Electrocardiographic abnormalities in an English bulldog with amitraz toxicity

A 4-month-old female English bulldog was admitted to the clinic suffering with confusion after being found on the floor by a client. The clinical signs started a few hours after the dog was bathed with amitraz by the owner at home. Initial examinations revealed that the dog was recumbent and had signs of depression. Cardiac auscultation revealed a heart rate of 80 bpm. No heart murmur or obvious arrhythmia was auscultable. Electrocardiogram (ECG) revealed a regular sinus rhythm with a heart rate of approximately 80 bpm; however, the QT intervals were prolonged. The rate-corrected QT interval was calculated about 0.29 s. Over the course of 3 h of supportive treatment and surface rewarming, the dog’s general condition and temperature slightly improved, but the dog was still lethargic and recumbent. The ECG became normal with normal sinus rhythm and QT interval. In view of this information we suggest that clinicians use ECG in combination with other clinical data during the assessment of dogs with amitraz toxicity.     

Seroprevalence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neospora caninum</Emphasis> infection in dogs from rural and urban environments in Tehran,Iran

103 serum samples were taken from owned dogs in Tehran (53 urban dogs and 50 farm dogs) from February to May 2005 and tested for IgG antibody against Neospora caninum using the immunofluorescence antibody test. Urban dogs were selected from apparent healthy dogs referred to the Small Animal Hospital of Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, for routine operation, and the farm dogs were selected from the sheepdogs in sheep flocks around Tehran randomly. The titer of 1:50 was selected as cutoff. In total, 20 of 103 cases (19.4%) were identified as positive. The infection rate in farm dogs (28%) was higher than in urban dogs (11.3%), and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The infection rates in different genders and age groups were determined. The differences between seroprevalence of N. caninum infection in different sexes were not significant. A high correlation was observed between the infection rate and age (r ² = 0.97, p < 0.01).     

Serologic study of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in household dogs and dogs living in dairy and beef cattle farms in Tehran, Iran

A few studies have been done on the seroepidemiology of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in dairy and beef cattle farms in Iran, which suggested the presence of N. caninum in these areas, but there is no published information directed on the presence or epidemiology of this organism in the dogs in Iran. To investigate anti-N. caninum antibodies in household dogs and dogs living in cattle farms, 100 blood samples were collected: 50 from dogs living in dairy and beef cattle farms and 50 from household dogs. Serum samples were screened for detection of anti-N. caninum IgG antibodies using indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT; ≥50). Antibodies were seen in 10 (20%) of 50 household dogs and in 23 (46%) of 50 farm dogs. There were significant statistical differences in seropositivity between these two groups (P = 0.005). The IFAT antibody titers were as follows: 1:50 in seven dogs, 1:100 in eight dogs, 1:200 in six dogs, 1:400 in seven dogs, 1:800 in three dogs, 1:1,600 in one dog, and 1:12,800 in one dog. There were no significant differences in seropositivity between males and females. The positive results were increasing with age, and positive results were significantly different in the age group of older than 2 years compared to the dogs of age group under 1 year (P = 0.000) and 1–2 years (P = 0.007). The results confirm the exposure of household and farm dogs to N. caninum in Tehran and the higher rate of exposure for the dogs of dairy and cattle farms around Tehran.     

An observational study on the current distribution of visceral leishmaniasis in different geographical zones of Iran and implication to health policy

Visceral leishmaniasis is one of the most important parasitic diseases that is endemic in some parts of Iran. This study aimed to determine current distribution of visceral leishmaniasis in four distinct geographical zones of Iran. A cross-sectional study was conducted using direct agglutination test (DAT) on 9396 and 2559 serum samples collected from humans and domestic dogs, respectively during the period of 2007 through 2009. Altogether, 403 (4.3%) out of 9396 human serum samples collected from 4 distinct geographical locations showed anti-Leishmania antibodies with titers ≥ 1:3200. Physical examinations performed on 142 sero-positive cases with anti-Leishmania antibodies at titers of 1: 3200 to 1:102400 among whom fever (94.4%), paleness (67.6%) and hepato-splenomegaly (42.2%) were the predominant clinical signs and symptoms. The highest sero-prevalence rate (1.55%) was found in children ≤ 5 years old. Out of 2559 serum samples collected from domestic dogs, 212 (8.3%) were DAT positive (≥ 1:320). Leishmania infantum is the principal causative agent of the disease was isolated from both infected humans and dogs in Iran. Our findings indicate that Mediterranean visceral leishmaniasis with different distribution occurs in different geographical locations of Iran.     

Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis presenting with papulonodular skin eruption and polyarthritis

Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis is a rare multisystem disease, presenting with skin lesions and erosive polyarthritis, which is often associated with malignancy. A 2 year untreated natural course of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis, in which the typical nodular skin manifestation of the disease and polyarticular arthritis was present, is described in a 34-year-old lady with no history of major medical disease. Histopathology showed the characteristic histiocytic and multinucleated giant cell infiltrate with ground glass cytoplasm. Massive destruction of articular surfaces and new papular skin lesions accompanied by atrophic scars of previous skin lesions developed after 2 years of untreated active disease.     

Leptospira wolffii,a potential new pathogenic Leptospira species detected in human,sheep and dog

Leptospirosis is the most common zoonotic disease, which is transmitted to humans through contaminated water or direct exposure to the urine of infected animals. In this study, the presence and prevalence of Leptospira species in the infected samples of human (n = 369) and sheep (n = 75) sera and also dogs’ urine (n = 150), collected from four provinces of Iran, were investigated by using nested-PCR/RFLP assay followed by sequencing analysis. Nested-PCR assay detected that 98/369 (26.5%) human, 13/75 (17.33%) of sheep's sera and 33/150 (22%) dogs’ urine samples were positive for Leptospira DNA. RFLP assay detected that all positive cases had either pathogenic or intermediate Leptospira species. By sequence analysis, Leptospira interrogans was the most prevalent species among the examined samples of human (53/82, 64.6%) and sheep (11/13, 84.6%). However, in dog samples, Leptospira wolffii (27/29, 93.1%) was detected for the first time and was the dominant species. The presence of L. wolffii with 100% identity in clinical human samples and animals suspected with Leptospira may provide evidence for circulation of L. wolffii and its role in transmission cycle within human and animal hosts. In addition, this species can be potentially pathogenic to human and probably animal hosts. A large epidemiology survey would be needed to define the presence and the prevalence of this species in global endemic regions.     

Screening urinalysis in dogs with urinary shedding of leptospires

The aim of this study was to determine the utility of urinalysis and dipstick results in predicting leptospiruria in dogs. Ninety dogs, regardless of health status, were included in this study since January to August 2008. All the dogs went through a complete physical examination, and urine samples were collected by catheter or by cystocentesis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing was performed on urine samples to detect leptospiral DNA. Urinalysis was done at the same time. Of the 90 dogs included in the study, 28 (31%) were diagnosed as shedding leptospires in their urine. In terms of urinalysis test results, no significant difference was found between dogs with or without leptospiruria. Indeed, most of the dogs with positive PCR assay had normal urinalysis findings. The present study suggests that using urinalysis or dipstick is not recommended for screening the dogs that are actively shedding leptospires in their urine.     

Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Dogs in Tehran,Iran

Background

Toxoplasma gondii infects a wide range of animals; felines are definitive hosts and other animals including the dogs are intermediate hosts. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in dogs in Tehran, capital of Iran and to investigate possible associated risk factors.

Methods

Three hundreds ninety six serum samples were collected during 2007–8 from the dogs. Collected samples were tested using an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) in dilutions of 1:16 and more. All procedures were carried out in Shahrekord University, Iran. All the data were analyzed using SPSS software, qui square test with confidence interval of 0.95.

Results

From evaluated samples, 89 (22.47%) were positive in titers of at least 1:16. further evaluations in other dilutions showed positive results in dilutions of maximum 1:16, 1:32, 1:64, 1:128 and 1:256 in 38, 29, 15, 2 and 5 dogs respectively. Investigation of the role of risk factors showed no sex predisposition while infection rate was significantly higher in dogs older than one year old. Living places were of significant importance; infection rate was significantly higher in stray or guard dogs in compare with household dogs (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Relatively high seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in dogs in Tehran shows high environmental contamination. It is recommended that the dogs with suspected clinical signs be tested for T. gondii infection.