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A domestic cat dwelling in a dairy cattle farm with haematuria was referred for a physical examination. The examination showed no abnormalities therefore complementary exams were performed. Leukocytosis with neutrophilia, monocytosis and hyperproteinaemia were detected. The urine analysis showed a bacterial infection without ultrasound findings. Serological titers to Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona and Autumnalis were detected. Molecular analysis demonstrated the presence of Leptospira spp. in urine. The findings were consistent with subclinical leptospirosis. The cattle herd had evidence of Leptospira infection. The microbiological exams confirmed the presence of the Leptospira spp. in urine and serum. According to the evidence presented in this study, cats that dwell within a dairy farm could play a role in the Leptospira infection epidemiologically. The importance of feline leptospirosis must be evaluated with leptospirosis control in livestock.

One Holstein cow housed with 21 other cows exhibited clinical signs of pyrexia, anorexia and diarrhea along with severe hemoglobinuria. Hematological and biochemical analyses conducted before and after antibiotic therapy indicated severe hemolytic anemia and disruption of hepatic function. A general improvement in conditions was observed after an 11-day program of treatment comprising a regular dose of antibiotics and prescribed supportive therapies. A tentative diagnosis of bacillary hemoglobinuria was made based on the clinical and clinico-pathologic features on day 7. A molecular diagnosis was made by a PCR amplification of the flagellin gene of Clostridium haemolyticum using DNA extracted from the whole blood. The cow was diagnosed with the first recorded occurrence of bacillary hemoglobinuria of Holstein cattle in Japan.

Leptospirosis is a worldwide distributed zoonosis which has long been endemic in Thailand. Cattle and buffaloes are important livestock species that live in close contact with humans, especially in rural areas. These animals may, therefore, act as long-term carriers of leptospirosis for humans and other livestock species. The present study employed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method to detect pathogenic leptospiral 16S rDNA in the urine of cattle and buffaloes for assessing associations between uroprevalence and species, sex, age and spatial distribution. A total of 3,657 urine samples were collected for laboratory diagnosis, and 312 of which turned positive to the test (true prevalence 5.90%; 95% CI 4.98-6.91). The highest true uroprevalence was found in lower northern region at 19.80% (95% CI 15.83-24.32) followed by upper and lower northeastern regions at 15.22% and 6.25%, respectively. However, the highest true uroprevalence in beef cattle, the majority of cattle in Thailand, was recorded in northeastern region which is the endemic area of human leptospirosis. The uroprevalence was not statistically different among species and types of examined animals. Male animals were over twice more likely to be infected compared to females. Excluding animals younger than one year of age due to small sample size, the uroprevalence upraised with increasing age. A collaborative investigation between veterinary and public health sectors is required to holistically explore the link between leptospirosis in humans and livestock, especially in high prevalent areas.

Three Japanese Black cows housed with 6 other cows exhibited main clinical symptoms of severe hemoglobinuria. Hematological analyses conducted after antibiotic therapy demonstrated severe anemia, and biochemical analyses indicated both severe hemolysis and disruption of hepatic function. One of the three cows died. Based on the above analyses and observation of typical clinical symptoms, a speculative diagnosis of bacillary hemoglobinuria was made, and immediate high-dose antibiotic treatment improved the general conditions of the surviving animals. Blood samples from the other 2 cows were collected sequentially after antibacterial therapy. Clostridium haemolyticum was detected by a nested polymerase chain reaction analysis of the blood samples. The cows were diagnosed with the second recorded occurrence of bacillary hemoglobinuria in Japan.

A 4-months-old calf of Japanese black cattle was diagnosed with orotic aciduria by gas-chromatography/mass-spectrometry (GC/MS). Until now orotic aciduria had not been reported in Japanese black cattle. The animal showed repeated diarrhea. The hematocrit was low, and microcytes and acanthocytes were observed in blood smears. The calf had lower serum total protein concentrations with a higher blood ammonia concentration. Needle-shaped crystals of orotic acid were observed in urinary sediments. Sequence homologous analysis with cattle uridine monophosphate synthase DNA indicated silent mutation in the affected calf.

In the present study, we examined whether mildly altering dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) contributes to the prevention of milk fever in dairy cows. Thirty multiparous cows and ten primiparous cows (heifer group) were used in this study and the multiparous cows were randomly divided into three groups of ten animals each (anion, non-anion and control groups). The cows in the anion group were given supplemental salts that slightly lowered DCAD. These salts consisted of 115 g of CaCO3, 42 g of CaHPO4, 65 g of MgSO4 x 7 H2O and 80 g of CaCl2 x 2 H2O as a daily dose for each cow, using a catheter from 21 days before the expected date of parturition until parturition. The cows in the non-anion group were given only the same Ca, Mg and ip supplement but no sulfate and chloride salts as that in the anion group. The cows in the control and heifer groups were not given any additional supplement. The incidence of hypocalcemia in the anion group decreased to approximately half of those in the non-anion and control groups, while the heifer group did not develop hypocalcemia at all. In addition, the number of days spent for the treatment of hypocalcemia and the number of drug bottles (calcium borogluconate solution) used for the treatment decreased to less than half in the anion group compared with those in the non-anion and control groups. At parturition, the serum Ca concentration in the control (6.2 +/- 1.9 mg/dl, mean +/- standard deviation) and non-anion groups (6.4 +/- 1.7 mg/dl) were significantly lower than that in the heifer group (8.3 +/- 0.4 mg/dl), and the level in the anion group was intermediate (7.3 +/- 1.3 mg/dl). The change in ionized Ca concentration was almost the same as that in serum Ca concentration, but only the concentration in the anion group tended to increase slightly from a week before parturition and was significantly higher than that in all other groups three days before parturition. Urinary pH in the anion group was maintained at a mildly acidic level (6.8-7.0) for the last two weeks before parturition, compared with those in the control (7.3-7.5) and non-anion groups (7.9-8.1), and similar to that in the heifer group (6.3-7.3). The urinary Ca excretion was the highest in the anion group among all groups during the prepartum period. There were no specific changes in the excretion of parathyroid hormone and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D in all groups of multiparous cows while the levels of these hormones remained low in the heifer group throughout the experimental period. The data in the present study indicates that the administration of anion salts that slightly lowered DCAD in the preparum period was effective for preventing milk fever in multiparous cows. Safe and mild metabolic acidosis induced by the anion salts could be evaluated by urinary pH (6.8-7.0), and might increase the responsiveness to Ca requirement at parturition through some complex mechanisms unrelated to the excretion of Ca-related hormones. In addition, it was clarified that primiparous cows have a high potential to respond to sudden Ca demand unrelated to hormone excretion, and their Ca metabolism was in some respects similar to that in multiparous cows fed anion salts. Therefore, manipulating mildly DCAD is expected to be an effective, safe and natural method for preventing milk fever in dairy cows.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyze beta2-microglobulin and albumin in bovine urine. The urine samples were chromatographed on TSK-gel ODS-120T column with an acetonitrile gradient. Urinary beta2-m and albumin were detected at 220 nm. For the pre-treatment, there were two steps proceeding injection: dialysis of urine with distilled water overnight, followed by concentration by solid-phase extraction method using a Sep-Pak cartridge. The retention times of beta2-microglobulin and albumin were 25.35 +/- 0.85 and 32.20 +/- 0.20 minutes (n=5), respectively. The mean analytical recoveries of beta2-microglobulin and albumin added to 0.1 ml of urine samples were 94.5 and 100.5%, respectively. The within-run coefficients of variation ranged from 1.5 to 5.3% for beta2-microglobulin and from 2.3 to 7.0% for albumin. The sensitivity for quantification of each protein was 0.5 microg in 100 microl injected urine samples. Urine samples from healthy cows and from cows with different types of proteinuria were analyzed by this reversed-phase HPLC. Results revealed albumin was remarkable in the urine from a cow with glomerulonephritis, and beta2-microglobulin was, in the urine from a cow with tubular dysfunction.