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Background and Aim: Body temperature is the most useful clinical parameter for evaluating animal health. In clinical practice, rectal temperature is the gold standard for assessing body temperature, but rectal temperature measurement is not convenient and can cause stress in animals. The non-contact infrared thermometer is considered an alternative method for skin temperature measurements in animals. Many biological factors may influence the response of body regions to thermal challenges; thus, the identification of these variables is essential for accurate infrared temperature measurements. This study aimed to estimate the relationship between the physiological factors of cats and their body temperature measured across various body positions, as well as to propose a model for predicting rectal temperature using an infrared thermometer., Materials and Methods: A total of 184 client-owned cats were included in this study. The infrared temperature (°F) was measured using a non-contact infrared thermometer at five body positions: maxillary canine gingival margin (GCT), anal skin (ANS), inguinal canal (ING), ear canal (EC), and palmar pad. The five biological factors (age, body condition score [BCS], gender, hair type, and hair color) were recorded and analyzed to adjust predictive factors for rectal temperature prediction. All statistical analyses were performed using multivariable linear regression. The rectal temperature prediction model was then designed using the forward stepwise selection method., Results: Based on multivariable linear regression analysis of infrared temperature results, the pre-prediction model showed significant correlations with rectal temperature for ANS, GCT, and EC (p = 0.0074, 0.0042, and 0.0118, respectively). Moreover, the combination of infrared temperatures on ANS and ING was the most appropriate parameter for predicting rectal temperature (p = 0.0008). All models were adjusted according to the baseline characteristics of the cats. However, the adjusted R-squared values of the pre-prediction model of the infrared temperature on the ANS, GCT, and EC and the final prediction model by the infrared temperature on the ANS combined with the ING were low (8.7%, 8.9%, 7.3%, and 12.8%, respectively)., Conclusion: The prediction model of rectal temperature of cats by infrared temperature from a non-contact infrared thermometer in ANS combined with ING and adjusted by age, BCS, hair type, and hair color may be applicable for use in clinical practice. This study found that the adjusted R-squared values of all models were low; the predictive model will need to be developed and used to test validity and reliability with an external study group for assessing their practical usefulness., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © Naimon, et al.)

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne zoonotic disease caused by the SFTS virus (SFTSV). In Thailand, three human cases of SFTS were reported in 2019 and 2020, but there was no report of SFTSV infection in animals. Our study revealed that at least 16.6% of dogs in Thailand were seropositive for SFTSV infection, and the SFTSV-positive dogs were found in several districts in Thailand. Additionally, more than 70% of the serum samples collected at one shelter possessed virus-neutralization antibodies against SFTSV and the near-complete genome sequences of the SFTSV were determined from one dog in the shelter. The dog SFTSV was genetically close to those from Thailand and Chinese patients and belonged to genotype J3. These results indicated that SFTSV has already spread among animals in Thailand.

Background and Aim: Obesity in dogs leads to several health problems, such as premature death, and contributes to other diseases. Recently, body fat percentage has been considered to represent the body condition of dogs, and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is the most effective method for accurately measuring body fat in dogs. In Thailand, information on the body condition of dogs is limited, and there is no standard body fat level for Thai or mongrel dogs. This study was designed to evaluate and analyze the body fat percentage in dogs through BIA using a handheld instrument. The results of this study can help enhance the quality of life and health of dogs and aid in setting a standard body fat level for Thai or mongrel dogs., Materials and Methods: The body fat percentage of 340 Thai and mongrel dogs in East Thailand was measured in the standing position, and the body condition score (BCS) (range, 1-5), sex, sterilization status, age, type of diet, and lifestyle were recorded. A linear regression model was developed to compare the variables and the predicted body fat percentage, and multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the factors for body fat increment., Results: The linear regression model used to estimate the percentage of body fat (y) for each BCS (x) was y = 0.84 + 8.36x (R 2 = 0.7219; p < 0.0001); the average body fat percentage was 27.52% for all studied dogs; specifically, 24.83% for the Thai Bangkaew, 26.42% for the Thai Ridgeback, and 27.65% for mongrels. The median body fat percentage was significantly higher in female than in male dogs. We found that as age increases, body fat percentage also increases; this increasing trend begins at the age of 5 years. However, increasing the level of activity and decreasing meal frequency leads to an increase in body fat percentage in neutered male dogs., Conclusion: The average body fat percentage of dogs in East Thailand is 27.52% and this value is expected to increase when these dogs reach the age of 5 years. BIA is a valid and effective measurement tool for detecting the body fat percentage in dogs., Competing Interests: The authors thank Dr. Kazuya Otsuji of Kao Co. for the use of the IBF-D02 bioelectric impedance device; however, he has no role in the study at any stage., (Copyright: © Arreesrisom, et al.)

Getah virus (GETV) is a mosquito-borne RNA virus belonging to the family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus. GETV infection causes diarrhoea and death in piglets, and reproductive failure and abortion in sows. This study conducted a serological survey of GETV infection among domestic pig populations in Thailand. ELISA was used to analyse 1,188 pig serum samples collected from 11 provinces of Thailand during 2017-2018, with 23.1% of the samples being positive for anti-GETV antibodies. The positive ratio of anti-GETV antibodies was significantly higher in nursery (67.9%) and older stages (84.5%) of pigs than in finishing stage (14.2%). Furthermore, we successfully isolated GETV from one pig serum, designated as GETV strain GETV/SW/Thailand/2017, and determined the complete genome sequence (11,689 nt). Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that our isolate was different from the recent GETV group spreading among pig populations in East Asia and formed a cluster with two GETV strains, namely YN12031 (China, 2015) and LEIV16275Mar (Far-East Russia, 2007). We concluded that two different GETV groups are currently spreading among pig populations in Asian countries., (© 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) have been considered a veterinary and public health threat that needs to be addressed, as they are known to cause serious infections, with limited therapeutic options. Thus, in this study, we aimed to examine the potential antibacterial activity of the leaf extract of Solanum torvum against MRS isolated from clinically healthy dogs. In total, seven mecA -positive Staphylococcus isolates tested in this study were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and all of them were classified as multidrug-resistant using disk diffusion tests. According to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, the main phytochemical components found in the leaf extract were hexadecanoic acid and its ethyl ester and 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid, ethyl ester, (Z,Z,Z). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) breakpoints for the leaf extract against all tested isolates ranged from 2 to 16 mg/mL, while the MIC breakpoints for oxacillin were from 2 to 512 mg/L. Although varying effects were found, the positive effects of the leaf extract were most evident in combination with oxacillin. These results suggested that S. torvum leaf extract may complement classical antibiotics and may potentially drive the development of an effective therapeutic option for MRS.

The perinatal period represents a time of increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, including the largely understudied obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In contrast to the gradual onset of typical OCD, postpartum OCD appears to be characterized by the rapid onset of obsessional symptoms after the birth, with onset as early as the second postpartum day with a mean time to onset of 2.2 to 3.7 weeks. We present a case of a patient with prepartum generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and new-onset postpartum OCD. The patient's ego-dystonic obsessions were aggressive in nature ("harm to newborn") with pathological checking compulsions requiring reassurance that she would not engage in this activity. Neurobiologically, there has been speculation that changes in estrogen and progesterone in the puerperium might alter serotoninergic function, placing some women at risk for this subtype of OCD. Some research studies have found evidence to suggest that oxytocin is associated with OCD. We review the growing evidence that suggests oxytocin and gonadal steroids might play a role in the pathogenesis of some forms of OCD., Competing Interests: FUNDING: No funding was provided. DISCLOSURES: The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to the content of this article.