Konstantinos Pourliotis

The role of lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase and aspartate aminotransferase in the diagnosis of subclinical intramammary infections in dairy sheep and goats

The objective was to investigate the changes occurring in the activities of the enzymes lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in sheep and goat milk as a result of subclinical intramammary infections (IMI) and to evaluate the use of these enzymes for the diagnosis of subclinical IMI in dairy sheep and goats. A total of 206 samples of sheep milk and 162 samples of goat milk, obtained from equal udder halves, were used in the study. For each species they were divided into two groups: a no-infection group and a subclinical infection group. Activities of LDH, ALP and AST were significantly higher in the subclinical infection group than in the no-infection group (P<0.05) in both sheep (LDH: 350.42+/-11.25 v. 120.91+/-4.41; ALP: 2773.43+/-105.18 v. 2189+/-94.24; AST: 29.57+/-0.74 v. 17.32+/-0.46) and goats (LDH: 354.07+/-13.33 v. 103.79+/-3.75; ALP: 311.13+/-25.74 v. 137.24+/-19.62; AST: 27.59+/-6.42 v. 15.87+/-0.45). The activity of LDH was identified as indicator for subclinical IMI in both sheep and goats. The optimum cut-off values for LDH activity, offering the highest diagnostic sensitivity (DSn) and diagnostic specificity (DSp), determined by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, were at 197 U/l, 185 U/l and 197 U/l for sheep, goats and both species, respectively. DSn for sheep, goats and both species at these cut-off values was 92.8%, 98.2% and 94.0%, whereas DSp was 95.4%, 96.3% and 96.3%, respectively. It was concluded that the determination of LDH activity in milk serum is a sensitive and reliable method for the detection of subclinical IMI in dairy sheep and goats.

Coenurosis in a beef cattle herd in Greece

toscoleces. Cysts of C cerebralis were identified according to Clapham and Peters (1941) and Wardle and McLeod (1952). The cysts were large, white, translucent structures, and had numerous protoscoleces attached to the wall. Microscopic examination of protoscoleces showed that each scolex had a double ring of 30 rostellar hooks. The large hooks were 150 to 160 μm long and the small ones 100 to 110 μm long (Fig 3). The most probable explanation for the development of coenurosis might be that the calves were infected after birth, acquiring the parasite’s eggs from the faeces of infected dogs and wild carnivores, as they were raised in a mountain area. This is supported by the fact that the clinical signs were first noted when the animals were six or seven months old, the approximate time a cyst needs to reach maximum size (Radostits and others 2000). This report describes the first proven cases of coenurosis in beef calves in Greece. According to the literature, coenurosis has been diagnosed in two calves in the UK (Greig and Holmes 1977); those authors also refer to six other cases in the UK. Coenurosis has also been diagnosed in a calf in Japan (Yoshino and Momotani 1988) and in a cow in Italy (Bozzetta and others 2003); a C cerebralis cyst has also been found in the retained placental membrane of a cow in India (Tirgari and others 1987). The clinical signs of the two affected calves suggested a space-occupying lesion of the central nervous system. The cysts were located in the lateral ventricles, as in the case in Coenurosis in a beef cattle herd in Greece

Congenital nutritional myodegeneration (white muscle disease) in a red deer (Cervus elaphus) calf

Abstract CASE HISTORY A 5-day-old red deer calf was submitted with tachypnoea and dyspnoea, and was reluctant to move. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Muscular damage was established via elevated creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) activities (5,000 U/L), while concentrations of Se in whole blood were low (24.8 nmol/L). The animal died despite treatment with penicillin-streptomycin and 0.1 mg/kg Se/vitamin E administered by S/C injection. DIAGNOSIS: Necropsy and histological examination of cardiac and skeletal muscle confirmed the presumptive diagnosis of congenital white muscle disease (WMD). Prophylactic administration of a Se/vitamin E commercial preparation (as above) to another calf born in the same herd one month later was associated with good health and apparently normal growth and development. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Congenital WMD due to Se deficiency can be fatal in red deer calves. However, prophylactic administration of Se and vitamin E to neonatal calves may be beneficial for neonatal red deer calves.

Evaluation of a portable glucose meter for use in cattle and sheep.

BACKGROUND In farm animal practice, determination of blood glucose concentration under field conditions is often necessary. OBJECTIVE As there is no portable glucose meter device developed for use in farm animals, the analytical accuracy of a portable glucometer designed for people was evaluated for its use in cattle and sheep. METHODS Blood samples from 90 cattle and 101 sheep were used in the study. Glucose concentration was determined in whole blood immediately after blood collection from the jugular vein with the One Touch Vita portable glucometer and in serum with an enzymatic colorimetric method. The agreement between methods was assessed by Passing and Bablok regression analysis. The precision and the accuracy of the measurements were determined using the concordance correlation coefficient. RESULTS There was a strong linear relationship between the glucose values obtained using the portable glucometer and those obtained by the bench method in both cattle and sheep. Precision was 95% for cattle and 88% for sheep, whereas accuracy was 92% and 99%, respectively. The mean glucose values obtained using the portable glucometer were significantly lower by 8.3% in cattle and 3.2% in sheep than those determined by the bench method. CONCLUSION The One Touch Vita portable glucometer can be used in clinical practice to determine blood glucose concentrations in cattle and sheep, but reference intervals (RI) must be corrected to allow for negative bias. Based on these equations the RI for blood glucose in cattle and sheep using the portable glucometer were corrected to 1.84-4.17 and 2.41-4.35 mmol/L, respectively.

Liver flukes promote cholelithiasis in sheep.

The main objective of this study was to investigate whether cholelithiasis in sheep is related to parasitism or other commonly observed disorders such as liver abscesses. Additionally, the features of the observed biliary calculi are described. The livers of 254 randomly selected clinically healthy adult dairy sheep were used. All visible concretions in the bile were considered as stones. Based on the macroscopical examination, 60 livers were normal, 40 were parasitized with Fasciola hepatica, 42 were parasitized with Dicrocoelium dendriticum, 28 were parasitized with both D. dendriticum and F. hepatica, 40 livers had abscesses and 44 had hydatid cysts. Biliary calculi were detected in 40 livers. Twenty livers had pigment stones and 20 livers had cholesterol stones. The percentage of cholelithiasis was significantly higher in livers parasitized with flukes compared with the others (P<0.05) and the parasitoses with F. hepatica and D. dendriticum were proven to be significant risk factors (P<0.05) for the presence of cholelithiasis in sheep.

Use of Liver Enzyme Activities for the Diagnosis of Fasciolosis in Cattle

Abstract Katsoulos, P.D., Christodoulopoulos, G., Minas, A., Pourliotis, K. and Theodoropoulos, G. 2009. Use of liver enzyme activities for the diagnosis of fasciolosis in cattle. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 36: 275–277. A diagnostic protocol for fasciolosis in cattle developed by Clinic of Farm Animal Medicine in Veterinary School of Karditsa, based on the combination of coprological examination and determination of serum liver enzymes at a minimum of 20 animals of the herd, was evaluated in a high risk cattle herd. Presence of eggs in 60% of fecal samples and increased AST (100% samples) as. well as γ-GT (80% samples) confirmed the presence of both immature and mature flukes. This helped in deciding that the treatment suitable for both kinds of flukes be given.