Reviewers 2021

The objective of this study was to reach a diagnosis of the living conditions of abandoned donkeys kept in a restricted farm area through the assessment of their welfare level utilizing the AWIN protocol as a methodological tool. These animals were supposed to be sent to slaughter, but after the activity was temporarily banned, they were abandoned by traders. The protocol of welfare assessment was associated with general environmental and sanitary conditions. Information regarding the mortality rates was also gathered. According to the welfare assessment results, the living conditions of these animals were acceptable in some areas, despite the insufficient shade and shelter, a 3-month food restriction period, and a mortality rate of over 70%. These results demonstrate that welfare assessment protocols must be adapted to crises and databases for welfare indicators in diverse conditions must be created.

Buffaloes are one of the important farm animals in the south of Iraq and play an essential economical role mainly acting as dairy, meat, and draft animals. This study intended to diagnose buffalo mycotic eye infections in Thi-Qar province/Iraq. Some 250 buffaloes in the herd of 3,700 animals suffered from eye infections from December 2017 to November 2018. Eye swabs were collected from each infected eye of the affected buffaloes of both sexes before treatment. The animals were in different age groups. All samples were transferred to the laboratory in transfer media, and cultured on Sabouraud dextrose (SDA) agar with and without 0.05 g/mL and 0.4 g/mL chloramphenicol and cycloheximide, respectively. Later, the agars were incubated at 25o C and 37o C. The total percentage of eye infection was (6.75%), constituting (49.2%) mycotic infections. The predominant clinical manifestations that appeared on the infected buffaloes were eye inflammation represented by congestion, lacrimation, the opacity of cornea and edema, and reduced productivity of the infected animals. Different fungal isolates were identified from the samples including Aspergillus fumigates, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Penicillium spp., Alternaria spp., Fusarium spp., Candida spp., Cladosporium spp., Rhodotorula spp., Mucor spp. and Rhizopus spp. Calves buffaloes below one-year-old were more prone to mycotic infection than one-year-old or more. Additionally, male buffaloes were more susceptible to infection than females. In conclusion, this study isolated various types of fungus from the inflamed eyes of buffaloes. Fungal eye infection and the potential risk factors for fungal keratitis in buffaloes were also investigated. The study also approved the rapid diagnosis of fungi by direct microscopic detection and culture. The author recommends future studies including large numbers of the buffalo herd in Iraq to determine the epidemiology of this condition in the country.

The replacement program in a dairy farm represents the second or third largest cost in a dairy operation. This study aimed to characterize and typify the practices related to the dairy heifer replacement program and describe the growth, development, and health parameters during this period in commercial dairy herds in Trenque Lauquen. A cross-sectional observational study was carried out, including 54 randomly selected dairy farms that were visited once to collect data about facilities and management through a semi-structured survey. Cluster and principal coordinates analysis were applied to classify the farms based on all variables collected, grouped in four main areas: pre-fresh cows, colostrum management, pre-weaning calf ’s management, and personnel. Additionally, growth, development, and health status were also recorded and described for calves and breeding heifers. Two similar-sized farm clusters were identified with differences in management and facilities in different areas of calves rearing. In one cluster there was a greater proportion of farms having a pre-fresh group, implementing appropriate health (colostrum, vaccination) and feeding management. Also, differences in personnel and technical support were relevant. The estimated body gain was 452 and 774 g/d for calves younger or older than 60 d of age, respectively. The age and weight farm averages in breeding heifers were 21.0 mo (range: 16.7-27.5) and 416.3 kg (range: 336.7-519.3), respectively. Diarrhea and respiratory affections were the major problems in pre-weaning calves and heifer rearing, respectively. The median mortality was 7.3, 7.6, and 2.9% at the calving, pre-weaning, and heifer rearing period, respectively. The results showed an improvement opportunity for producers, the design of precise and high impact programs that could lead to an improved replacement program.

A cistite eosinofílica é uma doença inflamatória rara caracterizada por infiltração eosinofílica de todas as camadas da parede da bexiga. Essa enfermidade já foi descrita em adultos, crianças e cães. No entanto, não há um consenso de diretrizes sobre o seu tratamento. Mesmo que as literaturas humana e veterinária mostrem alguma eficácia no manejo com corticosteroides, anti-histamínicos e antibióticos, uma variedade de efeitos colaterais graves e frequentes estão associados à terapia com esteróides. Dessa forma, seu uso é relativamente contra-indicado para pacientes com diabetes mellitus e síndrome de Cushing, por exemplo. Um chow-chow, macho, castrado, de cinco anos e diabético estável foi encaminhado para atendimento com histórico de urina fétida, hematúria macroscópica e disúria não responsiva a antibióticos há 18 meses. A avaliação dos parâmetros físicos estava dentro dos padrões, exceto por desconforto abdominal suprapúbico. O hemograma e o perfil bioquímico estavam dentro dos valores de referência, exceto por eosinofilia periférica leve. Embora a ultrassonografia, a radiografia contratada da bexiga e os achados da urinálise indicassem malignidade, a histopatologia confirmou o diagnóstico definitivo de cistite eosinofílica. O manejo com ciclosporina foi satisfatório, com remissão completa da hematúria. Este relato de caso apresenta o primeiro uso documentado de ciclosporina para o tratamento de cistite eosinofílica, com sucesso, em um cão com diabetes.

Tuberculosis (TB) control program in children is carried out with three strategies: finding and treating adult TB cases (as a source of transmission), treating latent TB infection, and administering the BCG vaccine. There is a high risk of transmission in children in close contact and living at home with adult patients. After Mycobacterium is inhaled through the respiratory tract, then the body's resistance to Mycobacterium tuberculosis occurs. Furthermore, there are two possibilities: only TB infection occurs, or the child has TB disease. We report one case: a boy, age four years, diagnosed with latent TB infection. This diagnosis is based on the findings of the 13 mm tuberculin test (positive). There is a history of contact with adult TB patients. On physical examination, no abnormalities were found. Likewise, the chest X-ray examination also found no abnormalities. Due to the diagnosis of latent TB infection, prophylaxis with Isoniazid was planned for six months. In the first month, the child still wants to take medication according to the rules. However, entering the second month, children sometimes do not want to take medication. This situation raises concerns about the possibility of therapy failure. His mother was very worried about this condition. Therefore, doctors offer to provide a combination pattern of therapy in isoniazid with rifampicin, with a span of 3 months. Standard therapy with INH alone was discontinued. This therapeutic decision was based on a study that combined INH with rifampin for three months gave better results than single prophylactic therapy with INH.

Growing demand for ejiao – gelatin produced from donkey skin and used in Traditional Chinese Medicine – is putting global donkey populations at risk and threatening the livelihoods of millions of people that depend on them in lower and middle-income countries. Hundreds of thousands of donkeys are slaughtered for their skins and exported annually, mostly from Africa to China. However, the trade is spreading across the globe, including Brazil. This article highlights the appalling welfare conditions for donkeys caught up in both the legal and illegal trade, as well as the effects on vulnerable people and the potential for disease spread and hazards to human health.

A serological survey was carried out to assess the frequency of leptospirosis, small ruminants lentivirus (SRLV), and brucellosis in small ruminant herds in the Recôncavo Baiano, State of Bahia, Brazil, from February to December 2017. In four goat herds, 125 animals were tested for SRLV and leptospirosis, while in five sheep herds, 378 animals were tested for leptospirosis, brucellosis, and SRLV. Regarding leptospirosis, MAT detected 80% of goats and 15.34% of sheep seroreactive. Reactivity was most frequent to serogroups Autumnalis and Grippotyphosa in goats and sheep, respectively. Regarding SRLV, 8.8% of goats and 0.79% of sheep were reactive. Search for anti-B. ovis antibodies revealed 0.52% reactivity. In sheep, three animals showed simultaneous seroreactivity for SRLV and leptospirosis, while one animal had a serological response for brucellosis and leptospirosis. In goats, simultaneous seroreactivity for SRLV and leptospirosis was observed in only one animal. Leptospirosis was the most frequent of the three infectious diseases in investigated herds.

A piometra apresenta diversas alterações imunológicas e moleculares que são responsáveis pela inflamação uterina, e a doença pode ser infecciosa ou não. O objetivo deste estudo foi isolar e identificar bactérias no conteúdo uterino de cadelas com piometra, analisar o perfil de suscetibilidade aos antibióticos, detectar a produção de enzimas β-lactamase por testes fenotípicos e genes de resistência aos β-lactâmicos. Dezoito amostras de conteúdo uterino foram coletadas por punção aspirativa. As amostras foram inoculadas em meio bacteriológico e identificadas por testes bioquímicos. Posteriormente, foram realizados testes de antibiograma, triagem para detecção de β-lactamases e PCR em tempo real para detecção de genes de resistência. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Enterobacter aerogenes, Citrobacter spp., Staphylococcus spp. e Streptococcus spp. foram identificados nas amostras de conteúdo uterino analisadas. No teste de antibiograma, 90,5% dos isolados apresentaram resistência a pelo menos um antibiótico, e destes, 36,8% foram considerados MR, sendo três Staphylococcus spp., três E. coli e uma Klebsiella spp. Sobre a resistência bacteriana aos grupos de antibióticos testados, 38,1% dos isolados foram resistentes a pelo menos um tipo de β-lactâmico, 33,3% à tetraciclina, 19,0% aos aminoglicosídeos e 14,3% às fluorquinolonas, macrolídeos e trimetoprim-sulfametoxazol. No teste fenotípico para detecção da produção de β-lactamase, as amostras de E. coli foram negativas, e Klebsiella spp. foi positiva para a produção de AmpC, que apresentou os genes blaCMY, blaSPM e blaSIM. As bactérias resistentes aos antibióticos representam um grande desafio e, portanto, o suporte laboratorial é essencial, sem o qual o sucesso terapêutico diminui e a morte pode ser inevitável.

The donkey population has increased in the last 10 years, with an estimated 50 million donkeys currently worldwide. Donkey welfare, meanwhile, is an increasing global concern that receives close public scrutiny. However, multiple challenges are surrounding how donkey welfare is assessed and recorded. The Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) project is the first project, funded by the European Commission, intended to improve donkey welfare by developing a scientifically sound and practical on-farm welfare assessment protocol. The present study describes the procedure for the development of the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for donkeys: 1) selection of promising welfare indicators; 2) research to cover gaps in knowledge; 3) stakeholder consultation; 4) testing the prototype protocol on-farm. The proposed two-level strategy improved on-farm feasibility, while the AWIN donkey app enables the standardized collection of data with prompt results. Although limitations are linked with a relatively small reference population, the AWIN welfare assessment protocol represents the first scientific and standardized approach to evaluate donkey welfare on-farm.