A 2-year-old, spayed female, mixed breed dog presented for evaluation of recurrent febrile episodes over 5 months, intermittently accompanied by the development of SC nodules. Histopathologic examination of the SC lesions was indicative of panniculitis. Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotype III DNA was amplified and sequenced from an excised SC nodule. Indirect immunofluorescence antibody titer was 1:64, whereas Bartonella blood PCR was negative. Babesia odocoilei-like species DNA was amplified and sequenced from 2 blood samples obtained 77 days apart at the time of febrile episodes. Treatment with doxycycline, enrofloxacin, and azithromycin for 6 months resulted in a favorable clinical outcome. Fifteen months later, the dog remained healthy. This case indicates that relapsing fever and panniculitis are possible manifestations of B vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotype III infection in dogs. To the best of the authors' knowledge, infection with a B odocoilei-like species has not been reported previously in dogs from Greece.

Canine mast cell tumors (MCTs) exhibit heterogeneous biological behavior and provide a clinically relevant setting in which relationships between tumor phenotype and systemic redox homeostasis can be investigated. This exploratory prospective cohort study evaluated complementary circulating redox-related biomarkers representing hydroperoxide-derived oxidant products, antioxidant capacity, lipid peroxidation-related products, and oxidative DNA damage, and examined their associations with clinicopathological features of canine MCTs. Sixty-seven dogs with cytologically and histologically confirmed cutaneous or subcutaneous MCTs were included. Clinical staging was performed using cytological evaluation of lymph nodes, liver and spleen, and excised tumors were classified according to the Patnaik and Kiupel systems. Proliferative activity was assessed using Ki-67, and surgically excised lymph nodes were classified according to the Weishaar HN system. Serum reactive oxygen metabolites (d-ROMs), malondialdehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and antioxidant capacity using the OXY-adsorbent test were measured before therapeutic intervention. In the unadjusted analysis, serum MDA concentrations were higher in dogs with Ki-67 >23 than in dogs with Ki-67 ≤23 (median 10.8 vs. 7.0 μmol/L; raw p = 0.0254); however, this comparison did not remain statistically significant after Bonferroni correction for the 12 formal inferential biomarker × clinicopathological comparisons (adjusted p = 0.3052). The estimated Hodges–Lehmann location shift was +3.00 μmol/L (unadjusted bootstrap 95% CI, 0.58–6.00). No evaluated biomarker–clinicopathological association remained statistically significant after multiplicity adjustment. The observed MDA–Ki-67 pattern should therefore be regarded as exploratory and hypothesis-generating rather than as evidence of established prognostic or clinical utility. Long-term data on recurrence, progression, and survival were not available; therefore, prognostic utility could not be evaluated. Larger prospective studies incorporating longitudinal outcomes are warranted.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate whether pretreatment with gabapentin or alprazolam in cats increases sedation, facilitates intravenous catheter placement (IVCP), or reduces propofol requirements for intubation compared to placebo. Methods All cats that participated in this prospective, randomized, blinded, controlled clinical trial were admitted for elective ovariohysterectomy at a veterinary teaching hospital from 2022 to 2023. The cats were healthy, were ≥ 6 months old, and weighed > 3 kg. The cats were randomly assigned to 3 groups: group G received gabapentin (100 mg/cat), group A received alprazolam (0.125 mg/cat), and group P received a placebo. Ninety minutes after the pretreatment administration, premedication with acepromazine (0.02 mg/kg) and buprenorphine (0.02 mg/kg) was administered intramuscularly. Thirty minutes later, sedation levels, IVCP difficulty, and propofol requirements for intubation were evaluated. Results A total of 60 cats were finally included, with 20 cats in each group. Sedation scores were significantly higher in both group G and group A compared to group P, with no significant difference observed between group G and group A. No differences were observed in the difficulty of IVCP among the groups. Propofol requirements for intubation were significantly lower in group A (4.6 ± 1.2 mg/kg) compared to both group G (6.7 ± 2.4 mg/kg) and group P (8.4 ± 1.9 mg/kg). Conclusions Pretreatment with gabapentin or alprazolam increased sedation in cats undergoing premedication. Alprazolam reduced the propofol required for intubation, though neither drug facilitated IVCP. Clinical Relevance The findings of our study can have implications for anesthesia protocols in feline patients.

This retrospective study assessed the potential of blood leukocyte ratios as diagnostic biomarkers in cats with chronic enteropathies (CE). Absolute neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR), neutrophil-to-monocyte (NMR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte (LMR) ratios were calculated from the hematological profiles of 221 cats, including healthy controls (n = 73), and those diagnosed with food-responsive enteropathy (FRE, n = 59), steroid-responsive enteropathy (SRE, n = 56), or small cell lymphoma (SCL, n = 33). SCL cats had higher NLRs than SRE (p = 0.002) and FRE (p = 0.028), and lower LMRs than SRE (p = 0.012) and FRE (p = 0.001). Healthy cats had lower NLRs compared to the FRE (p < 0.001), SRE (p < 0.001), and SCL (p < 0.001) cats and higher LMRs compared to the FRE (p < 0.001), SRE (p < 0.001), and SCL (p < 0.001) cats. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that NLR ≥ 11.6 differentiated SCL from SRE with 87.5% specificity but low sensitivity (39.4%). NMR ≥ 34.5 distinguished FRE from SRE with 52.5% sensitivity and 69.6% specificity. LMR ≥ 3.72 differentiated SRE from SCL with 67.9% sensitivity and 60.6% specificity. Although significant differences in leukocyte ratios were observed among groups, their diagnostic accuracy in differentiating CE phenotypes was suboptimal. These findings suggest that the utility of NLR, NMR, and LMR as standalone diagnostic tools is limited.

Lymph node (LN) cytology is sensitive for the detection of parasites in dogs with leishmaniosis (CanL) and is used for the semiquantitative measurement of parasitic burden. The aim of this study was to investigate the repeatability and reproducibility of the qualitative (detection of Leishmania amastigotes) and semiquantitative (measurement of parasitic burden using a logarithmic scale) results of LN cytology. Three experienced examiners evaluated, blindly and independently of each other, two LN smears from each of the 53 dogs, including dogs without CanL (n = 40 smears), dogs with CanL (n = 32 smears), and dogs during or after treatment of CanL (n = 40 smears). Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ) indicated substantial-to-good agreement of the qualitative results when the same examiner evaluated the same smear twice (intraobserver repeatability; κ = 0.75–0.964), when the same examiner evaluated the two smears from the same dog (inter-sample reproducibility; κ = 0.626–0.964), and when different examiners evaluated the same smears (interobserver reproducibility; κ = 0.626–0.893). For the semiquantitative results, allowing a one-point difference in each pair of measurements, agreement was also substantial to good with κ values of 0.952–1 (intraobserver repeatability), 0.732–0.935 (inter-sample reproducibility), and 0.804–0.941 (interobserver reproducibility). High repeatability and reproducibility, in addition to high sensitivity, indicate that LN cytology is useful for diagnosis and treatment monitoring of CanL.

This prospective, randomized study aimed to assess the anxiolytic efficacy of gabapentin or alprazolam in cats during short-term postoperative hospitalization. Sixty cats were randomly assigned to three groups (gabapentin-treated [100 mg per cat], alprazolam-treated [0.125 mg per cat], or placebo-treated), with treatments administered twice daily for two days. Stress levels were evaluated using Cat Stress Scores, serum cortisol, and glucose concentrations. Pain scores, food consumption, and adverse effects such as sedation were also monitored. Fifty-five cats completed the study. Both medications demonstrated similar reductions in stress levels. Cats receiving gabapentin had lower pain scores, while those receiving alprazolam exhibited significantly increased food intake on the first postoperative day. However, both medications resulted in comparable levels of sedation. In the context of postoperative hospitalization, pharmacological intervention with anxiolytics could be effective in reducing stress levels. Despite potential side effects, gabapentin and alprazolam may contribute to an improved quality of short-term hospitalization for cats.

Mast cell tumors (MCTs) are common skin neoplasms in dogs. Prognostic indicators include histologic grade, clinical stage, high Ki-67 index, elevated argyrophilic nucleolus organizer regions (AgNOR) index, c-kit mutations, and recurrence after surgery. Blood serum redox status has been shown to correlate with prognostic factors in canine lymphoma and mammary tumors. This study aimed to assess the correlation between established prognostic factors and serum redox status and lipid metabolism analytes in dogs with MCTs. Dogs with cutaneous (n = 33) or subcutaneous (n = 6) MCTs, without comorbidities, were studied. Staging was evaluated based on cytology of regional lymph nodes and ultrasound-guided liver and spleen aspiration cytology. Histologic grading and immunohistochemical staining for Ki-67 and KIT patterns were performed on excised tumor specimens. Dogs were categorized by Patnaik grading (1–3), Kiupel grading (low/high), metastatic status, Ki-67 positive nuclei per cm2 (>23 or ≤23), and KIT pattern (I, II–III). Paraoxonase-1, Butyrylcholinesterase, Cupric Reducing Antioxidant Capacity (CUPRAC), Diacron Reactive Oxygen Metabolites (d-ROMs), and oxy-adsorbent levels were measured before any therapeutic intervention. ANOVA and independent t-tests were used to detect differences in the mean values among groups. Paraoxonase-1 activity was significantly lower in Patnaik grade 3 (p = 0.003) and Kiupel high-grade (p = 0.022) MCTs. No significant differences were found in CUPRAC, d-ROMs, or oxy-adsorbent levels across different prognostic groups. This study found a significant correlation between histologic grading and Paraoxonase-1 activity, suggesting a potential role of Paraoxonase-1 as a prognostic biomarker in canine MCTs.

Limited data exist on the factors affecting feline rabies vaccination outcomes during primary immunization. This study aimed to assess if specific factors (signalment, vaccination count, vaccine brand, and time since last vaccination) correlated with meeting global antibody titer standards and absolute titers in young cats given monovalent inactivated rabies vaccines. Analyzing a dataset from cats tested before their first annual booster using the FAVN test, logistic and linear regression models were applied. Among 379 cats, 94.2 % achieved titers meeting or exceeding the standard threshold (≥0.5 IU/ml). Time since last vaccination proved to be the primary predictor of vaccination success. Cats receiving two vaccinations tended toward higher titers. Age, sex, breed, and vaccine type showed no impact on outcomes. The present study indicates that vaccination failure in young cats is uncommon, and that the time interval from the latest vaccination is the single most important predictor of successful rabies vaccination.

There is currently sparse information on the possible effect of long-term storage of serum specimens for the retrospective serodiagnosis of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME). The aim of this study was to assess the agreement between the original serologic outcome and the results of a repeat indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) assay for the detection of IgG antibodies against E. canis. A secondary aim was to compare the diagnostic performance of two commercially available point-of-care (POC) immunochromatographic (IC) assays. Archived serum samples originally tested as positive (n=66) or negative (n=19) for E. canis IgG antibodies and kept frozen at -20oC for a median of 22 years, were retrospectively examined by IFA and by two POC IC assays. Cohen’s Kappa coefficient (0.748, p < 0.0001), indicated a substantial agreement between the original and repeat serologic testing results. An almost identical high sensitivity and moderate specificity were established for the two POC IC assays. Canine serum specimens on long-term storage may still be of value for seroepidemiologic surveys investigating the exposure to E. canis.

An 8-year-old, intact male, Jack Russell Terrier dog was admitted with a 10-day history of an enlargement in the right submandibular area. Clinical examination revealed a subcutaneous, solid, firmly attached and painless mass (3 × 2 cm) located in the area of the right mandibular salivary gland, in an otherwise seemingly healthy dog. Fine-needle-aspiration cytology suggested a round cell neoplasia, most consistent with a plasma cell tumor. Histopathologic and immunohistochemical (MUM1) examination, following surgical excision of the mass, confirmed the diagnosis of a plasma cell tumor embedded in the right mandibular salivary gland. Clinical staging reasonably excluded a disseminated plasma cell tumor. The dog remains healthy and in complete remission 23 months following surgical excision of the mass. Albeit rare, extramedullary plasma cell tumors can affect the salivary glands of dogs.

OBJECTIVE To assess the level of anxiolysis achieved by alprazolam and gabapentin in hospitalized cats prior to elective ovariohysterectomy and to evaluate the sedative effects of these agents. ANIMALS 60 client-owned female cats classified as American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status 1, admitted for elective ovariohysterectomy at a veterinary teaching hospital. METHODS The cats were prospectively and randomly allocated into 3 groups. Ninety minutes before evaluation, group G received gabapentin (100 mg/cat), group A received alprazolam (0.125 mg/cat), and group P received no medication (placebo). Stress, enclosure activity, and sedation scores were blindly evaluated. RESULTS Stress scores were similar in cats treated with gabapentin and alprazolam and gabapentin-treated cats had significantly lower stress score than those of the placebo group. Enclosure activity levels did not differ among the groups. Additionally, gabapentin and alprazolam resulted in similar sedation levels 90 minutes after treatment, which differed significantly compared to placebo. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The results of this study suggest that gabapentin provides similar anxiolysis in cats to that of alprazolam when evaluated 90 minutes after administration. Although no difference was noted in sedation levels between gabapentin and alprazolam, both induced deeper sedation than placebo.

An adult domestic short-haired feline leukemia virus-infected cat was referred for kidney failure and worsening anemia requiring transfusions. ABC blood typing was performed with an immunochromatographic strip assay at different occasions. Gel column systems were used for the major and minor crossmatching tests, and anti-A and anti-B titers were determined. No discrete A or B bands appeared on the immunochromatographic strips at any time point for the recipient cat. The recipient's plasma agglutinated RBCs from tested type A and B cats. The recipient's RBCs appeared compatible with plasma from 1 type A and 2 B donors, and incompatible with plasma from another type A cat. Genotyping of recipient blood revealed a single homozygous c.179G>T CMAH variant predicting a blood type B. These studies suggest an unusual weak type B or missing all ABC antigens. The latter resembles the exceedingly rare Bombay phenotype in the human ABO blood group system.

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most important protozoan diseases with a global impact on the health of domestic cats and with zoonotic significance. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of seropositivity for Toxoplasma gondii in different populations of cats in Greece and to assess risk factors for seropositivity. A total of 457 cats were prospectively enrolled, and a commercially available indirect immunofluorescence antibody testing (IFAT) kit was used for the detection of anti-T. gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) in serum. Overall, 95 (20.8%) of the 457 cats were seropositive for T. gondii. Based on multivariate analysis, factors associated with seropositivity included older age [Odds ratio (OR), 1.33; p < 0.001]; a history of cat-fight trauma (OR, 3.88; p = 0.004); and lack of vaccination against calicivirus, herpesvirus-1, panleukopenia, and rabies (OR, 10; p = 0.002). This study shows a high prevalence of seropositivity for T. gondii in cats in Greece. This implies that toxoplasmosis is still a major public health concern and that optimal strategies for the prevention of infection with T. gondii in cats should be established.

Information is limited on the factors that may affect the preputial differential epithelial cell count in healthy intact dogs. Our objectives were to establish RIs of the preputial differential epithelial cell count in dogs and investigate the potential impact of signalment, presence of gross preputial discharge or neutrophils, preputial cleaning, and normal estrogen variation on the differential cell count. We enrolled prospectively 50 client-owned, healthy dogs in our study. Preputial cytology smears were obtained, and we performed a 4-part (parabasal, intermediate, superficial, cornified) differential cell count, before and after gentle preputial cleaning. We found higher counts of fully cornified cells (median: 11-12%) compared to previous studies. The cleaning procedure significantly decreased the intermediate (p = 0.002) and increased the superficial (p = 0.006) cells. Age was positively associated with intermediate (p = 0.007) and negatively with superficial (p = 0.01) and cornified (p = 0.02) cells. The concentration of estrogens was negatively associated with the percentage of parabasal cells (p = 0.04). In healthy dogs, a variable impact may be expected in the preputial differential epithelial cell count, by the cleaning of the prepuce before sampling, the age of the dogs, and the normal variation of estrogen concentration.

Acute canine monocytic ehrlichiosis due to Ehrlichia canis (aCME), and primary immune thrombocytopenia (pITP) are major differentials for dogs presented with thrombocytopenia, and the two diseases may clinically overlap. The aim of this study was to compare dogs diagnosed with naturally occurring aCME and pITP, to establish potentially useful clinical and clinicopathologic discriminators. A clinical record-based retrospective study was performed in 35 dogs diagnosed with aCME and 29 dogs with pITP. Dogs with aCME were significantly younger, and were more likely to experience depression or lethargy, anorexia, body weight loss, fever, lymphadenomegaly, tick infestation, and ocular discharge on admission, compared to dogs with pITP. In contrast, dogs with pITP presented more frequently with overt bleeding and had a significantly higher bleeding score compared to dogs with aCME. Dogs with aCME were more likely to be anemic and hypoalbuminemic on presentation compared to dogs with pITP. Dogs with pITP had higher white blood cell and neutrophil counts as well as lower platelet counts than dogs with aCME and were more likely to present with leukocytosis, neutrophilia and monocytosis. These clinical, hematological, and biochemical findings may be helpful discriminators between aCME and pITP, on the understanding that they will be interpreted in the context of disease-specific testing.

In endemic areas, dogs with leishmaniosis due to Leishmania infantum frequently have comorbidities, including mostly neoplastic, infectious, and parasitic diseases. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of comorbidities among dogs that are not infected by L. infantum, dogs that are infected but do not present leish-maniosis, and dogs with leishmaniosis, and to examine if certain comorbidities are independent risk factors for the infection by L. infantum and/or for the development of canine leishmaniosis (CanL). A total of 111 dogs, older than 1-year and non-vaccinated against CanL, were allocated into three groups: group A (n = 18) included dogs that were not infected by L. infantum, group B (n = 52) included dogs that were infected by L. infantum but did not present CanL, and group C (n = 41) included dogs with CanL. Signalment and historical data were obtained using a structured questionnaire. Laboratory examinations included complete blood count, serum biochemistry, urinalysis, fecal parasitology, modified Knott's test, microscopic examination of capillary blood, buffy coat, lymph node, bone marrow and conjunctival smears, qualitative serology for Dirofilaria immitis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum/A. platys, Borrelia burgdorferi and E. canis, IFAT for L. infantum, ELISA for Babesia spp. and Neospora caninum, and real-time PCR for L. infantum in bone marrow, skin biopsies and conjunctival swabs. A variety of comorbidities were found in all three groups. No independent risk factors for infection by L. infantum were found. On the contrary, among dogs infected by L. infantum, being a mongrel [odds ratio (OR): 11.2], not receiving prevention for dirofilariosis (OR: 26.5) and being seropositive to N. caninum (OR: 17.1) or to Babesia spp. (OR: 37.6), were independent risk factors for presenting CanL. Although no comorbidities influence the probability of canine infection by L. infantum, certain comorbidities may be precipitating factors for the tran-sition from the subclinical infection by L. infantum to the overt CanL.

Veterinary Clinical PathologyVolume 51, Issue 2 p. 286-288 WHAT IS YOUR DIAGNOSIS? What is your diagnosis? Buccal lymph node fine-needle aspirate from a dog Meropi Vergou, Meropi Vergou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorAnastasia Diakou, Anastasia Diakou Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorDimitra Pardali, Dimitra Pardali orcid.org/0000-0002-2912-8062 Diagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorAnatoli Tachmazidou, Anatoli Tachmazidou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorDimitris Timiou, Dimitris Timiou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorKaterina K. Adamama-Moraitou, Katerina K. Adamama-Moraitou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorAnastasia Komnenou, Anastasia Komnenou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorSimone Morelli, Simone Morelli Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorMarika Grillini, Marika Grillini Department Maps, University of Padua, Padua, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorMathios E. Mylonakis, Corresponding Author Mathios E. Mylonakis mmylonak@vet.auth.gr orcid.org/0000-0002-5161-3056 Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Correspondence Mathios E. Mylonakis, Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Stavrou Voutyra 11, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece. Email: mmylonak@vet.auth.grSearch for more papers by this author Meropi Vergou, Meropi Vergou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorAnastasia Diakou, Anastasia Diakou Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorDimitra Pardali, Dimitra Pardali orcid.org/0000-0002-2912-8062 Diagnostic Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorAnatoli Tachmazidou, Anatoli Tachmazidou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorDimitris Timiou, Dimitris Timiou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorKaterina K. Adamama-Moraitou, Katerina K. Adamama-Moraitou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorAnastasia Komnenou, Anastasia Komnenou Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceSearch for more papers by this authorSimone Morelli, Simone Morelli Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Teramo, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorMarika Grillini, Marika Grillini Department Maps, University of Padua, Padua, ItalySearch for more papers by this authorMathios E. Mylonakis, Corresponding Author Mathios E. Mylonakis mmylonak@vet.auth.gr orcid.org/0000-0002-5161-3056 Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece Correspondence Mathios E. Mylonakis, Companion Animal Clinic, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Stavrou Voutyra 11, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece. Email: mmylonak@vet.auth.grSearch for more papers by this author First published: 07 February 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/vcp.13043Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume51, Issue2June 2022Pages 286-288 RelatedInformation

Feline coronavirus (FCoV) is a highly contagious and ubiquitous virus of domestic cats and wild felids. Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a fatal, systemic disease caused by FCoV infection when spontaneous mutations of the viral genome take place. The aims of this study were primarily to determine the prevalence of seropositivity for FCoV in different populations of cats in Greece and assess risk factors for seropositivity. A total of 453 cats were prospectively enrolled in the study. A commercially available IFAT kit was used for the detection of FCoV IgG antibodies in serum. Overall, 55 (12.1 %) of the 453 cats were seropositive for FCoV. Based on multivariable analysis, factors associated with FCoV-seropositivity included cats adopted as strays and contact with other cats. This is the first extensive study on the epidemiology of FCoV in cats from Greece and one of the largest worldwide. Feline coronavirus infection is relatively common in Greece. Therefore, it is necessary to establish optimal strategies for the prevention of FCoV infection, considering the high-risk groups of cats identified in this study.

OBJECTIVES:To assess the impact of aspiration on cytologic quality of fine-needle specimens obtained from lymph nodes of dogs and to compare the level of agreement of the cytologic diagnosis between the two sampling techniques.MATERIALS AND METHODS:Fifty-three client-owned dogs were prospectively enrolled. Client-owned dogs were prospectively enrolled in the study if cytologic examination of lymph nodes was indicated in the course of their clinical diagnostic work-up. In each dog, two superficial, palpably accessible lymph nodes were sampled: one by fine-needle aspiration and the other by fine-needle non-aspiration, using a 21-Gauge needle with or without a 5-mL syringe. Cytologic quality was assessed in duplicate smears assessed by two observers who rated cellularity, blood contamination, thickness, cell preservation and cytoplasmic fragmentation using a predefined scoring system.RESULTS:Fifty-three client-owned dogs were included in the study. No significant difference was found in rating scores between the two sampling techniques for any of the cytologic quality parameters assessed. Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.84 (95% confidence interval 0.68-1.00), indicating diagnostic agreement between the sampling techniques.CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE:In this study, both fine-needle aspiration and fine-needle non-aspiration techniques yielded lymph node specimens of comparable cytologic quality and with acceptable agreement in cytologic diagnosis.