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Background: This study aimed to investigate variations of the oxidative status in cats affected by urethral obstruction (UO) under Feline Idiopathic Cystitis (FIC) and Bacterial Cystitis (BC), in comparison with a group of healthy subjects. In both groups, the levels of several markers (either direct or indirect) indicative of the oxidative attack and of the antioxidant response were analyzed on plasma and urine samples. In particular, the plasma samples were evaluated for nitric oxide (NO), hydroperoxides derived by reactive oxygen activity (d-ROMs test), superoxide anion (O 2 - ), glutathione peroxidase activity (GPx), superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP test); while on urine the levels of NO, d-ROMs, FRAP, SOD, malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were measured. Urine of UO patients was also subjected to urine-culture test., Results: The analytical data on plasma showed that UO, independently of the FIC or BC etiology, induced the insurgence of oxidative stress conditions at the systemic level. In the urine of the UO patients, except for SOD that increased, the markers of redox status were markedly decreased due probably their compromised filtration, thus suggesting involvement of renal function (assessed also by the high levels of plasma creatinine and proteinuria) with no oxidative damage of the lower urinary tract. Moreover, the adoption of a novel oxidative stress index' (OSI) allowed to establish, by means of a numerical value, the different degrees of oxidative stress conditions for single UO patients, both in terms of oxidative attack and antioxidant response., Conclusions: Feline urethral obstruction, induced by Idiopathic Cystitis and Bacterial Cystitis, causes oxidative stress conditions at the systemic level that do not interest the lower urinary tract. Despite to the high variability of the profiles of oxidative stress indexes both in healthy and UO patients, the determination of OSI made possible the evaluation of their single degrees of oxidative stress. Possibly the results of this investigation can be compared with those of correspondent pathologies both in humans and in other animal species., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: A clinical trial was conducted in order to assess the efficacy of rifaximin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic with negligible gastrointestinal absorption, in comparison with metronidazole, a commonly employed antimicrobial drug, in dogs with chronic enteropathy. Twenty-four pet dogs were randomly enrolled into two different groups: MET group (10 dogs) and RIF group (14 dogs). Dogs of MET group received metronidazole 15 mg/kg q12h for 21 days by oral route, whereas dogs of RIF group, were given rifaximin 25 mg/kg q12h for 21 days by oral route. Clinical signs of disease were evaluated the day before the beginning of drug administration (D0), and at the end of treatment (D21), by means of Canine IBD Activity Index (CIBDAI). Blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) at D0 and D21 were also measured, as another parameter of treatment efficacy. The primary outcome measure of efficacy was the complete remission at D21, defined as a 75 % or greater decrease of CIBDAI; secondary outcome measures were the variation of mean CIBDAI scores, of mean CRP serum levels, and any observed adverse effect from D0 to D21., Results: Treatment with metronidazole or rifaximin greatly improved the clinical signs of disease in each group: in MET group the complete remission was achieved in 8 of 10 dogs (80.0 %), and partial remission in 2 subjects (20.0 %). In RIF group, 12 of 14 dogs showed complete remission (85.7 %), and the remaining 2 dogs were in partial remission (14.3 %). There were also significant decreases of CIBDAI scores (P = 0.002 and P = 0.0002 for MET and RIF, respectively), and CRP levels (P = 0.002 and P = 0.0001 for MET and RIF, respectively) compared to pre-treatment values in both groups. No significant difference, however, was found when comparing MET and RIF groups. No relevant side-effect was reported during the trial with either drugs., Conclusions: The present study showed, for the first time, that oral rifaximin could represent an effective alternative to metronidazole for the induction of clinical remission in dogs with chronic enteropathy.

Background: In captive breed turtles and tortoises conjunctival disease is common. Our aim was to investigate the bacterial and fungal flora present in the eyes of healthy and pathological chelonians and to compare findings in turtles with those in tortoises., Results: Samples were taken from the conjunctival sacs of 34, diseased and healthy, chelonians (18 tortoises and 16 turtles) and submitted to bacterial and fungal investigation. All samples showed bacterial growth. Thirteen animals (38%), harboured a single bacterial species as sole isolate and twenty-one animals (62%) harboured more than one species. Detection of multiple bacterial infection was clearly greater in tortoises compared to turtles. Most frequently isolated bacterial species were Bacillus spp. (13 isolates), Staphylococcus xylosus (10 isolates), Sphingomonas paucimobilis (6 isolates), Staphylococcus sciuri and Aeromonas hydrophila/caviae (each 5 isolates), Ochrobactrum anthropi (3 isolates), Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas luteola (each 2 isolates). Only one isolate of Kocuria varians/rosea, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus auricularis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus lentus, Morganella morganii, Pasteurella multocida, Pasteurella pneumotropica/haemolytica, Proteus spp., Pseudomonas putida, Salmonella enterica ssp. arizonae, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Vibrio parahaemolyticus was evidenced. The presence in 8 animals of Mycoplasma spp. and in 1 animal with severe conjunctivitis of Chlamydia spp. was detected by PCR. Candida spp. was also isolated from two healthy animals., Conclusions: A clear predominance of Gram positive isolates in tortoises and Gram negative isolates in turtles was found. However, we cannot ascribe the observed difference to the diversity of animal species, as other factors, including especially different characteristics of the living environments, may play a role. Almost all bacterial species isolated may have clinical significance, mostly as opportunistic pathogens, both for humans and animals. That chelonians are often carrier of bacteria with zoonotic potential is a well-known fact, in particular with regard to Salmonella spp. Therefore, it is not surprising the detection of a strain of Salmonella enterica ssp. arizonae in the eye of one of the animals tested. Worthy of note is the finding of Chlamydia spp. in a severe case of conjunctivitis, though we cannot epidemiologically assess a cause-effect relationship between presence of chlamydia and disease.