2019 - 88 (3)

In this case report, the therapeutic follow-up of a four-year-old, male, castrated Shih Tzu with atopic dermatitis is described. The treatment first consisted of prednisolone (Prednisolone®), followed by oclacitinib (Apoquel®) and afterwards lokivetmab (Cytopoint®). Furthermore, the diagnosis of AD and the different treatment options are discussed. In addition, more information is given about lokivetmab (Cytopoint®), a new therapeutic agent.

An eleven-year-old domestic long hair cat was presented with a history of stiffness of the hindlimbs, lethargy, depression, partial anorexia and recent anisocoria. Ophthalmological examinationrevealed chorioretinal necrosis and angioinvasive pulmonary carcinoma was suspected.Computed tomography (CT) findings were consistent with the presumable diagnosis.

The objective of this study was to find the most significant parameters to identify horses withlarval cyathostominosis, caused by infection with small strongyles. A retrospective study with 307horses, that were presented at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (Ghent University) between 2008and 2018, was performed. Horses older than three months with diarrhea, of which feces was examinedat the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, were included in this study. The definitive diagnosis of larvalcyathostominosis was determined by the presence of L4/L5 larvae in the feces. Clinical examinations,blood and fecal analyses were performed in all cases and compared to determine positive predictivevalues for larval cyathostominosis. Blood albumin concentration appeared to be the most significantvalue. Albumin concentrations less than 20 g/L had the highest significance (<0.004) to predict apositive fecal sample. The combination of an albumin concentration less than 20 g/L, sex (female),body temperature (>38.2°C), neutrophilia (>67%) and season (October-March) was the most accurate(72%) in predicting the presence of larval cyathostominosis. Due to the moderate significance of thismodel, fecal examination remains essential to confirm larval cyathostominosis suspicion.

Bovine papillomaviruses (BPV) are members of the family Papillomaviridae. Papillomavirusesare usually species-specific and epitheliotropic. Delta-BPVs are an exception to this rule in that theycan also infect fibroblasts and non-bovid ungulates. Cell cultures are essential for performing invitro studies, analysis of virus biology, vaccine production, tissue engineering and toxicity testing.In this context, cell line contamination constitutes a significant problem. In this study, variouscell lines (n=27) were assessed for potential BPV contamination. To this aim, DNA was extractedfrom cell cultures and then screened for the presence of papillomavirus L1 capsid gene DNAusing a consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system. Immunofluorescence (IF) stainingwas used for viral protein detection. Intriguingly, one cell line derived from equine dermis testedpositive by PCR and subsequent IF staining for L1. Amplicon sequencing followed by computedL1 DNA sequence alignment led to the identification of a new putative BPV type, revealing thehighest identities with Delta-BPV types 1 (76%) and 2 (73%). To the authors’ knowledge, thisis the first report on the presence of a putative BPV as a viral contaminant in cell cultures thatpossibly represents an unknown Delta-BPV.

In this case study performed in Flemish dairy herds, it is shown that lactation stage, farmtype (grazing (fresh grass) or zero-grazing) and season are interrelated factors associated withcirculating β-carotene (bC) and Vitamin E (VitE) concentrations. The iCheck bC is an easy applicablecow-side test to evaluate a cow’s bC status. One third of the dairy cows in the study haddeficiencies in circulating bC and VitE, especially cows in early lactation and cows from zerograzingfarms. Fresh grass in the diet could not resolve the early post-partum decline in plasmabC and VitE. However, the bC and VitE statuses of dry cows were significantly better on grazingfarms. These findings can help updating antioxidant recommendations since it is clear that thereis a need for optimization of antioxidant nutritional management in the Flemish dairy industryin order to feed for optimal dairy cow health.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leucosis virus (FeLV) are two pathogens in catsthat may have severe consequences on the general health of the infected animal, especially in the longterm. The stray cat population is a reservoir for maintaining the infection in this group but is also responsiblefor spreading the infection to housecats.For many years, the City of Ghent has been pursuing a stray cat control policy according to thetrap-neuter-return principle that entails euthanasia of stray cats affected by FIV or FeLV. To study theinfluence of the eradication plan on the prevalence of FIV and FeLV in the stray cat population, dataobtained in 2009 were compared to data of 2017. A significant drop in the infection rate was observedfor FeLV (from 9.9% to 0.7%). For FIV, the prevalence remained similar (from 9.1% to 10.3%). A shiftin the number of stray cats caught as well as in the percentage of positive cases was observed fromdowntown to the boundaries of the Ghent area. Various factors may have influenced these preliminaryfindings. Further research should elucidate factors responsible for the evolution of the FIV and FeLVprevalence in stray cats in the Ghent area.