This study aimed to determine luteinizing hormone preovulatory release, follicular dynamics, and ovulation in Arbia breed goats. Estrus was induced during the non-breeding season using progesterone, pregnant mare serum gonadotropin, and prostaglandin. Blood samples and ovarian transrectal ultrasound scanning were performed to determine luteinizing hormone concentrations, follicular growth, and ovulation. Luteinizing hormone values ranged between 0.00 and 3.85 ng mL-1. The average preovulatory luteinizing hormone peak was 2.40 Å} 1.39 ng mL-1 approximately at 27.81 Å} 4.19 hours after sponge removal. All females showed a preovulatory luteinizing hormone peak, with 81.82% of them between 24 and 30 hours after sponge removal. According to the ultrasonographic studies, the total mean follicular diameter ranged from 4.54 Å} 1.17 mm up to 11.6 Å} 0.56 mm at 0 and 48 hours after sponge removal, respectively. However, ovulation occurred between 30 and 36 hours after the hormonal induction protocol in 9 goats (81.8%), observing a mean preovulatory follicular diameter of 9.51 Å} 0.93 mm. The interval between the preovulatory luteinizing hormone peak and ovulation was 9.27 Å} 5.60 hours. It is concluded that preovulatory luteinizing hormone peak in Arbia goats occurred as early as 24–30 hours after sponge removal. Surprisingly, the interval between the luteinizing hormone peak and ovulation was shorter (9 hours) than that of the goat breeds studied so far, indicating that artificial insemination protocols should be specifically adjusted for this breed. Cite this article as: Amrane, A. A., Belhamiti, B. T., Selles, S. M. A., Kouidri, M., Chogueur, O., Díaz, A. T., Velázquez, R. G., & Moreno, J. S. (2026). The timing of the preovulatory luteinizing hormone surge, follicular dynamics and ovulation time observed with ultrasonography in Arbia goats. Acta Veterinaria Eurasia, 52, 0075, doi: 10.5152/actavet.2026.26075.
This study evaluated electrocardiographic and echocardiographic indices of atrial conduction and electromechanical activation in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease and in healthy dogs, and assessed their association with disease stage, cardiac remodeling, heart failure, and supraventricular arrhythmias. A total of 139 small-breed dogs (<15 kg) were included (42 healthy, 50 stage B1, 19 stage B2, and 28 stage C). Atrial electromechanical intervals were measured using tissue Doppler imaging at the lateral mitral, septal mitral, and tricuspid annuli, and electrocardiographic indices including P-wave duration and P-wave dispersion were assessed. Receiver-operating characteristic analysis was performed to evaluate the discriminatory performance of atrial conduction markers. Several electrocardiographic and echocardiographic indices increased across disease stages, with more pronounced differences observed in dogs with advanced disease. A broad range of parameters was associated with cardiac remodeling and heart failure, including P-wave duration across multiple leads and tissue Doppler-derived indices. Among these, P-wave dispersion, septal electromechanical delay (S-PAp), and P-wave duration in selected leads (e.g., lead II and aVF) showed consistent discriminatory performance across outcomes. Dogs with supraventricular arrhythmias showed increased atrial conduction times compared with dogs in sinus rhythm, particularly in electrocardiographic indices and septal electromechanical measurements. Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic indices of atrial conduction provide complementary, non-invasive information on atrial remodeling and electrophysiological alterations in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease. In addition, this study establishes reference values for multiple tissue Doppler-derived atrial conduction indices in healthy and myxomatous mitral valve disease–affected dogs. Cite this article as: Vila, B. C. P., & Sousa, M. G. (2026). Atrial conduction times change with progression of mitral valve disease in dogs. Acta Veterinaria Eurasia, 52, 0115, doi: 10.5152/actavet.2026.26115.
The anthelmintic resistance in endo-parasites forces the search for different alternatives to control gastrointestinal nematodes. One choice is promoting the natural resistance of the host to self-regulate gastrointestinal nematodes infections, as a sustainable method. The aim of this study was to analyze the performance of immunoglobulins A, G, and M in Pelibuey ewes infected with gastrointestinal nematodes during the peripartum period. Hematological and fecal egg count of H. contortus were recorded. In addition, blood serum obtained from 31 three-year-old Pelibuey ewes in the peripartum stage was used to detect antibodies against crude antigen of nematodes by indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Data from Pelibuey ewes were grouped by physiological stage (pregnancy and lactation) and divided into early (weeks 1–6), mid (weeks 7–14), and late (weeks 15–22) pregnancy. Lactation was also divided into early (weeks 1–4 post-partum), mid (weeks 5–9), and late (weeks 10–13) lactation. Data were analyzed as repeated measures over time. Fecal egg counts of gastrointestinal nematodes showed differences between pregnancy and lactation (p < .03), with lower fecal egg count during pregnancy (279 ± 86 eggs per gram of feces) than during lactation (489 ± 46 eggs per gram of feces). The susceptible ewes showed values greater than 1054 ± 1099 eggs per gram of feces, while the resistant ones showed fecal egg count on average of 81 ± 152 eggs per gram of feces. The relative expression of IgG and IgM was significantly higher during pregnancy (51.39% and 46.15%, respectively) compared to lactation (38.25% and 38.49%, respectively). The IgA response in resistant ewes had a significantly higher expression (32.7%) compared to the intermediate (19.6%) and susceptible (20.5%) groups. IgA stands out for its direct relationship with parasite inhibition, evidenced by negative correlations with eggs per gram of feces. Immunoglobulins (A, G, and M) have a relevant role in the humoral immune response during the peripartum period. Cite this article as: Pulido-López, M. G., Hernández-Mendo, O. , González-Garduño, R. , Torres-Hernández, G. , & Gallegos-Sánchez, J. (2026). Humoral immune response in pelibuey ewes to Haemonchus contortus antigen during the peripartum period. Acta Veterinaria Eurasia, 52, 0230, doi:10.5152/actavet.2026.25230.
Newcastle disease remains a major constraint on poultry production worldwide, with recurrent outbreaks reported even in vaccinated flocks. In Pakistan, the persistence of Newcastle disease raises concerns about the ongoing evolution of Newcastle disease virus and the effectiveness of existing vaccines. This study aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology and genetic characteristics of Newcastle disease virus circulating in commercial poultry farms in Punjab Province, Pakistan. A cross-sectional molecular surveillance study was conducted from May to November 2025 across five major poultry-producing districts. Clinical samples consisting of pooled oropharyngeal swabs and tissue homogenates were collected from affected flocks and organized into 100 pooled samples obtained from 25 commercial farms experiencing severe disease characterized by respiratory and neurological signs with high mortality (>40%), despite routine vaccination, and clinically suspected of Newcastle disease. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction targeting the fusion (F) gene detected Newcastle disease virus in 91.1% of the prioritized tissue homogenates and oropharyngeal swabs from the sampled flocks. Based on RNA quality, successful amplification of the target region, geographic distribution, and epidemiological relevance, four representative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction-positive clinical samples were selected for complete F-gene sequencing. All sequenced samples possessed the polybasic cleavage site motif 112RRQKR↓F117, indicating a molecular signature consistent with a velogenic pathotype. Phylogenetic analysis consistently clustered the Newcastle disease virus sequences within Class II, further divided into sub-genotypes VII.2 and VII.1.1, indicating the co-circulation of at least two endemic lineages. Comparative sequence analysis revealed substantial genetic divergence between field samples and commonly used vaccine strains, with an average nucleotide difference of 10.7% relative to the LaSota vaccine strain. Additionally, several amino acid substitutions were identified in known neutralizing epitopes, along with evidence of positive selection at antigenically significant sites. These findings demonstrate the endemic circulation of genetically diverse genotype VII Newcastle disease virus strains in Punjab and provide molecular insights into potential antigenic divergence between vaccine and field strains, highlighting the need for further functional efficacy studies. Continuous molecular surveillance and the reassessment of vaccination strategies are essential for achieving effective and sustainable control of Newcastle disease in Pakistan. Cite this article as: Naveed, M. T., Gulzar, M. W., Ahmad, M. M., Azeem, M. W., Ali, M. A., Anwar, M. N., Riaz, S., Shah, M. S., & Habib, M. (2026). Molecular and phylogenetic evidence of endemic genotype VII Newcastle disease virus circulation and vaccine mismatch in Punjab, Pakistan. Acta Veterinaria Eurasia, 52, 0072, doi: 10.5152/actavet.2026.26072.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of serum alpha-klo-tho levels in identifying renal damage associated with pyometra in dogs. The study was conducted on 30 female mixed-breed dogs. The dogs were divided into two groups based on anamnesis obtained from the owner, physical and gynecological examination findings, and diagnostic abdominal imaging results. The control group (group 1, n = 10) consisted of healthy dogs with no clinical or ultrasonographic findings of pyometra; the pyometra group (group 2, n = 20) consisted of dogs in which the uterine lumen was found to be filled with flocculated or non-flocculated, hypoechoic to hyperechoic fluid on ultrasonographic examination. Ten of the dogs in the pyometra group had open cervix pyometra, and ten had closed cervix pyometra. Blood samples from all dogs were analyzed for urea, creatinine, phosphorus, serum alpha-klotho, C-reactive protein, and symmetric dimethylarginine levels. White blood cell, C-reactive protein, phosphorus, and symmetric dimethylarginine values were significantly higher in the pyometra group compared to the control group (p < .01), while serum α-klotho levels were significantly lower in dogs with pyometra (p < .001). Compared to the open cervix pyometra group, the closed cervix pyometra group had higher white blood cell, C-reactive protein, creatinine, urea, phosphorus, and symmetric dimethylarginine levels (p < .05), and significantly lower alpha-klotho levels (p < .001). Significant negative correlations were found between serum alpha-klotho levels and white blood cell, C-reactive protein, phosphorus, and symmetric dimet- hylarginine in both pyometra and healthy dogs (r = −0.826, r = −0.861, r = −0.655, and r = −0.891, respectively; p < .01 for all). In conclusion, alt- hough significant changes in serum α-klotho levels were detected in dogs with pyometra, their diagnostic utility alone in identifying pyometra-induced kidney damage could not be determined. Cite this article as: Yaprakci, Ö., Demirtaş, A. C., Özaslan, N., Turan, M., Çakalli, M. C., & Akkuş, T. (2026). Potential role of serum alpha-klotho in early detection of renal damage in dogs with pyometra. Acta Veterinaria Eurasia, 52, 0156, doi:10.5152/actavet.2026.26011.
