The small-scale and backyard-raised poultry are extensively growing in Egypt. However, low biosecurity and/or vaccination practices are adopted. The current study was conducted to investigate and molecularly characterize Newcastle Disease (ND) strains circulating in small-scale and backyard poultry sectors in Giza governorate in Egypt from July 2018 to April 2020. Twelve broiler flocks (6 commercial and 6 backyard flocks) suffering from respiratory and/or nervous signs were included. Virus isolation and molecular characterization were conducted. In the present study, three NDV isolates were isolated from commercial (n=2) and backyards (n=1) flocks. The isolated viruses maintained the multi-basic motif112RRQKRF117 in the fusion protein cleavage site indicative of their virulent nature. Phylogenetically, the viruses are closely related to genotype VII.1.1. ND viruses are genetically different from NDV genotype II vaccine strains. Deduced amino acid sequences of the fusion (F) protein showed an amino acid change of S278P in the heptad repeat (HRb) in the two NDV isolates from commercial farms. Other amino acid substitutions were observed including the change at positions 442 (A/T) in the two commercial flocks isolates and position 317 (A/S) in the backyard ND isolate. Few silent nucleotide mutations were also observed in the F protein of the NDV isolate from the backyard flocks. In conclusion, the current study reports the genetic identification of virulent NDV viruses from commercial or backyard flocks related to genotype VII.1.1. ND circulating in Egypt. The amino acid substitutions and nucleotide changes warrant the need for continuous surveillance of NDV in these growing poultry sectors considering their importance as a spot for extensive NDV circulation and as the main source for live bird markets in Egypt.

Mareks disease (MD), caused by a highly contagious and oncogenic herpesvirus, causes immunosuppression and tumours in chickens. Although several reports on occurring lymphomas (MD-like conditions) in turkeys were published in the past less attention has been paid to the disease in this species. Recently, Mareks disease virus (MDV) has been demonstrated in lymphomatous tumours in commercial turkeys in several countries. The present review describes the past and recent history of MD in turkeys, clinical picture, and methods used for diagnosis. Additionally, three hypotheses might explain the emergence and re-emergence of MDV in turkeys including virus evolution and evolution of MDV variants, modern hybrid turkeys, and raising of turkeys close to chickens. Although the HVT vaccine didn't protect turkeys against challenge with a virulent MDV strain, Rispens strain vaccine is effective against MDV in turkey. The pathogenesis of MDV infection in turkeys remains unclear and further investigations are necessary. Additionally, the effectiveness of MDV vaccines needs to be assessed in turkeys.

Brucellosis is an endemic disease among livestock and humans in Egypt. Sheep are the most common type of livestock ruminant in Egypt and considered the fundamental etiology for spreading and maintaining B. melitensis either in human being or animal populations. In the current study, we investigated the seroprevalence of brucellosis in sheep herds reared in Bilqase, one of the biggest cities at Dakahlia governorate in Egypt\'s Delta region. In total, 610 sheep from seven herds were investigated. Anti-Brucella antibodies were detected in 48 (7.8%) samples tested by Buffered Acidified Plate Antigen Test (BAPAT), in 44 (7.2%) samples tested by Rose Bengal Plate Test (RBPT) and in 41 (6.7%) samples tested by Milk Ring Test (MRT). The isolation rate was 29.6% (16 out of 54 examined samples). Brucella organism was isolated from three aborted fetuses, one tissue sample of slaughtered serologically positive ewe and 12 milk samples. The Abortus Melitensis Ovis Suis-PCR (AMOS-PCR) confirmed all Brucella strains as B. melitensis. More than three successive negative serological tests are required to declare that the infected herd is free from brucellosis. In conclusion, no single serological test could conclusively diagnose brucellosis in endemic areas. Confirmation of results with molecular diagnosis or culture is indispensable in diagnosis. B. melitensis was the prevalent serotype among sheep in Dakahlia governorate

Factors such as location, volume, and the type of neoplasm complicate achieving tumor control. Electrochemotherapy (ECT) is a supplementary treatment for inoperable neoplasms in veterinary patients. Three dogs were diagnosed with a tumor. Two were squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and the other was liposarcoma, each with a single tumor with the size range of 1 to 5 cm. The tumor locations were the cervical, oral, and abdominal cavity. ECT was selected as a treatment. Bleomycin was injected intratumorally at the dose of 0.5 to 1.0 mg/cm³. Five minutes after the injection, electric pulses applied in a sequence of eight pulses lasting 100 µsec each, were delivered in 1,000 V/cm. An evaluation was performed after 1 week, and the next session was administered 2 weeks later. In a patient with oral SCC, the tumor was in partial remission after two sessions of ECT. Another patient with SCC on her neck was showed complete remission after 2 weeks of ECT administration. A third patient showed stable disease for 8 weeks. Complications were mild and transient and included skin necrosis, edema, local pain, and gait disturbance. ECT is a valid adjuvant, especially for inoperable, cutaneous, or accessible intra-abdominal tumors.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to provide additional data on the use of toceranib in a wide variety of tumor types in small breed dogs, especially < 8 kg (except 5 dogs). This was a retrospective study of 31 dogs with malignant tumors treated with a 2.5 mg/kg median dose of toceranib (Palladia; Zoetis, USA) on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. Clinical benefit was observed in 13 of 15 dogs (86.7%, 3 with complete response, 4 with partial response, 6 with stable disease) with gross disease. Distant metastasis, response to treatment, and treatment setting were significantly associated with survival time. Negative prognostic factors were multiple chemotherapy and distant metastasis (affecting progression-free survival [PFS]), surgery, regional enlarged lymph nodes, underlying disease, and toxicity (affecting median survival time [MST]). Positive prognostic factors were epithelial and round cell tumor (affecting PFS), epithelial tumor, microscopic disease, no evidence of disease response, and stable disease (MST). In conclusion, a clinical benefit from toceranib treatment was noted in most of the dogs with gross disease in our study. This study suggested that the toceranib is probably selective treatment to various tumor types in small breed dogs.

The reproductive tracts have an intimate relationship with reproduction because there are bacterial communities that can affect reproductive health. The differences in the bacterial community of periparturient dairy cows were investigated. Vaginal and fecal samples were collected seven days before and after calving, and DNA was extracted to sequence the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA genes. In the postpartum vaginas, operational taxonomic units, Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson were decreased, and phyla Fusobacteria and Bacteroidetes were increased. In summary, bacterial abundance can affect the periparturient biological differences in dairy cows, suggesting a susceptibility to infection within one week after calving.

A 12-year-old, castrated male, mixed dog presented with a history of gradual abdominal distention for a year and anorexia recently, with abdominal radiographs showing a gastric pylorus distention. A solitary, pedunculated, heterogeneous mass arising from the mucosal layer in the pylorus with intact wall layers was identified during ultrasound and computed tomography. The gastric muscular layer was evenly thick. After surgical excision of the mass, histological examination confirmed hypertrophic pyloric gastropathy with polypoid growth and Helicobacter spp. infiltrating the gastric mucosal epithelium. This is the first reported diagnostic imaging case of hypertrophic pyloric gastropathy with Helicobacter spp. in a dog.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most common pathogenic species associated with canine otitis externa (OE). Their resilience is achieved by forming a biofilm, which allows these bacteria to evade even the harshest of treatments. This study evaluated the in vitro synergistic efficacy of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) with different antimicrobial agents against P. aeruginosa isolated from dogs with OE to develop an effective treatment against P. aeruginosa. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the minimum inhibitory concentration test using the microdilution method. The efficacy of antibiofilm formation was evaluated using crystal violet stain method. The treatment solutions included NAC alone, and in synergy with enrofloxacin, polymyxin B, and gentamicin. NAC alone exhibited antimicrobial and antibiofilm abilities. On the other hand, the combination of NAC and the antibiotics did not show any significant synergistic effects against P. aeruginosa.

Feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) causes leukopenia and severe hemorrhagic diarrhea, killing 50% of naturally infected cats. Although intact FPV can serve as an antigen in the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test, an accidental laboratory-mediated infection is concern. A non-infectious diagnostic reagent is required for the HI test. Here, we expressed the viral protein 2 (VP2) gene of the FPV strain currently prevalent in South Korea in a baculovirus expression system; VP2 protein was identified by an indirect immunofluorescence assay, electron microscopy (EM), Western blotting (WB), and a hemagglutination assay (HA). EM showed that the recombinant VP2 protein self-assembled to form virus-like particles. WB revealed that the recombinant VP2 was 65 kDa in size. The HA activity of the recombinant VP2 protein was very high at 1:2¹⁵. A total of 143 cat serum samples were tested using FPV (HI-FPV test) and the recombinant VP2 protein (HI-VP2 test) as HI antigens. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the HI-VP2 test were 99.3%, 88.9%, and 99.3%, respectively, compared to the HI-FPV test. The HI-VP2 and HI-FPV results correlated significantly (r = 0.978). Thus, recombinant VP2 can substitute for intact FPV as the serological diagnostic reagent of the HI test for FPV.

A three-month-old, intact male Maltese dog was presented to the hospital with lethargy after taking a human medication, Motilitone. Physical examination, including a neurological examination, revealed no remarkable findings, but cholinergic crisis symptoms appeared gradually. Blood and radiological examinations showed no remarkable findings. The dog was tentatively diagnosed with a cholinergic crisis associated with Motilitone intake. Treatment included intravenous administration of atropine (0.02 mg/kg) every 30 minutes and supportive fluid therapy. After 12 hours of treatment, the patient’s clinical signs were resolved. This is the first case report describing Motilitone toxicity in a dog.