2009 - 78 (3)

The objective of this study was to estimate the direct costs of gastrointestinal nematode and liver fluke infectionsin the Flemish dairy population. First of all, the population at risk, the prevalence of production-limiting infections,the effects on animal production, the monetary value of animal products and the frequency and cost of ananthelmintic treatment were defined through a study and interpretation of specialist literature. Secondly, these elementswere incorporated in a spreadsheet and the annual costs were assessed for each infection. The annual cost ofgastrointestinal nematode infections was estimated at € 10.719.909 or € 38 per adult cow. The annual cost of liverfluke infections was estimated at € 8.270.765 or € 30 per adult cow. These figures do not present the average costof an infected animal, but reflect the relative importance of the disease. The results of this study emphasize thevalue of incorporating both infections in animal health programs.

This article contains two separate case reports of the isolation of Aujeszky’s disease virus (ADV) from ahunting dog. Each of the two dogs developed neurological symptoms and died of ADV within five days afterhunting on wild boars in the Ardennes. Because ADV has been eradicated in the domesticated pig population,it was hypothesized that wild boars infected with ADV were the source, since one of the dogs was fed with theintestines of shot wild boars, and the other was fed with the intestines and other organs.

This case report describes a small outbreak of neonatal foal death in Belgium due to infection with equinearteritis virus (EAV). The outbreak started with one foal suffering from acute dyspnea four days after birth.Despite intensive treatment, this foal died within a few hours. Three weeks later, another foal was born on thesame farm in a healthy condition, although placental edema was found. At the age of 10 days, the foal showedacute respiratory distress and severe dyspnea and died shortly after. Post-mortem examination of both foalsrevealed consolidated diaphragmatic lung lobes with compensatory emphysema. Histologic lesions consisted ofa mild acute interstitial pneumonia. Microscopic examination of the allantochorion from the second foal showeda focal necrotizing vasculitis, and immunolabeling demonstrated the presence of EAV antigens in chorionicvascular endothelial cells and macrophages. Upon inoculation of rabbit kidney (RK13) cell culture with asuspension of lung tissue, a cytopathic effect was observed. The agent was identified as equine arteritis virus bymeans of immunostainings.

After detecting fungal organisms in smears of enlarged peripheral lymph nodes in a dog, determination wasperformed through culturing and genetic typing. The fungus was identified as Penicillium radicum by amplificationof fungal DNA encoding of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region and comparison with DNAdatabases. In vitro susceptibility testing revealed multiresistance. In the literature, P. radicum is mentioned as aphosphate solubilizing agent used in agriculture for promoting plant growth. This is the first publication of a disseminatedP. radicum infection in a dog. The generalized lymphadenopathy and hypercalcemia strongly resembleda multicentric lymphoma.Hypercalcemia in granulomatous diseases, including disseminated fungal infections, is caused by activatedmacrophages possessing 1α-hydroxylase, which is able to convert 25-hydroxyvitamin-D into calcitriol. Althoughdisseminated fungal infections are extremely rare in The Netherlands and Belgium, they should be included inthe differential diagnosis of dogs with multicentric lymphadenopathy and hypercalcemia.

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.

Inhalation anesthesia is the main method used for maintenance of anesthesia in dogs. One of the most importantdrawbacks of this technique, however, is that it pollutes the environment. Total intravenous anesthesia,or TIVA, can provide a valuable alternative to this method, an alternative whereby several different drugsor drug combinations and different means of administration can be used. Despite the existence of various options,a continuous rate infusion (CRI) of propofol or alfaxalone seems to be the most obvious choice in dogs.Just as with inhalation anesthesia, endotracheal intubation and the administration of oxygen is highlyrecommended during TIVA. The possibility for artificial ventilation must also be taken into consideration. Themain disadvantage of TIVA seems to be the higher cost, especially in large dogs and during long-lasting interventions.

An eight-month-old apathic cat was referred to the Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of SmallAnimals of the Ghent University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Merelbeke, Belgium. The cat had a severecase of non-regenerative anemia with a hematocrit of only 2.9%. Cytological examination of a bone marrowaspirate led to the diagnosis of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA). Additionally, a PCR assay for “Candidatus Mycoplasmahaemominutum” (“Candidatus M. haemominutum”) DNA was positive. Although unproven, an infectionwith “Candidatus M. haemominutum” could have contributed to the immune-mediated destruction ofred blood cell precursors. The cat recovered completely after treatment, which consisted of multiple bloodtransfusions, antimicrobial agents, and long-term prednisolone therapy (10 months). There were no signs ofclinical relapse at 20 months after cessation of therapy.

Paper in Dutch