Original article(s)

Incubation of 107 colony forming units/ml of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in an undiluted, a 1:2 anda 1:4 diluted aqueous 2% acetic acid and 2% boric acid solution resulted in inactivation of the bacteria within30, 60 and 120 minutes, respectively. This indicates that a combination of these acids might be useful for localtreatment of S. pseudintermedius infections. Further clinical studies are necessary, however, to confirm thesein vitro results.

Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen both in humans and animals. In order to determinethe presence and importance of this zoonotic bacterial disease in a subgroup of the Belgian cattle population,all the brain tissue specimens originating from 2,432 cattle clinically suspected of bovine spongiformencephalopathy (BSE) that had been submitted to the National Reference Laboratory during the period 1998-2006 were examined for the presence of histopathological lesions pathognomonic for L. monocytogenes meningoencephalitis.Additional Listeria-specific immunohistochemistry was performed in order to confirm thediagnosis of these cases. While in recent years no listeriosis cases have been reported in cattle in Belgium, thisstudy indicates that meningo-encephalitis due to listeriosis is still a non-negligible disease in the Belgian cattlepopulation. The zoonotic character of L. monocytogenes justifies maintaining vigilance for this disease.

In a large European trial, a deworming program using 30 ppm flubendazole for 5 days every 5 weeks forfattening pigs was evaluated for a period of 16 months (4 rounds) and compared with untreated control andhistorical pre-treatment data from the same fattening units. The treatment regime was evaluated in 4 fatteningfarms located in Belgium, The Netherlands and France with a total of 21,721 fattening pigs in the treatedand 22,394 in the control groups. All the farms, except farm A, had very low EPGs (Eggs Per Gram) forAscaris suum before treatment and were nihil after treatment. In three of the farms a reduction in affected andrejected livers due to “white spots” was noted. In all the farms, positive effects on average daily weight gain(15.1 to 34.7 g) were obtained, except in farm C, and fewer dropouts were counted in the treated groups.

Hypersensitivity to ivermectin and certain other drugs in Collies and related breeds is caused by a 4-basepair deletion mutation in the ABCB1 gene, better known as the MDR1 gene, encoding P-glycoprotein. Thereis no information available, however, regarding the presence of this mutation in dogs in Belgium. In this study,the ABCB1 genotype was assessed in 92 dogs of breeds suspected to possess the deletion mutation. The resultsindicated that the mutation was present in the Australian Shepherd, Collie, Shetland Sheepdog and SwissWhite Shepherd, but was not detected in the Bearded Collies, Border Collies and German Shepherds of thisstudy, which is in accordance with the findings in similar breed populations of other countries. In Belgium itis therefore important to take the ABCB1 genotype of the breeds involved into account, in order to use drugsin a safe and efficient manner and to improve the selection procedure in dog breeding.

Antibiotics and other antibacterials are often applied to the drinking water of food animals. This type of medicationis not always justified and allowed. Monitoring of drinking water for the presence of antibiotics may be indicatedin many cases. Microbiological growth inhibition tests are cheap and simple methods intended to detect antibacterialactivity in different matrixes. Therefore, a method intended for the detection of antibiotics in kidneys was modifiedand optimized for analyzing water.The detection limits of most antibiotics used in animal husbandry were much lower than the therapeutic concentrationsapplied in drinking water. However, with sulphadimidine, lincomycin and spectinomycin, the range wasrelatively narrow. Zinc bacitracin was not detected at the level used in the prevention of mucoid enteropathy of rabbits.Tests in a pig farm revealed high variability in the levels of amoxicillin and doxycycline in samples taken fromdifferent drinking nipples. This finding shows that not all animals were treated in the same way, and that they probablydid not receive identical doses. Neither amoxicillin, nor doxycycline was detectable three hours after treatment.Acidification of drinking water with organic acids produced small inhibition zones. Bacterial growth inhibitionin drinking water is not always due to the presence of an antibiotic, because false positive results may occur. Althoughthe method investigated is not quantitative, it is concluded that it may be useful in the monitoring of drinking watermedication in animal farms.

In a retrospective study (1997-2007) of 35 patients suspected of discospondylitis (DS), the diagnosis ofdiscospondylitis was confirmed in 18 dogs. The signalment, the appearance and the clinical presentation of the dogswere comparable to those earlier reported in the literature. Radiography was the most important diagnostic technique,but in some cases further diagnostic investigation was necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Blood- and urine culturewas important to identify a possible underlying cause. Medical therapy is the treatment of choice. Most of the dogs(76%) recovered very well after treatment. The results confirm that discospondylitis has a rather favorable prognosiswhen medical therapy is used.

There is much controversy about the treatment of disc associated wobbler syndrome. This retrospective studydescribes the clinical evolution of 12 dogs treated surgically by a standard ventral slot technique. The duration offollow-up ranged from 1 to 59 months. Nine of the 12 dogs clinically recovered. However, 6 of these 9 dogsdeveloped a second episode of clinical signs. Two of these dogs could be further managed by conservative treatment.The 4 other dogs were euthanized. The results of this study are compared to the literature. Special attention is givento inclusion criteria and follow-up data.

Diabetes ketoacidosis (DKA) and diabetes ketosis (DK) are severe complications of diabetes mellitus (DM).A retrospective study on 54 dogs with diabetes keto(acido)sis (DK(A)) was performed. The patients weremostly middle-aged to old female intact dogs with a history of polyuria/ polydipsia, lethargy, anorexia,vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, hematuria, pollakisuria or shock. In 57.4% of the dogs, a previous diagnosisof DM was not established. Diabetes keto(acido)sis was frequently associated with a concurrent disease suchas pancreatitis (22.2%), hypercortisolism (7.4%), neoplasia (24%), infections (24%), renal failure (13%) orheart failure (7.4%). To evaluate the patient and to search for a concurrent disease, a complete blood countand serum biochemistry, blood gas analysis, urinalysis, urine culture, thoracic radiographs and/or abdominalultrasound were performed. The treatment of the DK(A) depended on the concurrent disease, the blood valuesand the symptoms of the dog. The prognosis was poor, since 48% of the dogs died or were euthanized within2 weeks after diagnosis. Relapse occurred in 5 dogs (9.3%), mostly within 6 months.

A serosurvey for viruses associated with reproductive disorders was conducted in 25 conventional Belgianfarms. Serum antibody titers for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), porcinecircovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine parvovirus (PPV), porcine enteroviruses (PEV) and swine influenza viruses(SIV) were determined in gilts and sows. All the animals were seropositive for PCV2 and >95% wereseropositive for all 4 embryopathogenic PEV serotypes. Consequently, special preventive measures appear tobe unnecessary for these viruses. In 1 farm, non-vaccinated gilts were found to run a risk of developing PPVinducedreproductive disorders. Vaccination against PPV could exclude this risk. In 10 farms, gilts seronegativefor one or more specific SIV subtypes were introduced into a herd that had previously been infected with thesame subtypes. Vaccination of gilts against SIV may prevent reproductive disorders in gilts and respiratoryproblems in their offspring. In 1 farm, newly purchased gilts that were possibly shedding PRRSV wereintroduced into a PRRSV seronegative sow herd. Serological screening prior to purchase or vaccination of thesows could have resolved this dangerous situation.

Radiographic screening of horses prior to purchase or admission to studbooks has become an importanttool for evaluating the osteo-articular status of the animals. Developmental orthopedic disorders (DOD) arethe main cause of potential lameness in youngsters. The genetic factor associated with DOD has beenestablished, and specific selection schemes have been developed to diminish the prevalence of lesions.Increasing knowledge of prevalence in different breeds may help in developing specific breeding strategies.This article presents the results of the radiographic screening of 676 stallions presented for sire admissionto the Royal Belgian Sports Horse Society (Studbook sBs). On average, two radiographic findings were notedper horse. The prevalence of DOD in this population was 38.9%. A high percentage of horses showedradiographic signs of effusion of the distal interphalangeal joint. An uncommon fragment location at theproximal tubercle of the talus was found in 7 horses. The present paper presents a review and discussion ofall the radiographic findings.