OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) sterilization on the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of meropenem-impregnated polymethyl methacrylate (M-PMMA) beads. SAMPLE 6-mm-diameter polymethyl methacrylate beads that were or were not impregnated with meropenem. PROCEDURES Meropenem-free polymethyl methacrylate and M-PMMA beads were sterilized by use of an autoclave or VHP or remained unsterilized. To determine the antimicrobial efficacy of each bead-sterilization combination (treatment), Mueller-Hinton agar plates were inoculated with 1 of 6 common equine pathogens, and 1 bead from each treatment was applied to a sixth of each plate. The zone of bacterial inhibition for each treatment was measured after 24 hours. To estimate the duration of antimicrobial elution into a solid or liquid medium, 1 bead from each treatment was transferred every 24 hours to a new Staphylococcus aureus–inoculated agar plate or a tube with PBS solution, and an aliquot of the eluent from each tube was then applied to a paper disc on an S aureus–inoculated agar plate. All agar plates were incubated for 24 hours, and the zone of bacterial inhibition was measured for each treatment. RESULTS In vitro antimicrobial efficacy of M-PMMA beads was retained following VHP sterilization. The duration of antimicrobial elution in solid and liquid media did not differ significantly between unsterilized and VHP-sterilized M-PMMA beads. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that M-PMMA beads retained in vitro antimicrobial activity and eluted the drug for up to 2 weeks after VHP sterilization.

OBJECTIVE To assess the feasibility of esophageal insufflation CT (EICT) for evaluation of the esophagus in dogs. ANIMALS 7 clinically normal adult Beagles. PROCEDURES Each dog was anesthetized twice with 1 week between anesthesia sessions. Dogs were positioned in sternal recumbency during all CT scans. During the first anesthesia session, a CT scan was performed before the esophagus was insufflated (insufflation pressure, 0 mm Hg) and unenhanced and contrast-enhanced EICT scans were performed after CO(2) was insufflated into the esophageal lumen to achieve a pressure of 5 mm Hg. For the contrast-enhanced scan, each dog received iohexol (600 mg/kg, IV), and the scan was performed 30 seconds later. During the second anesthesia session, unenhanced and contrast-enhanced EICT scans were performed in the same manner except the insufflation pressure achieved was 10 mm Hg. The esophageal luminal cross-sectional area and wall thickness were measured at each of 5 segments, and mean values were compared among the 3 insufflation pressures and between unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images. RESULTS Mean esophageal luminal cross-sectional area increased and esophageal wall thickness decreased as insufflation pressure increased. Measurements did not differ significantly between unenhanced and contrast-enhanced images. The stomach became distended with CO(2) at an insufflation pressure of 10 mm Hg but not at 5 mm Hg. No adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggested EICT was feasible for esophageal evaluation in dogs. Further research is necessary to determine the optimal insufflation pressure for the procedure and its diagnostic efficacy in diseased patients.

OBJECTIVE To determine the pharmacokinetics of levofloxacin following oral administration of a generic levofloxacin tablet and IV administration to dogs and whether the achieved plasma levofloxacin concentration would be sufficient to treat susceptible bacterial infections. ANIMALS 6 healthy adult Beagles. PROCEDURES Levofloxacin was administered orally as a generic 250-mg tablet (mean dose, 23.7 mg/kg) or IV as a solution (15 mg/kg) to each dog in a crossover study design, with treatments separated by a minimum 2-day washout period. Blood samples were collected at various points for measurement of plasma levofloxacin concentration via high-pressure liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic analysis was performed with compartmental modeling. RESULTS After oral administration of the levofloxacin tablet, mean (coefficient of variation) peak plasma concentration was 15.5 μg/mL (23.8%), mean elimination half-life was 5.84 hours (20.0%), and mean bioavailability was 104% (29.0%). After IV administration, mean elimination half-life (coefficient of variation) was 6.23 hours (14.7%), systemic clearance was 145.0 mL/kg/h (22.2%), and volume of distribution was 1.19 L/kg (17.1%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE In these dogs, levofloxacin was well absorbed when administered orally, and a dose of approximately 25 mg/kg was sufficient to reach pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic targets for treating infections with susceptible Enterobacteriaceae (ie, ≤ 0.5 μg/mL) or Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ie, ≤ 1 μg/mL) according to clinical breakpoints established by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute.

OBJECTIVE To determine the pharmacokinetics and adverse effects of maropitant citrate after IV and SC administration to New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). ANIMALS 11 sexually intact (3 males and 8 females) adult rabbits. PROCEDURES Each rabbit received maropitant citrate (1 mg/kg) IV or SC. Blood samples were collected at 9 (SC) or 10 (IV) time points over 48 hours. After a 2-week washout period, rabbits received maropitant by the alternate administration route. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. Body weight, food and water consumption, injection site, mentation, and urine and fecal output were monitored. RESULTS Mean ± SD maximum concentration after SC administration was 14.4 ± 10.9 ng/mL and was detected at 1.25 ± 0.89 hours. Terminal half-life after IV and SC administration was 10.4 ± 1.6 hours and 13.1 ± 2.44 hours, respectively. Bioavailability after SC administration was 58.9 ± 13.3%. Plasma concentration at 24 hours was 2.87 ± 1.69 ng/mL after IV administration and 3.4 ± 1.2 ng/mL after SC administration. Four rabbits developed local dermal reactions at the injection site after SC injection. Increased fecal production was detected on the day of treatment and 1 day after treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Plasma concentrations of rabbits 24 hours after SC and IV administration of maropitant citrate (1 mg/kg) were similar to those of dogs at 24 hours. Reactions at the SC injection site were the most common adverse effect detected. Increased fecal output may suggest an effect on gastrointestinal motility. Additional pharmacodynamic and multidose studies are needed.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of naloxone hydrochloride in dogs following intranasal (IN) and IV administration. ANIMALS 6 healthy adult mixed-breed dogs. PROCEDURES In a blinded crossover design involving 2 experimental periods separated by a washout period (minimum of 7 days), dogs were randomly assigned to receive naloxone IN (4 mg via a commercially available fixed-dose naloxone atomizer; mean ± SD dose, 0.17 ± 0.02 mg/kg) or IV (0.04 mg/kg) in the first period and then the opposite treatment in the second period. Plasma naloxone concentrations, dog behavior, heart rate, and respiratory rate were evaluated for 24 hours/period. RESULTS Naloxone administered IN was well absorbed after a short lag time (mean ± SD, 2.3 ± 1.4 minutes). Mean maximum plasma concentration following IN and IV administration was 9.3 ± 2.5 ng/mL and 18.8 ± 3.9 ng/mL, respectively. Mean time to maximum concentration following IN administration was 22.5 ± 8.2 minutes. Mean terminal half-life after IN and IV administration was 47.4 ± 6.7 minutes and 37.0 ± 6.7 minutes, respectively. Mean bioavailability of naloxone administered IN was 32 ± 13%. There were no notable changes in dog behavior, heart rate, or respiratory rate following naloxone administration by either route. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Use of a naloxone atomizer for IN naloxone administration in dogs may represent an effective alternative to IV administration in emergency situations involving opioid exposure. Future studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of IN naloxone administration in dogs with opioid intoxication, including a determination of effective doses.

This study aimed to determine the effect of a single injection of paracetamol on the sevoflurane minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) response to noxious mechanical stimulation. Seven healthy adult beagles were enrolled in a prospective, randomized, blinded, crossover experimental study. Anesthesia was induced with propofol [11.6 ± 2.4 mg/kg body weight (BW)] and maintained with sevoflurane. The MAC was determined before (MAC-1) and after (MAC-2) treatment with 15 mg/kg BW of intravenous (IV) paracetamol or saline over 15 minutes. Samples for plasma paracetamol determination were collected immediately after IV treatment administration and following MAC-2 determination (123 ± 27 minutes after starting paracetamol administration). The MAC-1 was similar between treatments (1.7% ± 0.4%). There were no differences between control and paracetamol groups at MAC-2 (2.0% ± 0.4% and 1.7% ± 0.5%, respectively; P = 0.285). Paracetamol plasma concentrations after paracetamol administration were 34.5 ± 9.9 μg/mL, decreasing at the end of the procedure (8.5 ± 4.2 μg/mL). In conclusion, 15 mg/kg BW of IV paracetamol did not significantly reduce sevoflurane MAC in healthy dogs.

Acute upper respiratory disease in chickens is a major cause of economic losses due to high mortality rates especially in poorly managed cases. Respiratory disease in poultry is initiated by variety of viruses, bacteria and fungi. The current study aims to investigate the prevalence of avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC), their proteases and other virulence genes in respiratory viral disease outbreaks in broiler chickens. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed on samples from 25 farms with respiratory affections, APEC was isolated and virulence determinants in E. coli were investigated phenotypically and genotypically. E. coli was isolated from different flocks (100%, n=25). They were positive to Congo red binding (100%, n=25), iss gene (100%, n=25), iutA gene (92%, n= 23), tsh gene (24%, n=6), vat gene (20%, n=5). Presence of iss gene and CR binding proves that all isolates are APEC. Although the entire 25 APEC isolates carried more than one virulence gene; either 2 genes (n=17), 3 genes (n=7) and 4 genes (n=1), no effect of the number of genes harbored on the mortality rates in different flocks was observed. The presence of two serine proteases genes (tsh and vat) was confirmed in a total of 10 isolates (40% of the isolates) with positivity to tsh gene (24%) and vat gene (20%). qRT-PCR for detection of IBV-S1, AIV-H9, AIV-H5 and velogenic NDV-F genes revealed that 96% (n=24), 44% (n=11), 12% (n=3) and 4% (n=1) of 25 farms were positive to IBV, AIV-H9, velogenic NDV and AIV-H5, respectively. The results showed that among the 25 flocks, single viral infection was observed in 12 flocks (11 IBV and 1 AIV-H9), while mixed viral infections were detected in 13 flocks; IBV/AIV-H9 (n=9), IBV/velogenic NDV (n=3) and IBV/AIV-H9/AIV-H5 (n=1).The average mortality rate was the lowest in flocks infected with IBV, higher rates of mortality were observed in flocks infected with AIV-H9, velogenic NDV and AIV-H5. Flock age seems to affect the mortality rate in flocks infected with AIV-H9 where flocks aging 16:20, 21:25 and 26:30 days suffered from 2.38%, 8.13%, 11.48% average mortality rates, respectively.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of virgin olive oil on some blood parameters in male Albino rats. Thirty male Sprague Dawley rats, (90-110 g), were used in the present study and were divided into three groups (10 in each), 1st group (control), received basal diet and supplemented with 1ml saline. 2nd and 3rd groups received basal diet, and supplemented daily with 1ml/100gm B.W and 2ml/100 gm B.W of virgin olive oil (VOO), respectively. Blood samples were collected weekly from all rats. Whole blood was obtained for determination of some haematological parameters, while sera were collected for the assay of T3 and T4 hormone.

Pesticides are used extensively especially in developing countries like Egypt to control pest either in animal or in agriculture, which may lead to harmful residues in foods of animal origin. The current study was conducted to estimate the residue level of OC and pyrethroid in 320 beef and sheep samples (160each) collected from different shops at Beni-Suef governorate during summer and winter season. The collected samples were liver, muscle, kidney, and fat (80 each; 4o from each animal species).Among fourteen organochlorine compound examined, only Alpha HCH was detected in samples of cattle and sheep collected through winter season in a level below the MRL, while through summer season, only Alpha HCH and Delta HCH were detected in sheep samples in a level below the MRL. Pyrethroid pesticides residues represented by cypermethrin, deltamethrin, Es-fenvalerate, permethrin were not detected through winter season, while they were detected in muscles of cattle and fat of sheep through summer season, while Labdacyhalothrin, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, Meothrin were detected in most of examined samples from different species through winter and summer seasons, most of these results revealed higher mean level than the maximum residue limits . From these results most of OC could not be detected may be due to these compounds not used science 1970, on other hand pyrethroid it still used nowadays in Egypt either in agriculture or as spray in animals to control ectoparasites spatially in summer season.

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of geographical area (central and southwestern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina) on hematological and biochemical blood parameters of autochthonous Pramenka sheep. Materials and The study included 104 sheep from the Vlasic mountain (central part) (n = 52) and Livno (southwestern part) (n = 52). Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein into Vactuainer tubes with EDTA anticoagulant for hematological, for glucose, analyses and BD Vacutainer® SST II gel for biochemical analyses. All hematological and biochemical analyses were performed within the next 24 hours, and until then the samples were kept at 4 °C. Hematological parameters included total Red Blood Cell (RBC), White Blood Cell (WBC), Hemoglobin concentration (Hb), Hematocrit (Hct), Mean Corpuscolar Hemoglobin (MCH), Mean Corpuscolar Hemoglobin Concentration (MCHC), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV), Mean Platelet Volume (MPV), Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) and White Cell Differential Count (WCDC). Analyzes are carried out using the automated veterinary hematological analyzer Advia 120 SIEMENS. Blood in the serum tubes was allowed to clot for at least 30 min prior to centrifugation. Serum samples were kept frozen at -20 °C until biochemical analyses were performed. Biochemical parameters were determined by analyzer Olimpus AU400 with Beckman Coulter reagens according to the manufacturer’s protocol. Parameters for biochemistry panel included: total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (GLO), urea (BUM), creatinine (CRE), glucose (GLU), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT), creatine kinase (CK), cholesterol (CHO), bilirubin (BIL), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P),sodium (Na), chloride (Cl), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg). All analyzes were tested to spectrophotometric method, except for Na, K, Cl, which were generated by ISE method, or by ion selective method. BHBA and NEFA were constructed with reagents from Randox.Results: The values of WBC (p<0.05), RBC (p<0.001), Hb (p<0.001), PCV (p<0.001), MCV (0.05), NEU (p<0.01) from the Livno area, while the value of LYM (p<0.05) was determined for sheep from the Vlasic area. The correlative values between RBC: Hb (P<0.001), RBC:PCV (P<0.001), WBC:NEU (P<0.001), WBC:LYM (P<0.001), WBC:BAS (P<0.001) areas. The correlative correlation at P<0.01 was established between RBC:MCH, RBC:PLT, RBC:MPV in sheep from Vlasica area, while correlative values at P<0.05 were established between RBC:MPC, WBC:MON for sheep from the Livno area. The values of BHB (p<0.001), total protein (p<0.001), albumin (p<0.001), urea (p<0.001), AST (p<0.001), cholesterol (p<0.001) , magnesium (p<0.001) were determined for sheep in area Livno. The values of NEFA (p<0.001), creatinine (p<0.01), glucose (p<0.001), bilirubin (p<0.001), phosphate (p<0.001) were established for sheep in the Vlasic area. Correlative correlation (P<0.001) between total protein:chloride, calcium:phosphates, sodium:chlorides was found in animals from Vlasic area, while correlation was found (P<0.05) between sodium:chloride in animals from the Livno area.It was concluded that values showed significant differences for individual haematological and biochemical parameters in sheep for both investigated areas.