Despite bovine viral diarrhoea virus and Chlamydia pecorum being important endemic diseases of cattle, there are limited reports of theirco-occurrence. Several 12-18-week-old, weaned Hereford calves presented with ill-thriftiness and neurological signs on a mixed cattle and sheep farm in South Australia in July 2021. Immune suppression resulting from transient infection with bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is implicated in predisposing to infection with Chlamydia pecorum, the causative agent of sporadic bovine encephalopathy (SBE). Chlamydia spp. are difficult to culture in vitro or definitively identify based on current standard molecular based tests. In this case, diagnosis was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. To the authors' knowledge, this case report is the first to document BVDV transient infection occurring in conjunction with SBE. Given the current high prevalence of BVDV on Australian farms, such co-infections may have significant future clinical relevance. This case also highlights the need for appropriate tests, such as immunohistochemistry to demonstrate the causative organism in histological lesions and thus reduce the occurrence of false negative diagnosis.

Feline upper respiratory tract infection (FURTI) is a severe problem in animal shelters where there is high turnover of populations and compromised immunity. This retrospective cohort study explores associations of potential animal-based and environmental-based factors with the risk of FURTI, where a previously modelled infection classification is used as the outcome of interest. The study type is a retrospective cohort and the measures of association include Odds Ratios and conditional predictions. To gain epidemiological insights into variation in FURTI using retrospective data from one of Australia's leading animal shelters. We stratified FURTI by admission and environmental variables. Predicted infection status, obtained using a machine-learning classifier trained on clinical text (accuracy 0.95 [CI 0.92, 0.97]), was used as the outcome of interest. Prior assumptions were represented by a causal framework or a direct acyclic graph (DAG), which informed creation of multiple Bernoulli models with an observational and prior component. We analysed 43,431 feline entries over 8 years. Males were 1.24 (95% CI 1.19 to 1.31) times more likely than females to be classified as positive, while already desexed animals were only 0.68 (95% CI 0.60 to 0.72) as likely to be classified as positive compared to those not desexed on entry. Cats (>4 months) were twice as likely (95% CI 1.91 to 2.09) as kittens (0-4 months) to be classified positive. Animals entering the shelter as seized by the inspectorate (n = 415) were more likely to be classified positive compared to animals from other sources. Predicted infection probability increased in winter and showed a linear pattern with how full the shelter was. This study estimates the association between animal and environmental variables of interest and FURTI classification status, thus better interpreting the distribution of disease as predicted by a previously uninterpretable model. This analysis gives much needed insight into the types of changes in an animal's environment that can impact final animal outcomes.

Heat Related Illness (HRI) in dogs is expected to increase as heatwaves surge due to global warming. The most severe form of HRI, heat stroke, is potentially fatal in dogs. The current study investigated the incidence and risk factors for HRI in dogs in NSW, Australia, from 1997 to 2017. We identified 119 HRI cases during this period, with a fatality rate of 23%. Dog breeds at elevated risk of HRI were Australian Stumpy Tail Cattle Dog, British Bulldog, French Bulldog, Maremma Sheepdog, Italian Greyhound, Chow Chow, Airedale Terrier, Pug, Samoyed, English Springer Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Border Collie, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and pooled non-Australian National Kennel Council breeds (which included the American and Australian Bulldog) when compared with cross breeds (i.e., the reference variable). As expected, HRI cases were more likely in December and January, during the Australian summer and during hotter years (e.g., 2016). There were no differences in the risk of HRI between males and females nor between desexed or un-desexed dogs; but older dogs were at increased risk of HRI. These findings underscore the need for data collection that will enable the incidence of HRI in dogs to be monitored and to better understand canine risk factors particularly as temperatures will continue to rise due to global warming. The risk of mortality from HRI underpins the need for education programs focussed on prevention and early identification of HRI so that owners present affected dogs to their veterinarian as promptly as possible.

Mastitis is the major disease affecting milk production of dairy cattle, and milk is an obvious substrate for the detection of both the inflammation and its causative infectious agents at quarter, cow, or herd levels. In this review, we examine the use of milk to detect inflammation based on somatic cell count (SCC) and other biomarkers, and for the detection of mastitis pathogens through culture-based and culture-free methods. The use of SCC at a cow or bulk milk level to guide udder health management in lactation is well-established, and SCC is increasingly used to guide selective dry cow treatment. Other markers of inflammation include electrical conductivity, which is used commercially, and markers of disease severity such as acute phase proteins but are not pathogen-specific. Some pathogen-specific markers based on humoral immune responses are available, but their value in udder health management is largely untested. Commercial pathogen detection is based on culture or polymerase chain reaction, with other tests, for example, loop-mediated isothermal amplification or 16S microbiome analysis still at the research or development stage. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time of flight (MALDI-ToF) is increasingly used for the identification of cultured organisms whilst application directly to milk needs further development. Details of test sensitivity, specificity, and use of the various technologies may differ between quarter, cow, and bulk milk applications. There is a growing array of diagnostic assays that can be used to detect markers of inflammation or infection in milk. The value of some of these methods in on-farm udder health improvement programs is yet to be demonstrated whilst methods with proven value may be underutilised.

To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report fully describing the surgical and medical management of otitis media and otitis externa in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) treated by total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy. An adult male koala captured as part of a monitoring project in South East Queensland was diagnosed with chlamydial cystitis. Purulent discharge from the right ear was also observed; diagnostic imaging was consistent with otitis media and otitis externa. Yokenella regensburgei was repeatedly cultured from the site. Clinical signs resolved with topical antibiotic therapy; however, recrudesced following cessation of antibiotics. A total ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy was performed, followed by an extended period of systemic antibiotic therapy. Mild facial nerve paresis was observed for 4 weeks postoperatively and resolved spontaneously. The koala remained clinically healthy for the 6 months it was monitored following release. Total ear canal ablation combined with lateral bulla osteotomy appears to be an appropriate surgical intervention for otitis media combined with otitis externa refractory to medical management in the koala. Transient postoperative facial nerve paresis is a possible complication, as documented in other species. To the authors' knowledge this is the first case of Yokenella regensburgei infection outside of humans and American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis); the clinical significance of this pathogen in the koala remains unknown.

A 2-year-old Standardbred gelding was referred for a mass on the palmaromedial right front pastern which was accompanied by progressively worsening lameness. The mass was firm to palpation and covered by normal skin. Ultrasonographically, a smooth encapsulated mass was present, medial to the flexor tendons and palmar to the neurovascular bundle. Because of a poor prognosis for future athletic performance without surgical or chemotherapeutic intervention and economic constraints preventing further diagnostics and treatment, the horse was euthanised. Post-mortem magnetic resonance imaging, histopathology and immunohistochemistry revealed the mass to be a perivascular wall tumour, the first record of such a neoplasia in the horse.

Fasciolosis is an endemic zoonotic parasitic disease with significant impacts on human health and both animal health and production. Early post-infection impacts on the host remain unclear. The objective of this study was to determine the changes, if any, to levels of endotoxin in cattle plasma in response to early-stage infection with Fasciola hepatica. Thirty-six (36) commercial bred cattle were experimentally infected with approximately 400 viable metacercariae. Plasma lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin) levels were examined on 24 occasions from 0 h before infection to 336 h after infection using the Limulus Amoebocyte Lysate chromogenic end point assay and compared with that of six (6) uninfected control animals. Peak lipopolysaccharide levels in infected animals were reached at 52 h after infection and returned to pre-infection levels at time 144 h after infection. Infected animals had significantly elevated lipopolysaccharide levels between 24 and 120 h after infection when compared to uninfected animals. The mean change in endotoxin units (EU)/mL over time after infection was statistically significant in infected animals. Elevations of lipopolysaccharide occurred in all infected animals suggesting a possible repeatable and titratable endotoxemia conducive to therapeutic agent model development.

Australian Veterinary JournalVolume 101, Issue 6 p. i-iii ISSUE INFORMATIONFree Access Issue Information First published: 01 June 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/avj.13184AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume101, Issue6June 2023Pages i-iii RelatedInformation

Freshwater turtles in South-East Queensland face a multitude of anthropogenic threats that threaten their survival. Research exploring the morbidity and mortality of animals presented to wildlife hospitals has been used globally to assess the health of species populations, investigate anthropogenic interference and provide valuable information to veterinary professionals about ailments common to a particular species. Medical records of 1739 chelonian patients admitted to Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, Currumbin, Queensland, Australia between March 2010 and March 2021 were analysed to obtain data on species, diagnoses, outcome and temporal trends. Six species of freshwater turtles were observed, with the Brisbane River turtle (Emydura macquarii signata) being the most common. While there was no significant trend in the number of cases over the study period, there was a decline in the number of Saw-shell turtles (Myuchelys latisternum) admitted each year. Admissions peaked in autumn and summer, likely coinciding with nesting and hatchling emergence. Trauma was the most common diagnosis, accounting for 83% of cases, and saw a decreasing incidence during the study period. In contrast, there was an increasing number of turtles presenting with disease within the same period. Overall, 67.4% of turtles were able to be released after a period of treatment, while 32.6% were euthanised or died due to their condition. Turtles presenting for trauma had the most favourable prognosis, and disease held the poorest prognosis. These results confirmed that there are significant anthropogenic threats to freshwater turtle populations in South-East Queensland.