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Copyright of Vlaams Diergeneeskundig Tijdschrift is the property of Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, the signalment, clinical signs, histopathological findings and treatment outcome of four dogs with chronic ulcerative paronychia, that presented clinical and microscopic char- acteristics of the mucocutaneous variant of canine chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus are described. The Greyhounds in the case series had a symmetric claw fold involvement, either exclusively or as major clinical presentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Vlaams Diergeneeskundig Tijdschrift is the property of Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Vlaams Diergeneeskundig Tijdschrift is the property of Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Vlaams Diergeneeskundig Tijdschrift is the property of Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Vlaams Diergeneeskundig Tijdschrift is the property of Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background Horses are extremely susceptible to ionophore intoxication. Although numerous reports are available regarding monensin, little is known about lasalocid toxicity. Objectives To describe accidental lasalocid poisoning on a farm in Belgium. Animals Eighty-one horses, of which 14 demonstrated clinical signs from day 0-21 after being fed a new concentrate batch. One horse died on day 20 and another on day 27. Methods The most severe cases (n = 7), admitted to the clinic on day 29-46, underwent cardiac examination and blood biochemical analysis, including determination of plasma cardiac troponin I ( cTnI) at admission and during follow-up. On day 57-70, cardiac examination, cTnI determination or both were undertaken on 72 remaining horses. Results Short-term effects of lasalocid intoxication included inappetance, lethargy, sweating, and muscular weakness. All 7 horses admitted to the clinic demonstrated signs of myocardial degeneration such as increased cTnI, dysrhythmia and reduced myocardial contractility. Four horses developed ataxia on day 40-50. Five horses died or were euthanized on day 30-370, 2 horses recovered fully and returned to previous athletic use. None of the 72 remaining horses exhibited clinical signs between day 57-70, but 34 had dysrhythmia and 13 had increased cTnI concentrations. After a period of rest, all horses returned to their previous work. Lasalocid was detected in hepatic tissue of 2 necropsied horses. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Lasalocid intoxication induced myocardial and neurological damage. Although uncommon, this should be included as differential diagnosis for unexplained inappetance, signs of depression, cardiomyopathy, and ataxia in horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis is one of the most pathogenic microorganisms affecting amphibians in both captivity and in nature. The establishment of B. dendrobatidis free, stable, amphibian captive breeding colonies is one of the emergency measures that is being taken to save threatened amphibian species from extinction. For this purpose, in vitro antifungal susceptibility testing and the development of efficient and safe treatment protocols are required. In this study, we evaluated the use of amphotericin B and voriconazole to treat chytridiomycosis in amphibians. The concentration at which the growth of five tested B. dendrobatidis strains was inhibited was 0.8 μg/ml for amphotericin B and 0.0125 μg/ml for voriconazole. To completely eliminate a mixture of sporangia and zoospores of strain IA042 required 48 h of exposure to 8 μg/ml of amphotericin B or 10 days to 1.25 μg/ml of voriconazole. Zoospores were killed within 0.5 h by 0.8 μg/ml of amphotericin B, but even after 24 h exposure to 1.25 μg/ml of voriconazole they remained viable. Amphotericin B was acutely toxic for Alytes muletensis tadpoles at 8 μg/ml, whereas toxic side effects were not noticed during a seven-day exposure to voriconazole at concentrations as high as 12.5 μg/ml. The voriconazole concentrations remained stable in water during this exposure period. On the basis of this data, experimentally inoculated postmetamorphic Alytes cisternasii were sprayed once daily for 7 days with a 1.25 μg/ml solution of voriconazole in water which eliminated the B. dendrobatidis infection from all treated animals. Finally, treatment of a naturally infected colony of poison dart frogs (Dendrobatidae) using this protocol, combined with environmental disinfection, cleared the infection from the colony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008 and 2009 a large number of cases of haemorrhagic diathesis (HD) in neonatal calves were reported in different European countries. In Flanders, 84 cases of neonatal HD in 30 herds were reported in this period. The disease typically affects calves younger than 1 month old from different breed and gender. Prominent clinical signs are cutaneous bleeding, petechiae on all mucosae, melena and often high fever. Early in the disease, the mental state of the animals is uncompromised. The typical haematological finding is pancytopenia, with severe to complete thrombocytopenia being the cause of the increased susceptibility to bleeding. In seven of the affected herds blood samples of calves of the same age group as the clinical case were collected and on six of those farms at least one subclinical case could be identified. Necropsy findings were generalized petechiae, ecchymoses or haemorrhages and variable lymphadenopathy. Histopathology of haemorrhagic lesions revealed multifocal extravasation of red blood cells (haemorrhage) with preservation of tissue architecture and absence of other abnormalities. Total bone marrow aplasia and depletion of all lymphoid tissue was the most prominent finding on histology. Activated macrophages and haemophagocytosis were seen on bone marrow cytology from two live calves. Polymerase chain reaction for bovine viral diarrhoea virus, bluetongue and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus was negative. Several attempts to isolate a viral agent were unsuccessful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydranencephaly, the almost complete absence of the cerebral parenchyma, induced by infection with modified live bluetongue virus (BTV) crossing the placenta has previously been reported in sheep and rarely in cattle in the USA and in South Africa. The current study describes 29 cases of hydranencephaly in bovine foetuses and ‘dummy’ calves up to 3 months of age in Belgium associated with natural BTV serotype 8 infection very early in gestation. Histological examination of the remaining cerebral parenchyma showed moderate to severe atrophy of the neural tissue. The lesions observed support the hypothesis of BTV-induced destruction of precursor cells. However, in several calves a slight infiltration of the walls of venules and arterioles with T lymphocytes (vasculitis) was observed as well, which seems to be responsible for at least some of the lesions. Bluetongue viral RNA was detected in 15 animals using a BTV-specific real-time RT-PCR with a much higher success rate in brain tissues compared with blood and spleen samples. Virus isolation in embryonated eggs was unsuccessful. In conclusion, hydranencephaly in calves can be associated with natural wild-type BTV-8 intra-uterine infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Belgium and even in northern Europe Rhinosporidium seeberi has not been reported in autochtonous people or animals. In this paper, the authors report the first observation of laryngeal masses, caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi, in a Belgian Warmblood horse. Moreover, laryngeal rhinosporidiosis is extremely rare since this localisation is only described in four human cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contents A pregnant bitch was treated with a synthetic testosterone mixture on approximately day 40. The female offspring (six pups) showed an increased anogenital distance, vaginal enlargement and a variable amount of vaginal discharge. The urinary orifice was found dorsally in the vestibulum, stooled on a protruding phallus-like structure. All six pups underwent a laparotomy and subsequent spaying and a modified ventral episioplasty technique to lift up the labia to a more vertical position in order to prevent urine accumulation. Histopathological examination of the genital tracts demonstrated the presence of bilateral ovotestis and remnants of the Wolffian duct system in all cases. The finding of true hermaphroditism of the offspring after exogenous androgen administration during gestation of the bitch has not yet been reported elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infection with HIV results in a progressive depletion of CD4+ T cells and leads to significant in vivo lymphocyte phenotype changes. In this regard, the expression of HLA-DR and CD38 on CD8+ T cells has been shown to increase dramatically with disease progression. We investigated the expression of both activation markers on CD4+ T cells in HIV-1-infected subjects at different clinical stages of infection and compared the in vivo activation of CD4+ T cells with parameters of viral activity and CD8+ T cell activation. Fresh peripheral venous blood was obtained from 54 HIV infected subjects and from 28 uninfected healthy controls. Three-colour immunophenotyping of the CD4+ T cell subset showed that the proportion of CD4+ T cells expressing HLA-DR (10% in HIV negative controls) or CD38 (62% in H IV-negative controls) was higher in asymptomatic (P < 0.05 for CD38) and symptomatic (P < 0.001 for HLA-DR and CD38) HIV-infected subjects than in controls, whereas the proportion of CD4+ T cells expressing CD45RO (54% in controls) remained relatively unchanged. Simultaneous expression of HLA-DR and CD38 on CD4 T cells increased from 2.3% in controls to 11% (P < 0.001) in asymptomatic and 22% (P < 0.001) in symptomatic HIV-infected subjects. This relative increase of CD38 and HLA-DR expression occurred mainly on CD4+ T cells co-expressing CD45RO. Changes in expression of HLA-DR and CD38 on CD4+ T cells correlated with similar changes on CD8+ T lymphocytes, with the presence of HIV antigen in the circulation, and with the disease stage of HIV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a case of uterine fibrosarcoma in an 18-year-old Warmblood mare. The mare had exhibited bloody fluid accumulation inside the uterus and vaginal haemorrhagic discharge since the previous foaling. The mare was euthanized, and on pathological examination, in addition to the uterine neoplasia, multiple metastases were found in the lungs, liver and spleen. The histological and immunohistochemical examination determined that the tumour was a fibrosarcoma. To our knowledge, this is the first paper to describe a uterine fibrosarcoma in a mare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nine-year-old male Maltese dog was presented with an eight-month history of inspiratory stridor leading to exertional dyspnoea and cyanosis. Myokymic contractions in the palatolingual muscles were noticed and confirmed by electromyography. Brain computer tomography-scan showed ventricular dilatation. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed a slightly elevated protein level. Treatment with slow-release phenytoin was unsuccessful and symptoms gradually worsened over the next nine months. At post-mortem examination a small pituitary adenoma was found. Apart from a single canine report of facial myokymia, this is the only other description of spontaneous focal myokymia in animals. Palatolingual myokymia has only been reported in one human being. Although the co-occurrence with a pituitary adenoma might be incidental, a paraneoplastic pathogenetic mechanism is proposed. Its unique clinical presentation adds a new, albeit uncommon, syndrome to the differential diagnosis of upper airway complaints in dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The establishment of safe and effective protocols to treat chytridiomycosis in amphibians is urgently required. In this study, the usefulness of antibacterial agents to clear chytridiomycosis from infected amphibians was evaluated. Results Florfenicol, sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine and the combination of trimethoprim and sulfonamides were active in vitro against cultures of five Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis strains containing sporangia and zoospores, with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of 0.5-1.0 μg/ml for florfenicol and 8.0 μg/ml for the sulfonamides. Trimethoprim was not capable of inhibiting growth but, combined with sulfonamides, reduced the time to visible growth inhibition by the sulfonamides. Growth inhibition of B. dendrobatidis was not observed after exposure to clindamycin, doxycycline, enrofloxacin, paromomycin, polymyxin E and tylosin. Cultures of sporangia and zoospores of B. dendrobatidis strains JEL423 and IA042 were killed completely after 14 days of exposure to 100 μg/ml florfenicol or 16 μg/ml trimethoprim combined with 80 μg/ml sulfadiazine. These concentrations were, however, not capable of efficiently killing zoospores within 4 days after exposure as assessed using flow cytometry. Florfenicol concentrations remained stable in a bathing solution during a ten day period. Exposure of Discoglossus scovazzi tadpoles for ten days to 100 μg/ml but not to 10 μg florfenicol /ml water resulted in toxicity. In an in vivo trial, post metamorphic Alytes muletensis, experimentally inoculated with B. dendrobatidis, were treated topically with a solution containing 10 μg/ml of florfenicol during 14 days. Although a significant reduction of the B. dendrobatidis load was obtained, none of the treated animals cleared the infection. Conclusions We thus conclude that, despite marked anti B. dendrobatidis activity in vitro, the florfenicol treatment used is not capable of eliminating B. dendrobatidis infections from amphibians.

Reasons for performing study Transcranial magnetic stimulation ( TMS) is an electrophysiological technique used to elicit motor evoked potentials ( MMEPs) to evaluate the functional integrity of the descending motor fibres in the spinal cord. Successful application of the technique was reported in horses with spinal cord compression. However, limited data are available on the correlation of TMS with histopathological changes. Objectives To determine sensitivity of TMS for assessing the integrity of the spinal cord in horses with compressive lesions of the spinal cord. Study design Case series. Methods The study was conducted on 6 horses with spinal ataxia grade III- V/ V admitted to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University. The horses underwent TMS, radiography of the cervical or thoracolumbar vertebral column, and myelography (4/6). All horses were subjected to euthanasia and the spinal cord examined histopathologically. Results In 5/6 horses MMEPs with abnormal onset latencies in both extensor carpi radialis muscles and cranial tibialis muscles were recorded, suggesting a cervical spinal cord lesion. Radiography revealed cervical vertebral malformation (4/5) with cervical vertebral canal stenosis (3/5) and tumour/osteomyelitis (1/5). In 1/6 horse MMEPs with normal onset latencies in extensor carpi radialis muscles and prolonged onset latencies in tibialis cranialis muscles were recorded, suggesting a thoracolumbar spinal cord lesion. Radiography revealed deformation of the 7th and 8th thoracic vertebrae. Myelography showed reduction in dural diameter and dorsal contrast column (4/4). Histopathological examination of the spinal cord confirmed compressive type lesions in all 6 horses with degenerative changes in the white matter of all funiculi, ballooning of myelin sheets, swollen axons, loss of axons and astroglial activation. Conclusions In this case series abnormal function of descending motor pathways as registered by TMS showed 100% sensitivity with the histopathological characteristics of compressive lesions in the spinal cord, but the number of horses is limited and further research is warranted. Ethical animal research: Research ethics committee oversight not currently required by this conference: the study was performed on material collected during clinical procedures. Explicit owner informed consent for participation in this study was not stated. Source of funding: Not applicable. Competing interests: None declared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]