Jonathan Lynch

An Outbreak of Trixacarus caviae Infestation in Guinea Pigs at an Animal Petting Facility and an Evaluation of the Safety and Suitable Dose of Selamectin Treatment

abstract:  In June 2009, 27 guinea pigs kept at an animal petting facility at a zoo in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, were observed to scratch intensely, weaken, and develop lesions. Three sarcoptiform mites were found in skin scrapings taken from affected areas of 2 guinea pigs, and they were identified as Trixacarus caviae by morphological examination. This result confirmed the presence of T. caviae in Japan. For treatment, doses of 13.6–18.75 mg/head of selamectin were administered in a topical preparation applied to a single spot on the skin on the back of the neck, and no side effects were observed. In April 2010, a second outbreak of mange occurred at the zoo, and, following investigation, 2 mite eggs were observed. It was, therefore, thought probable that the mites had survived during the winter within nonclinical carriers. Accordingly, doses of 5.0–7.5 mg/head of selamectin were applied on days 0 and 28, after which clinical symptoms disappeared and general condition improved. This dose of selamectin was thus shown to be a suitable and economical treatment for guinea pigs infested with the mites. Because the mite is not always easily observed in infested guinea pigs and the potential for human infestation exists, clinicians should not hesitate to treat when the clinical presentation suggests infestation, particularly in a setting such as an animal petting facility, where large numbers of children and adults have direct contact with the animals.

Differentiation of rat adipose tissue-derived stem cells into neuron-like cells by valproic acid, a histone deacetylase inhibitor.

Valproic acid (VPA) is a widely used antiepileptic drug, which has recently been reported to modulate the neuronal differentiation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) in humans and dogs. However, controversy exists as to whether VPA really acts as an inducer of neuronal differentiation of ASCs. The present study aimed to elucidate the effect of VPA in neuronal differentiation of rat ASCs. One or three days of pretreatment with VPA (2 mM) followed by neuronal induction enhanced the ratio of immature neuron marker βIII-tubulin-positive cells in a time-dependent manner, where the majority of cells also had a positive signal for neurofilament medium polypeptide (NEFM), a mature neuron marker. RT-PCR analysis revealed increases in the mRNA expression of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and NEFM mature neuron markers, even without neuronal induction. Three-days pretreatment of VPA increased acetylation of histone H3 of ASCs as revealed by immunofluorescence staining. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay also showed that the status of histone acetylation at H3K9 correlated with the gene expression of TUBB3 in ASCs by VPA. These results indicate that VPA significantly promotes the differentiation of rat ASCs into neuron-like cells through acetylation of histone H3, which suggests that VPA may serve as a useful tool for producing transplantable cells for future applications in clinical treatments.

Booster effect of canine distemper, canine parvovirus infection and infectious canine hepatitis combination vaccine in domesticated adult dogs

Domesticated adult dogs with antibody titer classified as below ‘high’ to one or more of canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus type‐2 (CPV‐2) and canine adenovirus type‐1 (CAdV‐1) were then given an additional inoculation, and the effectiveness of this booster evaluated 2 months later. Consequently, CDV and CAdV‐1 antibody titer experienced a significant increase, but the same effect was not observed in the antibody titer of CPV‐2. These findings suggest that with additional inoculation, a booster effect may be expected in increasing antibody titers for CDV and CAdV‐1, but it is unlikely to give an increase in CPV‐2 antibody titer.

Antibodies to parvovirus, distemper virus and adenovirus conferred to household dogs using commercial combination vaccines containing Leptospira bacterin.

To examine how the inclusion (+) or exclusion (–) of inactivated Leptospira antigens in a vaccine for canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine adenovirus type 2 (CAdV-2) affects antibody titres to CPV-2, CDV and CAdV-1 antigens, household dogs were vaccinated with commercially available vaccines from one of three manufacturers. CPV-2, CDV and CAdV-1 antibody titres were measured 11 to 13 months later and compared within three different age groups and three different bodyweight groups. There were significant differences between CPV-2 antibody titres in dogs vaccinated with (+) vaccine and those vaccinated with (–) vaccine for two products in the two-year-old group and for one product in the greater than seven-year-old group; no significant differences were seen that could be attributed to bodyweight. No differences in CDV antibody titres were observed within age groups, but a significant difference was seen in the 11 to 20 kg weight group for one product. Significant differences in CAdV-1 antibody titres were seen for one product in both the two-year-old group and the ≤10 kg weight group.