Julieta Volpato’s research while affiliated with University of the West of Santa Catarina and other places

Idiopathic bladder paralysis in horses can cause accumulation of macroscopic concretions in the ventral aspect of the organ, named sabulous cystitis. A 16-year-old crossbred gelding, weighing 290 kg, that had been experiencing urinary incontinence for approximately two months was reported. Physical examination revealed urinary incontinence, edema, and irritation and crust formations in the preputial region, with vital parameters within normal limits. Transrectal palpation showed a distended bladder easily emptied through manual pressure, with the urine presenting a large amount of sediment with a sandy appearance. Urinalysis revealed an abundance of crystals of calcium carbonate, amorphous phosphate, and calcium phosphate, and the transrectal ultrasound examination showed thickening of the urinary bladder mucosa and content with a large amount of sediment, diffuse hyperechogenic formations, and distended pelvic urethra with fluid in its entire length. The treatment included the administration of bethanechol chloride, glycerin in the prepuce region and limbs to avoid skin lesions, and correction in the feeding. Idiopathic bladder paralysis syndrome is an infrequent case in the clinical routine of horses that covered the urinary tract disorder, but it did not compromise the animal’s survival.

Allergy to milk is the only auto-allergic disease in cattle. It is characterized by the retention and absorption of milk itself, making milk proteins, especially alpha casein, have access to the bloodstream, resulting in a type I hypersensitivity. The purpose of this report is to describe a case of auto-allergic disease in cattle. Here we report the case of a four-year-old Jersey female bovine, which was pregnant and weighing 400Kg. The animal was being treated at (hidden for revision) and had a history of an acute allergic reaction. Its owner reported sudden onset of skin lesions, salivation, and difficulty breathing. As the animal was participating in an agricultural exhibition, it was not being milked to generate mammary gland engorgement (milk retention). In physical examination findings wherein there is presence of multifocal urticarial papules and plaques, mainly on the sides and right and left flanks, besides the absence of pruritus, edema in mucocutaneous regions of the upper and lower eyelids of the right and left eyes, submandibular edema, excessive salivation, inspiratory dyspnea with half-open mouth breathing, respiratory distress, apathy, cough, tachycardia tachypnea, ruminal hypomotility and increased volume of the mammary gland, characterizing milk retention. Clinical suspicion was milk allergy with anaphylactic reaction (type I hypersensitivity). Treatment was based on promethazine administration (1mg/kg; IV) and immediate full milking of the mammary gland. After 12 h of treatment, clinical respiratory signs resolved, and after 24 h, skin changes resolved completely. Based on clinical signs and treatment success, the clinical suspicion of milk allergy causing anaphylactic reaction (type I hypersensitivity) was confirmed.

This report describes the clinical features and molecular diagnosis of a case of canine leproid granuloma (CLG) caused by mycobacterial strains of the Mycobacterium simiae complex in Brazil. A 12-year-old non-neutered male Labrador Retriever dog was presented with a two-week history of progressive painless cutaneous lesions. Ulcerated nodules with hematic crusts were observed on the dorsal surface of the right and left pinna and on the metacarpal, metatarsal, and digits. Complete blood count, serum biochemistry, aspiration cytology of cutaneous lesions, biopsy for histopathological evaluation, culture for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing to identify mycobacterial species were performed. According to the clinical and histopathological findings, a diagnosis of CLG was established. Despite the negative result of the bacterial culture, mycobacterial identification was made by sequencing the hsp65 gene. Our findings highlight that mycobacterial species closely related to members of the M. simiae clade can be causative agents of CLG.

Nosso objetivo foi avaliar a analgesia preemptiva do meloxicam e cetorolaco, e seus efeitos sobre as enzimas renais, hepáticas e segurança clínica digestiva em gatas submetidas à ovariohisterectomia. Vinte e quatro gatos, os quais foram alocados em quatro grupos (n = 6), foram utilizados. Os animais receberam meloxicam (MPRE) ou cetorolaco (CPRE) antes da indução anestésica e solução salina após o procedimento cirúrgico. Inversamente, receberam solução salina antes da indução anestésica e meloxicam (MPOS) ou cetorolaco (CPOS) após o procedimento cirúrgico. Os tempos (T0-T6) avaliados no período cirúrgico estão de acordo com o procedimento cirúrgico. Em T0, T2 e T6, amostras de sangue foram coletadas para dosagem de cortisol. No pós-operatório, os animais foram avaliados nas escalas visual analógica (EVA) e de dor multidimensional em felinos (EDM Unesp-Botucatu), seus perfis renal e hepático e presença de vômito e diarreia por 3 dias. Para frequência cardíaca (FC), os valores em MPOS foram maiores que em MPRE (T1, T2 e T5) e em CPOS foram maiores que em CPRE (T1, T2 e T6). Para a concentração de cortisol, os valores no CPOS foram maiores do que no CPRE, MPRE e MPOS (T0 e T6), e no CPOS foram maiores do que no CPRE e MPRE (T2). Para o escore de dor UNESP-Botucatu MPS, os valores do MPRE foram maiores que do MPOS (apenas no M2). Concluímos que não houve analgesia preemptiva para meloxicam e cetorolaco. Ambas as drogas mostraram-se seguras nas avaliações renal e hepática. No sistema digestivo, foi observada uma incidência reduzida de distúrbios gastrointestinais.

The reliability of platelet counts obtained by different methods following different storage times/conditions is not well defined. The aim was to evaluate temporal changes in platelet count of canine blood samples submitted to two thermal storage conditions using three techniques of platelet counting. Blood samples were obtained from 40 dogs aged between 6 months and 12 years. Blood samples were collected by jugular venipuncture, separated into two aliquots, and stored in EDTA tubes: one kept at room temperature (RT group) and the other kept under refrigeration (RE group). The platelet count was performed using the hemocytometer method, blood smear counting, and automated counting immediately after blood collection (M0) and 30 min and 1, 2, 4, 6, and 24 h later in both groups. The platelet parameters provided by the electronic counter were also obtained. There was a significant difference in platelet counts between the manual and automated methods when the samples were processed 24 h after sample collection. The refrigerated samples remained with closer platelet values of the previous samples for longer than those stored at room temperature. The analysis of platelet parameters loses its validity when the samples are stored for more than 6 h. The plaquetogram is reliable when the sample is processed up to 4 h after collection, regardless of the storage method. The timing of the platelet count should not exceed 6 h after collection for refrigerated samples and 4 h for samples stored at room temperature, for all counting methods.

RESUMO O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a concentração sérica de cálcio, cloretos, ferro, fósforo e magnésio, as características morfométricas ósseas e a deposição de cálcio e fósforo nas tíbias de frangos de corte recebendo dieta com zero, 0,25 ou 0,50% de bentonita. Um ensaio foi conduzido com 288 frangos de corte de 14 a 21 dias de idade, submetidos a três dietas experimentais: sem inclusão (0,0); com inclusão de 0,25 e com inclusão de 0,50% do adsorvente bentonita. Não foram observadas diferenças (P>0,05) no desempenho das aves, nos níveis séricos de cálcio, cloretos, ferro e magnésio, no entanto os níveis de fósforo foram reduzidos (P<0,05) nas aves que ingeriram dieta com 0,50% de bentonita. Em relação às tíbias, observou-se redução (P<0,05) na matéria mineral (g e %) e no teor de cálcio com a inclusão de 0,50% de bentonita. Houve redução (P<0,05) nos níveis de fósforo das tíbias com a inclusão de 0,25 e 0,50% de bentonita. Conclui-se que a inclusão de até 0,50% do adsorvente de micotoxinas bentonita na dieta de frangos de corte não altera o desempenho zootécnico das aves. A inclusão de 0,25% de bentonita, na dieta de frangos de corte, não altera a concentração dos minerais séricos e a deposição de minerais nas tíbias, entretanto a inclusão de 0,5% reduz os níveis séricos de fósforo, o teor de matéria mineral e a concentração de cálcio e fósforo ósseos, sem afetar as características morfométricas ósseas.

In the last few years, an increasing number of debilitated Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) has been rescued and taken to rehabilitation centers on Brazil’s southern coast to be clinically treated and evaluated for re-introduction. This work aims to compare the viability of heparinized plasma with the viability of serum for biochemistry analyses under rehabilitation conditions. Blood sampled from 31 physically healthy rescued penguins was processed into serum/plasma-paired samples and analyzed for 12 biochemical parameters: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cholesterol (CHOL), creatine kinase (CK), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), glucose, (GLU) lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total proteins (TP), triglycerides (TG), urea (UR), and uric acid (UA).The results showed that six paired samples presented visual signs of hemolysis (visual hemolytic score≥1), four of which occurred exclusively in the serum counterpart. Significant differences (P≤ 0.5) between sample types were found for CHOL (3%), GLU (6%) and TG (52%). Only TG was considered clinically relevant (>10%). All mean/median results fell within the available reference intervals by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Penguin, 2014). In conclusion, we verified that heparinized plasma is a viable sample for the clinical biochemistry of rescued Magellanic penguins as it yields compatible results with serum, while providing practical benefits. The adoption of this practice favors a faster bird recovery, by minimizing blood sampling volume, and optimizes material resources, allowing use of the same collector tube as for hematology.

Background: Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is an important infectious agent in cats, responsible for great health damages and a large death amount. Among the most common clinical disorders caused by FeLV, severe hematological changes are related at the progressive infection, ordinarily presented as cytopenias. Regarding its oncogenic potential, lymphoma and leukemia are the most observed illness originated by the agent. Therefore, this study has the goal of describing and comparing clinical and hematological disorders in FeLV positive cats from a selected population.Materials, Methods & Results: Data of clinical evaluations of felines from a previously performed cross-sectional epidemiological study were compiled. This study obtained the prevalence of FeLV infected cats in Santa Catarina Plateau. Three groups were established from the original sample of 274 cats; Group 1 (control), FeLV negative and none clinical alterations (n = 80); Group 2, FeLV positive and none clinical changes (n = 9); Group 3, FeLV positive cats with clinical disorders (n = 29). Physical and hematological examination data were obtained from the medical records. The clinical changes at Group 3 were mucosal pallor (65.51% [19/29]), neurological disorders (20.69% [6/29]), lymphoma (20.69% [6/29]), coinfections (10.34% [3/29]) and leukemia (6.9% [2/29]). The most observed hematological disorders of Group 3 were anemia (65.51% [19/29]) and thrombocytopenia (62.7% [18/20]). At the complete blood count, the medium erythrocyte and eosinophil count, hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit were lower for Group 3 than the other two groups. The mean number of platelets count were higher for Group 1 than Group 2 and 3. The mean of the other variables remained between reference numbers. However, a descriptive analysis within the groups demonstrated that lymphopenia was observed in 34.48% (10/29) and neutropenia in 17.24% (5/29) at the Group 3. Discussion: The greater FeLV positive cats with clinical alterations number is a result of a sample obtained from a hospital population. In this scenario, cats are submitted to medical appointment in order to solve their clinical signs, not for purpose of infection screening. The frequency of non-neoplasic disease in FeLV positive cats was higher than neoplastic diseases. The mucosal pallor is the most important clinical change and it is an anemia consequence. A large number of clinical signs related in this study was non-specific. All the clinical changes are associated to FeLV infection, regardless the clinical syndrome observed. Neurological disorders frequency at this study was higher than other articles, being related to neoplastic lymphocytes in central nervous system at the resolved cases. Lymphoma and leukemia were the only neoplasms found in this FeLV study. Non-regenerative anemia was the main FeLV associated hematologic change. This disorder is originated by several mechanisms, such as the virus influence on bone marrow precursors and leukemic infiltration. Thrombocytopenia showed lower frequency than anemia and leukopenia, however, it was the second most common alteration in this study, which was observed in Group 2 and 3. The severe cytopenias related in Group 3 are probably due to the destruction or decrease of the production of these cells by the virus replication process. The clinical and hematological disorders found in this study, reveal the serious presentation and usually irreversible situation of this viral infection, originating important health harm to the affected cats.

Pregnancy can cause several physiologic changes in mares, including modifications in cardiac output and heart positioning. Therefore, these changes could influence electrocardiographic parameters in various stages of pregnancy. This study aimed to evaluate the electrocardiogram of Crioulo mares in different pregnancy stages. Nine non pregnant mares (G0), 11 mares at three months (G3), 11 mares at six months (G6) and 11 mares at 10 months of pregnancy (G10) were submitted to electrocardiographic evaluation. There was higher (P= 0,002) heart rate of G10 (60.45±12.16bpm) when compared to other groups (G0=45.67±10.75bpm; G3=44.91±7.91bpm; G6=46.91±9.12bpm), probably because of an increase in cardiac output to uterine perfusion at the end of pregnancy. Normal sinus rhythm was predominant in most of mares of groups G0, G3 and G6, and sinus tachycardia in most of G10 mares. In conclusion, changes in hemodynamics and in cardiac position can influence on the electrocardiogram of pregnant Crioulo mares, but do not cause relevant rhythm or conduction disturbs.