{"title":"Incidence and risk factors of heat-related illness in dogs from New South Wales, Australia (1997–2017)","authors":"JS Tripovich, B Wilson, PD McGreevy, A Quain","doi":"10.1111/avj.13296","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13296","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Heat Related Illness (HRI) in dogs is expected to increase as heatwaves surge due to global warming. The most severe form of HRI, heat stroke, is potentially fatal in dogs. The current study investigated the incidence and risk factors for HRI in dogs in NSW, Australia, from 1997 to 2017. We identified 119 HRI cases during this period, with a fatality rate of 23%. Dog breeds at elevated risk of HRI were Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, British Bulldog, French Bulldog, Maremma Sheepdog, Italian Greyhound, Chow Chow, Airedale Terrier, Pug, Samoyed, English Springer Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Border Collie, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and pooled non-Australian National Kennel Council breeds (which included the American and Australian Bulldog) when compared with cross breeds (i.e., the reference variable). As expected, HRI cases were more likely in December and January, during the Australian summer and during hotter years (e.g., 2016). There were no differences in the risk of HRI between males and females nor between desexed or un-desexed dogs; but older dogs were at increased risk of HRI. These findings underscore the need for data collection that will enable the incidence of HRI in dogs to be monitored and to better understand canine risk factors particularly as temperatures will continue to rise due to global warming. The risk of mortality from HRI underpins the need for education programs focussed on prevention and early identification of HRI so that owners present affected dogs to their veterinarian as promptly as possible.</p>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"101 12","pages":"490-501"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avj.13296","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71410418","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing classical swine fever virus identification: the advantages of Field-LAMP testing","authors":"DH Tran, HT Tran, BTT Vo, TT Than, VT Nguyen, VP Le, HTT Phung","doi":"10.1111/avj.13297","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13297","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) identification has witnessed significant advancements with the development of rapid reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assays. However, conventional RT-LAMP assays for CSFV diagnosis are hindered by a laborious RNA extraction step. Moreover, the need for thermal incubators and expensive micropipettes has limited their application in field settings. Addressing these challenges, our study presents a groundbreaking solution—an electro-free and point-of-care (POC) tool known as the field-LAMP assay—for the rapid clinical detection of CSFV. By eliminating the RNA extraction requirement, advancing the colorimetric read-out and lyophilized reaction reagents, our field-LAMP assay streamlines the diagnostic process, saving valuable time and effort. This novel approach also overcomes the dependency on electric-dependent thermal incubators and expensive micropipettes, making it practical and accessible for use in the field. The successful development of the field-LAMP assay marks a significant milestone in CSFV detection. This electro-free and POC tool offers several advantages, including its ability to deliver rapid results without compromising accuracy, facilitating prompt response and containment measures.</p>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"102 3","pages":"67-73"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50156939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Milk as a diagnostic fluid to monitor viral diseases in dairy cattle","authors":"B Brito, P Hick","doi":"10.1111/avj.13293","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13293","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Infectious viral diseases in dairy cattle have substantial implications for milk production, quality and overall animal health. Diagnostic tools providing reliable results are crucial for effective disease control at the farm and industry level. Pooled or bulk tank milk (BTM) can be used as a cost-effective aggregate sample to assess herd disease status in dairy farms.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Findings</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Detection of pathogens or specific antibodies in milk can be used for monitoring endemic diseases within-farm, region or country-level disease surveillance and to make informed decisions on farm management. The suitability of assays applied to pooled milk samples relies on validation data of fit-for-purpose tests to design an optimal testing strategy. Diverse approaches and variable scope of studies determining test accuracy need to be critically appraised before sourcing the parameters to design sampling strategies and interpreting surveys. Determining if BTM or pooled milk is the best approach for a disease management programme should carefully consider several aspects that will impact the accuracy and interpretation, for example, the size of the lactating herd, the risk of infection in the lactating and non-lactating groups, the expected within-herd prevalence, the duration of infection, the duration and concentration of antibodies in milk and use of vaccination.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There are examples of tests on BTM samples providing efficient assessments of the herd disease status and supporting disease control programmes for viral diseases. However, challenges arise in pooled milk testing due to the need for accurate estimates of the imperfect sensitivity and specificity of the assays. Integration of new biotechnologies could enhance multiplexing and data interpretation for comprehensive surveillance. The development of highly sensitive assays is necessary to meet the demands of larger dairy herds and improve disease detection and assessment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"102 1-2","pages":"11-18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avj.13293","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41181945","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Milk as diagnostic fluid for udder health management","authors":"S Rowe, JK House, RN Zadoks","doi":"10.1111/avj.13290","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13290","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mastitis is the major disease affecting milk production of dairy cattle, and milk is an obvious substrate for the detection of both the inflammation and its causative infectious agents at quarter, cow, or herd levels. In this review, we examine the use of milk to detect inflammation based on somatic cell count (SCC) and other biomarkers, and for the detection of mastitis pathogens through culture-based and culture-free methods.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Findings</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The use of SCC at a cow or bulk milk level to guide udder health management in lactation is well-established, and SCC is increasingly used to guide selective dry cow treatment. Other markers of inflammation include electrical conductivity, which is used commercially, and markers of disease severity such as acute phase proteins but are not pathogen-specific. Some pathogen-specific markers based on humoral immune responses are available, but their value in udder health management is largely untested. Commercial pathogen detection is based on culture or polymerase chain reaction, with other tests, for example, loop-mediated isothermal amplification or 16S microbiome analysis still at the research or development stage. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time of flight (MALDI-ToF) is increasingly used for the identification of cultured organisms whilst application directly to milk needs further development. Details of test sensitivity, specificity, and use of the various technologies may differ between quarter, cow, and bulk milk applications.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There is a growing array of diagnostic assays that can be used to detect markers of inflammation or infection in milk. The value of some of these methods in on-farm udder health improvement programs is yet to be demonstrated whilst methods with proven value may be underutilised.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"102 1-2","pages":"5-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avj.13290","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41103896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The virulence of Dichelobacter nodosus, measured by the elastase test, is an important predictor for virulent footrot diagnosis in New South Wales sheep flocks","authors":"A Collins, D Collins, O Dhungyel","doi":"10.1111/avj.13295","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13295","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ovine footrot is a contagious bacterial disease that causes foot lesions, and depending on the virulence of the causative strains, may lead to severe underrunning of the hoof and lameness. Virulent footrot can be identified, treated and controlled more effectively than less virulent benign forms. The in vitro elastase test for virulence of the causative bacteria, <i>Dichelobacter nodosus</i>, has been used to support clinical diagnosis. However, not all laboratory-designated virulent <i>D. nodosus</i> strains cause clinical signs of virulent footrot. This study evaluated retrospectively how well the elastase test supported clinical footrot diagnosis in 150 sheep flocks examined for suspect footrot in New South Wales between August 2020 and December 2021. Flocks were included if measures of clinical disease, environmental conditions and the virulence of <i>D. nodosus</i> isolates were available. Variation in the elastase activity result between <i>D. nodosus</i> isolated from the same flock made bacterial virulence hard to interpret, but calculating the mean elastase rate for all isolates from the same flock made correlations between bacterial virulence and flock footrot diagnosis possible. Simplifying bacterial virulence into whether there were any elastase-positive <i>D. nodosus</i> isolates before 12 days increased the predictive value of elastase results for virulent diagnosis, compared with using the first day that any isolate was elastase positive or the percentage of elastase-positive isolates by 12 days, but not all clinically virulent flocks had isolates with elastase activity before 12 days. Logistic regression models were fitted to identify the minimum number of predictors for virulent footrot diagnosis, with models suggesting that virulent footrot diagnosis was best predicted by adding the elastase test result and environmental conditions to the prevalence of severe foot lesions (score 4 and 5). However, performing the same analysis with different breeds, ages of sheep and seasons might highlight other factors important in the diagnosis of virulent footrot.</p>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"101 12","pages":"522-530"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41104089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Milk as an indicator of dietary imbalance","authors":"IJ Lean, HM Golder","doi":"10.1111/avj.13294","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13294","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Milk provides a readily available diagnostic fluid collected daily or more frequently on an individual animal or herd basis. Milk, as an aggregated sample in bulk tank milk (BTM) represents the status of a herd instead of a single animal. In this review, we examine the potential for milk to predict risks to efficient production, reproductive success, and health on the individual cow and herd level.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Findings</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>For many conditions related to disorders of metabolism including hyperlipdaemia and ketonaemia, improved individual cow milk testing may allow a temporally useful detection of metabolic disorder that can target intervention. However, the extension of these tests to the BTM is made more difficult by the tight temporal clustering of disorder to early lactation and the consequent mixing of cows at even moderately different stages of lactation. Integrating herd recording demographic information with Fourier-transformed mid-infrared spectra (FT-MIR) can provide tests that are useful to identify cows with metabolic disorders. The interpretation of BTM urea and protein content provides useful indications of herd nutrition. These may provide indicators that encourage further investigations of nutritional influences on herd fertility but are unlikely to provide strong diagnostic value. The fat-to-protein ratio has a high specificity, but poor sensitivity for detection of fibre insufficiency and acidosis on an individual cow basis. Selenium, zinc, β-carotene, and vitamin E status of the herd can be determined using BTM.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There appears to be increasing potential for the use of milk as a diagnostic fluid as more in-parlour tests become available for individual cows. However, the BTM appears to have under-utilised potential for herd monitoring.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"102 1-2","pages":"19-25"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avj.13294","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41095451","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
PD Kirkland, DS Finlaison, A Biddle, M Parsons, H Austin, S Boland, G Roach, R McKinnon, E Braddon, S Britton
{"title":"Bluetongue disease in sheep in New South Wales – April 2023","authors":"PD Kirkland, DS Finlaison, A Biddle, M Parsons, H Austin, S Boland, G Roach, R McKinnon, E Braddon, S Britton","doi":"10.1111/avj.13292","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13292","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In 2016, bluetongue virus (BTV), serotype 16 (BTV-16), was detected in New South Wales (NSW) in sentinel cattle for the first time. Over the next 6 years, BTV-16 has been detected regularly and over an increasing area of the BTV zone in NSW. In April 2023, disease was reported in sheep on two farms on the Northern Tablelands of NSW. The consistent clinical signs included reduced exercise tolerance, facial swelling, serous nasal discharges with encrustation of the nasal plane, subcutaneous oedema of the neck and brisket and variable congestion of the coronary band. Affected sheep were mainly mature ewes and rams, with an estimated morbidity of 20% over a period of 6–8 weeks. Although there were several unexpected deaths, no veterinary examination was sought. Predominantly BTV-16 RNA was detected in sick sheep, with an incidence of infection of approximately 40% in a cross section of one flock. These events represent the first confirmation of disease due to bluetongue virus in NSW. As these cases occurred in a region with a high density of sheep, if there is ongoing transmission of BTV-16 during subsequent summers, further disease might be expected.</p>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"102 1-2","pages":"26-29"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avj.13292","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41103895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
EJM Teo, H Russell, T Lambert, R Webster, A Yappa, P McDonagh, G Harper, D Barker, SC Barker
{"title":"The weather determines the number of cases of tick paralysis in dogs and cats in eastern Australia, caused by Ixodes holocyclus, the eastern paralysis tick","authors":"EJM Teo, H Russell, T Lambert, R Webster, A Yappa, P McDonagh, G Harper, D Barker, SC Barker","doi":"10.1111/avj.13289","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13289","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We studied over 222,000 cases of emergency veterinary consultations in four regions along the eastern coast of Australia. We found that cases of tick paralysis (<i>TP</i>) caused by the eastern paralysis tick, <i>Ixodes holocyclus</i>, accounted for 7.5% of these cases: >16,000 cases. The season of <i>TP</i> and the number (prevalence) of <i>TP</i> cases varied among regions and over the years. Our study of the association between weather and (i) the start of the season of <i>TP</i>, and (ii) the number of <i>TP</i> cases revealed much about the intricate relationship between the weather and <i>I. holocyclus</i>. We studied the effect of the hypothetical availability of isoxazoline-containing tick-preventative medicines and found that an increase in the availability of these medicines had significantly contributed to the decrease in <i>TP</i> cases. We found that the weather in winter accounted for the time of the year the season of <i>TP</i> starts whereas the weather in summer accounted for the number of <i>TP</i> cases in the <i>TP</i> season. Last, through a study of the effects of shifts in the climate under four hypothetical scenarios (warmer/cooler and drier/wetter than average), we propose that the start of the season of <i>TP</i> depends on how soon the weather in winter becomes suitable for the activity (e.g. host-seeking) and the development of <i>I. holocyclus</i> nymphs, and that the number of <i>TP</i> cases during the <i>TP</i> season depends on how many engorged female ticks and their eggs survive during summer.</p>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"101 12","pages":"479-489"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41115628","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The potential for bluetongue virus serotype 16 to cause disease in sheep in New South Wales, Australia","authors":"S Gestier, DS Finlaison, K Parrish, PD Kirkland","doi":"10.1111/avj.13288","DOIUrl":"10.1111/avj.13288","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Bluetongue virus serotype 16 detection in NSW</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In coastal New South Wales (NSW), bluetongue virus (BTV) serotypes 1 and 21 are endemic and transmitted in most years without evidence of disease. However, serotype 16 (BTV-16) infection was detected for the first time in NSW in November 2016 in cattle undergoing testing for export. Retrospective testing of blood samples collected from sentinel cattle as part of the National Arbovirus Monitoring Program (NAMP) established that the first detected transmission of BTV-16 in NSW occurred in April 2016 in sentinel cattle on the NSW North Coast. Subsequently, until 2022, BTV-16 has been transmitted in most years and was the predominant serotype in the 2018–2019 transmission season. The data available suggests that BTV-16 may have become endemic in NSW.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Experimental studies</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>During experimental infection studies with BTV-16, all sheep were febrile, with the peak of viremia occurring 6–10 days after inoculation. There was nasal and oral hyperaemia in most sheep with several animals developing a nasal discharge and nasal oedema. All sheep developed coronitis of varying severity, with most also developing haemorrhages along the coronary band. There was a high incidence of haemorrhage in the pulmonary artery, epicardial petechiae, extensive pericardial haemorrhages and moderate body cavity effusions including pericardial effusions.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Overall, experimental pathogenicity findings suggest moderate disease may occur in sheep in the field. These findings, when combined with climatic variability that could result in an expansion of the range of <i>Culicoides brevitarsis</i> into major sheep-producing areas of the state, suggest that there is an increasing risk of bluetongue disease in NSW.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":8661,"journal":{"name":"Australian Veterinary Journal","volume":"101 12","pages":"510-521"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2023-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/avj.13288","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41096508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}