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Copyright of Canadian Veterinary Journal / Revue Vétérinaire Canadienne is the property of Canadian Veterinary Medical Association 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.)

Background: Cellular deterioration occurs with blood sample aging, impacting white blood cell (WBC) identification and differential accuracy. This may be exacerbated in samples from patients experiencing inflammation. Previously, bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been shown to improve cellular preservation of blood and other samples, but the effect on cell preservation in canine blood has not been assessed. Objectives: We aimed to determine the effects of BSA on neutrophil nuclear area when added to potassium ethylene diamine tetra‐acetic acid (K3‐EDTA)‐anticoagulated canine blood prior to blood smear preparation. We evaluated the impact of inflammatory leukograms, sample storage temperatures (4° and 20°C), and time on outcomes. Materials and methods: Canine K3‐EDTA‐anticoagulated blood samples stored at 4° and 20°C were used from unique patients, 10 with and 10 without inflammatory leukograms. Blood smears were prepared from aliquots with or without the addition of 22% BSA at 0, 4, 8, 24, 48, and 72 h. The nuclear area was measured for 25 randomly selected neutrophils per slide using Fiji software. Mixed‐effect linear regression modeling was performed (significance: P < 0.05). Results: Nuclear area increased over time with and without added BSA. Both sample storage temperatures and the presence or absence of an inflammatory leukogram significantly impacted neutrophil nuclear area. Samples with added BSA had slightly higher predicted nuclear areas than those without BSA, but this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: BSA did not significantly impact neutrophil nuclear area and did not improve neutrophil preservation in canine blood samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate initial antimicrobial therapy in cats diagnosed with upper or lower bacterial urinary tract infections at veterinary practices in the USA and Canada. Methods: Electronic medical records from a veterinary practice corporation with clinics in the USA and Canada were queried between 2 January 2016 and 3 December 2018. Feline patient visits with a diagnosis field entry of urinary tract infection, cystitis and pyelonephritis, as well as variation of those names and more colloquial diagnoses such as kidney and bladder infection, and where an antimicrobial was prescribed, were retrieved. Results: Prescription data for 5724 visits were identified. Sporadic cystitis was the most common diagnosis (n = 5051 [88%]), with 491 (8.6%) cats diagnosed with pyelonephritis and 182 (3.2%) with chronic or recurrent cystitis. Cefovecin was the most commonly prescribed antimicrobial for all conditions, followed by amoxicillin–clavulanic acid. Significant differences in antimicrobial drug class prescribing were noted between practice types and countries, and over the 3-year study period. For sporadic cystitis, prescription of amoxicillin–clavulanic acid increased significantly and cefovecin decreased between 2016 and 2018, and 2017 and 2018, while fluoroquinolone use increased between 2017 and 2018. Conclusions and relevance: The results indicate targets for intervention and some encouraging trends. Understanding how antimicrobials are used is a key component of antimicrobial stewardship and is required to establish benchmarks, identify areas for improvement, aid in the development of interventions and evaluate the impact of interventions or other changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To the Editor: Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known pathogen of horses (1), but the role of other coagulase-positive staphylococcal species in these animals is unclear. S. pseudintermedius and S. delphini, [...]

Along the borders of the northeastern and the upper midwestern United States, black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are invading new areas (1-3). Because this tick is the principal vector of a [...]

Abstract Background Many human infections are transmitted through contact with animals (zoonoses), including household pets. Although pet ownership is common in most countries and non-pet owners may have frequent contact with pets, there is limited knowledge of the public’s pet contact practices and awareness of zoonotic disease risks from pets. The objective of this study was to characterize the general public’s knowledge, attitudes and risks related to pet ownership and animal contact in southern Ontario, Canada. Methods A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to individuals at two multi-physician clinics in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada during 2010. A single adult from each household was invited to participate in the study. Results Seventy five percent (641/853) of individuals approached completed the questionnaire. Pet ownership and contact were common; 64% of participants had a pet in their household and 37% of non-pet owning households had a member with at least weekly animal contact outside the home. Pet ownership was high (55%) for households with individuals at higher risk for infections (i.e., < 5 yrs, ≥ 65 yrs, immunocompromised). Most respondents (64%) indicated that they had never received information regarding pet-associated disease risks. When given a list of 11 infectious pathogens, respondents were only able to correctly classify just over half on their potential to be transmitted from pets to people (mean 6.4); independently, pet owners and those who recalled receiving information in the past about this topic were able to make significantly more correct identifications. Pet (36%) and non-pet owning households (10%) reported dog or cat bites or scratches during the preceding year. Households with individuals at higher risk for an infection did not differ from the remaining households regarding their perceived disease risk of pets, zoonotic disease knowledge, recall of being asked by their medical provider if they owned any pets, or recall of having received information regarding pet-associated disease risks and preventive measures. Conclusions These results suggest that there is a need for accessible zoonotic disease information for both pet and non-owning households, with additional efforts made by veterinary, human and public health personnel. Immediate educational efforts directed toward households with individuals at higher risk to infections are especially needed.

Swine are known reservoirs for Clostridioides difficile, formerly known as Clostridium difficile, and transmission from swine to human farm workers is strongly suggested by previous studies. This cross‐sectional study evaluated the potential role of farm environmental surfaces, including those in worker breakrooms and swine housing areas, in the possible transmission of C. difficile from swine to farm workers. Environmental surfaces and piglet faeces at 13 Ohio swine farms were sampled in 2015. Typical culturing techniques were performed to isolate C. difficile from samples, and amplification of toxin genes (tcdA, tcdB and cdtB) and PCR‐ribotyping were used to genetically characterize recovered isolates. In addition, sequencing of toxin regulatory gene, tcdC, was done to identify the length of identified deletions in some isolates. A survey collected farm‐level management risk factor information. Clostridioides difficile was recovered from all farms, with 42% (188/445) of samples testing positive for C. difficile. Samples collected from all on‐farm locations recovered C. difficile, including farrowing rooms (60%, 107/178), breakrooms (50%, 69/138) and nursery rooms (9%, 12/129). Three ribotypes recovered from both swine and human environments (078, 412 and 005) have been previously implicated in human disease. Samples taken from farrowing rooms and breakrooms were found to have greater odds of C. difficile recovery than those taken from nursery rooms (OR = 40.5, OR = 35.6, p < .001 respectively). Farms that weaned ≥23,500 pigs per year had lower odds of C. difficile recovery as compared to farms that weaned fewer pigs (OR = 0.4, p = .01) and weekly or more frequent cleaning of breakroom counters was associated with higher odds of C. difficile recovery (OR = 11.7, p < .001). This study provides important insights into the presence and characterization of C. difficile found in human environments on swine farms and highlights how these areas may be involved in transmission of C. difficile to swine farm workers and throughout the facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]