Domestic water buffaloes ( Bubalus bubalis ) are the backbone of Indian dairy industry, contributing more than 55% of total milk produced by Indian livestock. Non-traumatic cardiac affections in buffaloes are commonly reported but remain underdiagnosed and understudied. This study was carried out on 1,768 buffaloes over a period of 8 months. Of the total, 57 buffaloes were suspected for cardiac diseases. Clinical signs, haemato-biochemical changes, radiography, echocardiography and cardiac biomarkers were estimated and correlated to characterize cardiac affections in buffaloes. Twenty-six buffaloes were confirmed non-traumatic cardiac affected cases and characterized into three categories, namely, idiopathic congestive heart failure (CHF) (16), CHF due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) (8), and constrictive pericarditis (2) based on characteristic echocardiographic findings. Haemato-biochemical examination revealed neutrophilic leukocytosis, hypoalbuminaemia, hypoproteinaemia, hypocalcaemia and increased lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Bovine cTn-I was significantly increased in all cardiac categories compared to healthy control. Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., E. coli spp. and Corynebacterium spp. were predominant bacterial isolates present in infected pericardial fluid. This is India’s first report of DCM and idiopathic CHF in buffaloes of non-traumatic origin characterized on the basis of echocardiographic indices. Bovine cardiac troponin I (cTn-I) can serve as a sensitive diagnostic biomarker for cardiac affections in buffaloes but lacks specificity in differentiating specific cardiac diseases.
Canine distemper virus is a multisystemic pathogen known to affect various organs, including the heart. However, traditional cardiac biomarkers may lack the sensitivity to detect minor myocardial damage in the early or subclinical stages of the disease. This preliminary study aimed to evaluate the levels of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T in dogs naturally infected with canine distemper virus and to assess their potential as indicators of subclinical myocardial injury. The study included 15 dogs diagnosed with distemper and 15 healthy control dogs. The diagnosis was confirmed by rapid antigen testing. Serum high-sensitivity cardiac troponins and haematological indices were analysed. The results revealed significantly higher concentrations of both troponin I (0.381 +/- 0.085 ng/ml) and troponin T (0.297 +/- 0.074 ng/ml) in the infected group compared to healthy controls (P < 0.05), along with characteristic haematological changes, including leukocytosis and lymphopaenia. Although overt clinical signs of heart failure were not the primary complaint in these patients, the significant elevation of high-sensitivity troponins suggests the presence of subclinical myocardial injury associated with the infection. These findings indicate that high-sensitivity assays could serve as valuable screening tools to identify patients at risk of cardiac complications, warranting further cardiac monitoring even in the absence of severe clinical symptoms.
Canine-assisted therapy (CAT) work may impose stress on participating dogs. This study examined stress-related behaviours in Golden Retrievers in relation to session duration, working environment, and experience level. Twelve certified, experienced dogs were observed during one-hour CAT sessions. Stress-related behaviours increased with session duration (r = 0.9317, P < 0.01), reaching maximum levels within the first 20 min, after which no significant change occurred (P > 0.05). Lip licking, whale eye, gaze aversion, and owner-seeking were the most frequent behaviours. Environmental influences were assessed using a separate cohort of 12 experienced females working either in a nursing home or a vocational school. Dogs working at the school displayed fewer stress-related behaviours than those working in the nursing home (median 89 vs. 109; P < 0.05). Whale eye occurred less frequently in nursing-home dogs (P = 0.048), whereas yawning was markedly more common in this environment (P < 0.001). A third cohort of inexperienced dogs undergoing certification testing did not differ from experienced dogs in total behaviour frequency (P = 0.8163), though specific behaviours varied. Testing dogs showed more lip licking and whale eye, whereas experienced dogs displayed more gaze aversion, yawning, and shaking off. Behaviours increased during tasks involving intensive human-dog contact (P < 0.0001). Overall, the results underscore that therapy-dog welfare can be optimized by adapting session length, selecting suitable environments, and supporting dogs with appropriate handling strategies.
A 2-year-old mixed-breed domestic cat was presented with blindness, persistent skin lesions, and diffuse interstitial lung disease. A diagnosis of Mycobacterium bovis infection was established based on histopathological examination revealing multifocal granulomatous inflammation with caseous necrosis and acid-fast bacilli, positive Ziehl-Neelsen staining, bacteriological culture confirmation using the Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube system, and spoligotyping. Treatment with a combination of ciprofloxacin (10 mg/kg per os (p.o.) q12 h), rifampicin (11 mg/kg p.o. q24 h), and azithromycin (9 mg/kg p.o. q24 h) resulted in clinical improvement within the first month of therapy. Since the cat's history prior to adoption was unknown, the route of infection could not be determined. Spoligotyping revealed a previously unreported M. bovis pattern, which was submitted to the international database and assigned the SB number SB2784. This case report describes the first molecularly characterized M. bovis infection with a novel spoligotype diagnosed ante mortem in a cat in T & uuml;rkiye and highlights the importance of molecular typing in the epidemiological evaluation of feline tuberculosis.
A total of seven species of fish were caught in the lower reaches of the rivers Morava and Dyje: round goby, white-finned gudgeon, gudgeon, perch, chub, Prussian carp and roach. The total mercury (THg) contents in the muscle tissue and liver were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry with an AMA 254 analyser. The non-native round goby showed no significant difference in mean mercury (Hg) content in muscle tissue compared to a fish species at the same trophic level (gudgeon). Although the age and weight of chub, perch, and round goby were similar, THg concentrations in muscle and liver of chub, perch, and round goby were significantly higher in the river Dyje (Thaya) compared to fish from the river Morava (P < 0.01). Although there is no known source of industrial contamination in the rivers Morava and Dyje, higher values of chemical oxygen demand (CODCr), chloride (Cl-), sulphate (SO42-), orthophosphate as phosphorus (P-PO4-) and total phosphorus (total P), together with oxygen deficits were found in the Dyje, which may lead to greater Hg accumulation in bottom sediments.
