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Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) control programs generally rely on intradermal tuberculin tests for the antemortem diagnosis of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle, but these tests detect only a portion of the infected animals. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic coverage of a combination of the bTB antemortem techniques known as the comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CITT) and an ELISA based on a recombinant chimera of ESAT-6/MPB70/MPB83 as the antigen in cattle. The results were compared to postmortem findings based on M. bovis culturing and PCR. Paired comparisons of all data (n=92) demonstrated that ELISA and LST results compared to the culturing results did not present significant differences (P=0.27 on McNemar's test and P=0.12 on Fisher's exact test, respectively). Using culturing as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 79.5% (95% CI: 64.5-89.2%) and 75.5% (95% CI: 62.4-85.1%), respectively, whereas LST demonstrated 100% sensitivity (95% CI: 91.03-100%) and 92.5% specificity (95% CI: 82.1-97.0%). The ELISA results did not reveal significant differences in relation to the LST results (P>0.99 on Fisher's exact test). Using the latter as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 79.1% (95% CI: 64.8-88.6%) and 79.6% (95% CI: 66.4-88.5%), respectively. The use of ELISA with the recombinant chimera of ESAT-6/MPB70/MPB83 as the antigen complements the diagnostic coverage provided by CITT and increases the removal of infected animals from herds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira is the property of Colegio Brasileiro de Patologia Animal - CBPA 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.)

Leptospirosis causes substantial economic losses in horses. Nevertheless, humoral response postvaccine is not well described and there is a paucity of knowledge regarding the dynamics of the response in naturally infected horses under field conditions. Fifty-four randomly selected mares, 36 vaccinated (group I) and 18 nonvaccinated (II—control), were used. Mares in group I were given two doses of a multivalent (12 antigens) commercial vaccine (D0 and booster on D40). Blood samples were collected (for microscopic agglutination test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) at D0, D7, D14, D21, D30, D60, and D90. Vaccination significantly interfered with the production of antileptospiral antibodies. Seroreactivity increased rapidly, but was of short duration (up to D60). Responses varied among serogroups present in the vaccine, with the most intense responses against those serogroups that were previously circulating in the herd (Icterohaemorrhagiae and Australis). Therefore, we concluded that vaccines elicited a significant humoral response in horses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leptospirosis is an important disease in equine reproduction. Recently, a specific genital syndrome, named Equine Genital Leptospirosis (EGL), distinct from renal/systemic disease, was described (Di Azevedo & Lilenbaum, Theriogenology. 2022; 192:81-8). Herein we present a typical case of EGL in a pregnant mare diagnosed in the northeastern region of Brazil. A mixed-breed mare of 436kg at 243 days of gestation, presented with hyperechogenic allantoic fluid, placental edema, and fetal tachycardia in a routine obstetrics examination. Serum progesterone and estradiol (RIA) were normal (6.26ng/mL and 1404.76pg/mL, respectively). The serology for equine herpes virus1 or –4) was negative. Placentitis treatment was started with flunixin meglumine (1.1mg/kg, IV, SID, 5 days) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (30mg/kg, PO, BID). On subsequent evaluation (272 days of gestation), the placenta was heterogeneous, showing mild edema, with multiple folds in the cervical star region and placental detachment was suspected. The fetal evaluation did not show any abnormalities. Serum progesterone and estradiol were 9.86ng/mL and 872.73pg/mL, respectively. Cervicovaginal mucous (CVM) cytology did not show any abnormalcharacteristics. A PCR for leptospirosis was conducted from urine (negative) and from CVM (positive). Serology (Microscopic Agglutination Test) for Leptospira spp was positive (titre 200) for serogroup Australis. The low titers against this Leptospira serogroup (which includes serovar Bratislava), together with a negative PCR on urine and positive PCR on CVM, strongly supports a diagnosis of EGL syndrome. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was then substituted with doxycycline (10mg/kg, PO, BID) until parturition, which was uneventful at 332 days of pregnancy. The placenta had mild macroscopic lesions on the cervical star and at the tip of the gravid horn. The foal had normal general clinical parameters at birth, but physical signs of immaturity and leukopenia with a shift to the left. Treatment with amikacin (25mg/kg, IV, SID) and one liter of plasma was established and the foal made a full recovery. EGL is primarily a reproductive syndrome and is characterized by a chronic, silent, and genital-focused disease, distinct from renal or systemic syndromes. It is vastly underdiagnosed, and the disease is little studied and underestimated. This is the first case fully reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira is the property of Colegio Brasileiro de Patologia Animal - CBPA 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.)

The article presents an evaluation of the performance of a MPB70-ELISA capture antigen on swine for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis. Topics include sensitization using Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium oil suspensions, the limitations of intradermal tests, and the common use of serological assays in the detection of lymphadenitis. It also discusses the presence of a detectable humoral response in swine after mycobacterial infection.

The article presents a study which investigated the use of different diagnostic methods in a herd of dairy Holstein and Gir cows infected naturally with tuberculosis (TB). The study compared the performance of the diagnostic tools for TB in cattle including interferon-gamma assay (IFN), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), bacteriological culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CITT). It has found that the tests are not sufficiently effective to be used alone and emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary approach for diagnosis and control of the disease.

The article discusses a study designed to assess the histopathology showing the different stages of bovine tuberculosis infection in a herd that was naturally infected. The study also sought to determine the cellular differences among recent and advanced bovine tuberculosis infections. A dairy herd comprised of 270 adult crossbred Holstein and Gir cows has been observed, 15 of which that shown to be reactive to the single intradermal tuberculin test (SITT) along with nine other cows have been subjected to comparative intradermal tuberculin test (CITT). Results showed that Mycobacterium (M.) bovis was detected in the tissue samples of 13 cows.

The article discusses a research study which determined the association between ophthalmic alterations and seroreactivity to leptospirosis by serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae in horses in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The researchers detected specific anti-Leptospira antibodies in blood serum using microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Forty-four of the 107 seroreactive horses were against serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae. Among the frequent ophthalmic alterations in seroreactive horses observed were epiphora, ocular congestion, blepharospasm, photophobia, and peripapillary focal depigmentation. The study results suggested the link between equine uveitis and leptospirosis.

The article presents research which identifies diverse species and antimicrobial resistance of staphylococci isolated from canine urinary tract infection (UTI). It notes that biochemical reactions determined and tested the colonies in pure culture. The study reveals the alarming antimicrobial resistance of the isolated Staphylococcus genus and features the significance of coagulase-negative staphylococci in its etiology.

Cryopreservation is a recognized method for the maintenance of Leptospira collections. Although cryoprotectants are commonly used in order to prevent or reduce the adverse effects of freezing, there is no consensus regarding the protocols of cryopreservation. This study aimed to compare cryopreservation protocols for Leptospira using different glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) concentrations. Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae, L. interrogans serovar Bratislava, and L. borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo were used as the experimental strains. For each strain, three protocols were tested using 5% and 10% glycerol and 2.5% DMSO. For each protocol, 12 tubes containing 1.5 mL of serovar were frozen at −70°C on the same day. An aliquot of each serovar/protocol was thawed once a month throughout 1 year. The viability of leptospires was evaluated by the recovery of those at days 7, 14, and 21 after thawing. Although no significant difference was found among the leptospiral recovery rates for the 9 serovar/protocols tested, DMSO (2.5%) was shown to be slightly better than glycerol, and its use should be encouraged as a cryoprotectant for leptospires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on a study conducted by the authors on characterization and recovery of serogroup Australis from swine urine which reveals that five out of fifteen sera were reactive against the leptospira interrogan.

The article discusses a study on the detection of specific antibodies in cows after injection of purified protein derivative (PPD). Topics highlighted include the use of Single Intradermal Comparative Cervical Tuberculin test (SICCT), interference between PPD inoculation and cellular immune response, and anamnestic effect in infected animals. Also mentioned are cell-mediated immune response (CMI), mycobacterial antigens and bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to detect leptospiral DNA by PCR in semen and urine samples of stallions to test for venereal transmission in horses. A total of 10 stallions from four herds were studied, and sampling was conducted in semen and urine for culture and PCR and serum for serology. From the 10 serum samples tested, 6 (60%) were seroreactive. No pure culture was obtained, but leptospiral DNA was detected by PCR in 50% of the semen samples and 30% of urine samples. The present study aimed to detect leptospiral DNA by PCR in semen and urine samples of stallions to test for venereal transmission in horses. Based on these findings, we suggest that there is potential transmission of leptospirosis in horses by sexual transmission. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article discusses a research study on the occurrence of pulmonary hemorrhage (PH) and its severity in horses that are seropositive for leptospirosis. Researchers collected blood samples of 84 racing Thorouighbred horses for testing the anti-Leptospira antibodies through the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) then endoscopic examinations performed after 60 minutes of racing. Seropositive horses to Copenhageni were treated with procaine penicillin G with streptomycin. It notes other owners who did not authorize the use of procaine. Results showed that 84 serum samples were reactive to Copenhageni serovar with 20.5% presenting titer of 100, 20.2% presenting PH more among seropositives at 34.7% than seronegatives at 8.6%.