tolerability and glucose/insulin effects of supratherapeutic doses in healthy horses.","authors":"Peter Michanek, Johan Bröjer, Inger Lilliehöök, Cathrine Fjordbakk, Malin Erkas, Minerva Löwgren, Mikael Hedeland, Jonas Bergquist, Carl Ekstrand","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106412","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106412","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors like canagliflozin (CFZ) have shown promise in preventing hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis in horses, but data on pharmacokinetics, tolerability, and controlled studies are limited. This randomized, open-label, placebo-controlled, crossover study evaluated these aspects of CFZ treatment in eight healthy Standardbred mares. Each horse received single supratherapeutic oral doses of CFZ (1.8 mg/kg or 3.6 mg/kg) and placebo, with a two-week washout between treatments. A graded glucose infusion (GGI) was administered post-treatment to evaluate glucose and insulin responses. Plasma CFZ, glucose, insulin, urinary glucose, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis samples were collected over 72 h post-treatment. For CFZ 1.8 mg/kg, median C_max was 2623 ng/mL, T_max 2.2 h, and T_1/2Z 21.8 h; for 3.6 mg/kg, C_max was 4975 ng/mL, T_max 2.8 h, and T_1/2Z 23.0 h. The pharmacokinetics of CFZ displayed dose-proportionality across the two tested doses. Insulin and glucose responses to a GGI, measured by the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), were similar between CFZ doses but significantly reduced compared to placebo (p < 0.001). Specifically, mean glucose AUC for CFZ treatments was approximately 14-15 % lower, and mean insulin AUC 22-29 % lower, than for placebo. For CFZ-treated horses, mean urinary glucose concentrations ranged from 277 to 347 mmol/L at 24, 48, and 72 h post-administration, with no significant differences between dose levels. No clinical signs of adverse effects were observed, although a significant increase in GLDH levels compared to placebo (p < 0.05) was observed with the CFZ 3.6 mg/kg dose.</p>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":" ","pages":"106412"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144785384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feasibility, repeatability, and regional differences in thermal threshold and cold thermal latency testing in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps).","authors":"Emily M Erdman, Alanna N Johnson, Colleen Elzinga, Chiara De Gennaro, Amy B Alexander, Nicole I Stacy, Ludovica Chiavaccini","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106410","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ventral thermal burns are frequent in bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps), raising questions about reptile thermal nociception. This randomized, Latin-square experimental study compared thermal threshold (TT) and cold thermal latency (CTL) in six healthy, adult bearded dragons at three anatomical sites (inner thigh, dorsum, and ventrum). A 0.5 °C/s thermal ramp was applied to each anatomical location in triplicate, until a response (kicking/jumping, turning) was observed. Similarly, CTL was evaluated using a 0 °C probe applied at the same locations. Safety cut-offs of 55 °C for TT and 60 s for CTL were applied. The experiment was repeated four weeks later for test-retest reliability. Thermal threshold and CTL were compared among sites using extended Mantel-Haenszel statistics. Repeatability and test-retest reliability were assessed by coefficient of variation and Spearman's correlation coefficient. Median [interquartile range (Q1, Q3)] TT recorded 47.55 °C (40.33, 51.63 °C) at the inner thigh, 52.68 °C (49.57, 55 °C) at the ventrum, and 51.82 °C (51.03, 54.33 °C) at the dorsum. Thermal threshold was significantly higher at the ventrum than the thigh (P = 0.02). Median (Q1, Q3) CTL were 38.83 s (34.33, 41.67 s) at the inner thigh, 55.33 s (41.00, 60.00 s) at the ventrum, and 49.00 s (35.67, 51.00 s) at the dorsum, with significantly longer CTL at the ventrum (P < 0.01) and dorsum (P = 0.03) than the thigh. Thermal threshold demonstrated excellent repeatability but poor test-retest reliability, whereas CTL had low-to-moderate repeatability and good test-retest reliability.</p>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":" ","pages":"106410"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144790132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Saliva and serum profiling by high-throughput TMT-based proteomics for the investigation of metritis in dairy cows.","authors":"Pedro J Vallejo-Mateo, María D Contreras-Aguilar, Dina Resetar Maslov, Ivana Rubić, Vladimir Mrljak, José J Cerón, Asta Tvarijonaviciute, Alberto Muñoz-Prieto, Lorena Franco-Martínez","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106413","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Metritis affects up to 20 % of dairy cows after giving birth, causing significant losses in terms of animal welfare and dairy farm profitability. The aim of the present transversal study is to evaluate the possible changes in salivary and serum proteomes in bovine metritis using a high-throughput quantitative proteomic analysis to potentially discover biomarkers of this disease. For this, proteomes of paired saliva and serum samples from cows with metritis (n = 5) and healthy controls (n = 5) were analyzed using Tandem Mass Tags (TMT). In addition, an independent set of n = 33 salivary samples was employed to further evaluate calprotectin in saliva as a candidate biomarker of metritis. TMT proteomic approach identified 326 proteins in saliva and 275 in serum (with 2 unique peptides and 1 % FDR), with 15 and 22, respectively, showing significant changes in the metritis group in comparison to controls. These proteins with different abundance between the two groups were related to different pathways including the immune system, inflammation, lipid metabolism and homeostasis, oxidative stress, DNA repair, cellular signaling, and structural and mucosal functions. One protein, calprotectin (S100A8-A9), was further validated in bovine saliva for the first time, showing higher levels in cows with metritis (median = 0.44, IQR = 0.41-0.50 mg/L) than in controls (median = 0.17, IQR = 0.10-0.26 mg/L), consistent with the increase in S100A8 found in the proteomic results. Overall, this study indicates that saliva and serum proteomes can reflect physiopathological changes caused during metritis, being a potential source of potential biomarkers of the disease. SIMPLE SUMMARY: This study identifies distinct protein profiles in the saliva and serum of healthy cows compared to cows with metritis using a gel-free proteomic approach. Significant changes in protein abundance were observed in 15 salivary and 22 serum proteins, involved in inflammation, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress. Since S100A8 protein was found at higher levels in cows with metritis, calprotectin (S100A8-A9) was further validated in saliva in an independent sample cohort. These findings offer potential biomarkers for metritis in dairy cows and could contribute to understanding disease-related changes, impacting animal health management and milk production.</p>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":" ","pages":"106413"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144785397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of the radial immunodiffusion test and a novel lateral flow device test for measuring immunoglobulin concentrations in calf blood","authors":"Alexandra Haggerty,&nbsp;Katharine S. Denholm","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106456","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106456","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Failure of transfer of passive immunity (FTPI), characterized by low serum IgG concentrations (&lt; 10 g/L) in dairy calves, is associated with high calfhood morbidity and mortality, as well as poor productive and reproductive outcomes in later life. Calves can be blood sampled to test for FTPI between 24 h and 7 days of life. Direct measurement of IgG in calf serum using the radial immunodiffusion (RID) reference test is time-consuming, costly and requires a laboratory setting. Recently a new ‘pen-side’ test called ‘ImmunIGY’ was brought to the UK market to ‘directly measure IgG in calf whole blood’ using an immunochromatography-based lateral flow device (LFD). The objective of the current study was to compare RID and ‘ImmunIGY’ measurements. Measurements were compared using Pearson correlation, McNemar chi-squared, Bland-Altman plots, Passing-Bablok regression and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. Pearson correlation was low (r = 0.35). McNemar chi-squared statistics revealed no statistically significant differences between the two tests at both IgG cut points of 10 g/L (0.25 (<em>p</em> = 0.61)) and 15 g/L IgG (0.15 (<em>p</em> = 0.69). The Passing-Bablok regression intercept value was 10.76 (95 %CI=-1.10–20.19) showing that the systematic difference between the methods was not significantly different from zero and the slope value was 0.81 (95 %CI = 0.53–1.09) so the hypothesis that the slope is equal to 1 was not rejected.</div><div>Bland-Altman plots showed wide limits of agreement −29.99–24.04 g/L, with a mean difference of −2.98 g/L (SD=13.51, 95 %CI −5.31- −0.65), with evidence of constant error. ROC curves showed area under the curve for both 10 g/L and 15 g/L cut points of 0.73 and 0.68 respectively. Overall, the test specificity of the ‘ImmunIGY’ test was superior to the sensitivity of the test which would in practice lead to a low number of false positive tests, but a relatively high number of false negatives, suggesting its appropriate use as a screening tool rather than for individual animal diagnostics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":"314 ","pages":"Article 106456"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145213683","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Toxoplasma gondii alters gut microbiota and systemic metabolism in cats: A multi-omics approach","authors":"Ji-Xin Zhao ,&nbsp;Xue-Yao Wang ,&nbsp;Xuancheng Zhang ,&nbsp;Lu-Yao Tang ,&nbsp;Shi-Chen Xie ,&nbsp;Yi-Han Lv ,&nbsp;Zhi Zheng ,&nbsp;Ying-Qian Gao ,&nbsp;Jing Jiang ,&nbsp;Xiao-Xuan Zhang ,&nbsp;He Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106455","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106455","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Toxoplasma gondii</em> (<em>T. gondii</em>) is an obligate intracellular parasite with a complex life cycle that culminates in cats—its only definitive host. While its immunological impact is well studied, how <em>T. gondii</em> shapes the feline gut microbiota and systemic metabolism remains largely unexplored. To investigate host–parasite–microbiome interactions, we performed a multi-omics study combining metagenomic sequencing and untargeted serum metabolomics in cats before and after <em>T. gondii</em> infection. Fecal samples were used to construct a comprehensive microbial gene catalog and assess functional shifts, while serum samples were analyzed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to capture systemic metabolic changes. Infection with <em>T. gondii</em>, particularly during its sexual replication phase, significantly disrupted gut microbial diversity, composition, and function. Functional annotation revealed downregulation of microbial genes involved in vitamin, cofactor, and energy metabolism, alongside upregulation of carbohydrate metabolism pathways. Concurrently, metabolomic profiling showed marked alterations in lipid profiles, amino acid pathways, and folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism. Integrated analysis uncovered strong correlations between specific microbial taxa—such as <em>Bifidobacterium adolescentis</em> and <em>Ligilactobacillus animalis</em>—and host metabolites, underscoring a tight link between microbial function and host metabolic responses to infection. To our knowledge, this is the first study to comprehensively map the microbiome and metabolic landscape of <em>T. gondii</em> infection in the feline host. Our findings reveal profound parasite-induced shifts in microbial function and systemic metabolism, offering new insights into the molecular interplay between host, parasite, and microbiota. These insights may inform future strategies for therapeutic modulation of host responses in toxoplasmosis.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":"314 ","pages":"Article 106455"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145182254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinicopathological implications of EpCAM immunoexpression in canine gastric carcinoma and its association with other immunomarkers","authors":"Gabriela Fernandes da Silva ,&nbsp;Ana Rute Flores ,&nbsp;Raquel Leão Monteiro ,&nbsp;Fátima Carvalho ,&nbsp;Fernanda Seixas ,&nbsp;Pedro Oliveira ,&nbsp;Joana Carvalho ,&nbsp;Catarina Gomes ,&nbsp;Marian Taulescu ,&nbsp;Irina Amorim","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106452","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106452","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is a transmembrane glycoprotein, and its overexpression has been reported in various human epithelial cancers, namely in gastric cancer. This study evaluated the EpCAM immunohistochemical expression pattern in canine tissue samples: non-neoplastic gastric mucosa (n = 14) and gastric carcinoma (n = 31). EpCAM was consistently expressed in all cases of non-neoplastic gastric mucosa and in 96.8 % of gastric carcinomas, 64.5 % of which showed EpCAM overexpression. EpCAM overexpression was statistically more frequent in intestinal type carcinomas (100.0 %; p = 0.036) than in diffuse-type carcinomas (47.4 %), according to Lauren classification. No statistically significant differences in EpCAM expression were observed regarding sex, age, body weight, tumour location, tumour depth and histological type according to the human WHO classification. EpCAM overexpression was associated with previously studied markers of canine gastric cancer, namely E-cadherin, TFF1, vimentin and Ki-67 and a significantly association between EpCAM overexpression and high Ki-67 proliferative index in neoplastic cells of gastric carcinomas was observed (Kappa=0.358; p = 0.042). Our results demonstrate that EpCAM is expressed in canine gastric tissues and overexpressed in gastric carcinomas, being potentially involved in the gastric carcinogenesis in dogs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":"314 ","pages":"Article 106452"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145182189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Haptoglobin response in serum and pleural fluid of tuberculin reactor cattle assessed by culture and gross pathology","authors":"Anna Didkowska ,&nbsp;Daniel Klich ,&nbsp;Katarzyna Matusik ,&nbsp;Magdalena Wilczek ,&nbsp;Krzysztof Anusz ,&nbsp;Monika Krajewska-Wędzina","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Haptoglobin (Hp) serum concentration is a highly sensitive, non-specific indicator of inflammation. In the present study, following the example of studies conducted on humans, we analysed whether haptoglobin concentrations in pleural fluids and sera in tuberculin-reactor cattle could be an additional biomarker of <em>Mycobacterium bovis</em> infection. The clinical material (serum, <em>n</em> = 60, pleural fluid, <em>n</em> = 80) was collected from 140 dairy cattle (<em>Bos taurus</em>) shortly before culling at slaughter. During postmortem examination, organs were assessed for tuberculosis-like lesions and tissue samples were collected from all animals post-mortem for <em>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</em> complex (MTBC) culture. The relationship of Hp serum concentrations in cattle with and without tuberculous and the results of MTBC culture were analysed. Serum samples showed a positive correlation between the Hp concentrations and MTBC culture. However, this phenomenon was not confirmed in pleural fluids. Thus, Hp concentrations in cattle serum can be a useful complementary tuberculosis diagnostic tool in cattle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":"314 ","pages":"Article 106453"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145182214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vatinoxan increases microcirculation in dogs anaesthetised with medetomidine-methadone-propofol-isoflurane for prescrotal castration – A randomized, clinical study","authors":"J. Honkavaara ,&nbsp;J.S. Ranki","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigated the impact of vatinoxan, a peripherally selective alpha₂-adrenoceptor antagonist, on oral mucosal and testicular surface microcirculation in dogs anaesthetised for prescrotal castration. Seventeen healthy, privately-owned dogs were randomly allocated to receive one of two intramuscular treatments: medetomidine 0.3 mg/m² + methadone 0.3 mg/kg (MM) or MM + vatinoxan 6 mg/m² (ZM). The dogs were then anaesthetised with propofol and isoflurane. Heart rates (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded and microcirculatory variables quantified with real-time hybrid technology combining laser Doppler flow (LD-Flow) and reflectance spectroscopy for tissue haemoglobin oxygen saturation (Tissue-HbO₂). Measurements were obtained from both the oral mucosa and the exposed testicular surface during the procedure. Data were analysed with Wilcoxon’s Rank Sum and Spearman correlation tests. Overall microcirculation was significantly higher for dogs in the ZM group: the median (range) for LD-Flow was 64 (21 – 461) and 297 (77 – 1558) perfusion units for MM and ZM (p &lt; 0.001), whereas Tissue-HbO₂ was 71 (46 – 93) for MM and 88 (73−100) % for ZM, respectively (p &lt; 0.001). No hypotension (MAP &lt; 60 mmHg) was noted after either treatment. Moreover, HR was positively (p &lt; 0.001), and MAP negatively (p &lt; 0.001) associated with LD-Flow and Tissue-HbO₂. In conclusion, real-time assessment of oral mucosal microcirculation was easy and could be a valuable addition for monitoring tissue oxygen delivery in sedated and anaesthetised dogs. Vatinoxan markedly improved microcirculation in healthy dogs premedicated with medetomidine-methadone and anaesthetised with propofol and isoflurane.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":"314 ","pages":"Article 106454"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145182244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Placebo is non-inferior to postoperative antimicrobial treatment in uncomplicated canine pyometra – A double-blinded randomized controlled trial","authors":"Anna Ylhäinen ,&nbsp;Merja Rantala ,&nbsp;Katariina Thomson ,&nbsp;Thomas Grönthal ,&nbsp;Jouni Junnila ,&nbsp;Outi Laitinen-Vapaavuori ,&nbsp;Sari Mölsä","doi":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106449","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tvjl.2025.106449","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Postoperative antimicrobial therapy is frequently administered after surgical treatment for pyometra in dogs, despite limited evidence supporting its necessity in uncomplicated cases. Antimicrobial resistance concerns call for re-evaluation of such practices. This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, non-inferiority clinical trial was conducted on client-owned dogs at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of the University of Helsinki. All dogs received perioperative sulfadoxine-trimethoprim prophylaxis and were then randomized to receive either placebo or a five-day course of oral sulfadiazine-trimethoprim as active control. The primary outcome was the incidence of surgical site infections (SSI) within 30 days; the secondary outcome was the incidence of clinical urinary tract infections (UTI) within 12 days. The non-inferiority margins were set at 7 % (SSI) and 15 % (UTI). Infection outcomes were assessed in both the intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol populations (PP). A total of 152 dogs were included. In the ITT population, SSI incidence was 2.7 % in the placebo group and 7.8 % in the sulfadiazine-trimethoprim group, with an absolute difference of –5.1 % (CI_95 %: –13.6–2.8 %). UTI incidence was 0 % in the placebo group and 3.9 % in the sulfadiazine-trimethoprim group (difference −7.7 %, CI_95 %: –24.1–8.2 %). Results in the PP were similar. All findings supported the non-inferiority of placebo. A single perioperative dose of sulfadoxine-trimethoprim appears sufficient for preventing postoperative infections in this low-risk surgical population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23505,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary journal","volume":"314 ","pages":"Article 106449"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2025-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145151047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}