First phalanx exostosis in traditional equestrian horses in Western Libya.

Background: Orthopedic diseases involving the forelimb fetlock joint of horses other than those used in professional racing have not been widely reported in the literature. One of these problems is the exostosis on the proximal forelimb phalanx (P1), which has not been reported previously in Western Libya. Aim: The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of P1 exostosis in traditional equestrian horses (known locally as Sarj horses) of different breeds in Libya that participated in a special social event and described its clinical findings radiographic appearance. Methods: The current study involved 60 horses admitted to private veterinary clinics with varied fetlock orthopedic problems. The studied horses were aged between 6 and 11 years old and galloped on hard grounds. Clinical and radiographic examinations were carried out on all horses. Lateromedial radiographs for one or both forelimb fetlock joints were acquired for each horse. Results: Clinical examination revealed that 21 horses (35%) had hard non-painful swelling on the dorsal aspect of fetlock with joint stiffness during flexion. In 19 of them, the swelling was bilateral. No forelimb lameness was noticed. Radiographically, hard swelling was diagnosed as bone exostosis, with various sizes, on the proximo-dorsal aspect of P1. There was also a new bone formation on the disto-dorsal part of third metacarpal bone in two cases. Conclusion: This study has documented the first report on bone exostosis on the proximo-dorsal aspect of the forelimb proximal phalanx as a common problem in Sarj horses that galloped on hard grounds in Western Libya. Although this bone lesion did not cause lameness in all reported cases, further investigations are warranted to identify its histopathological nature, potential etiology, and proper treatment.

A rare urachal abscess in a young bull with conservative management.

Background: The urachus is an embryonic remnant occurring as a result of the involution of the allantoic duct and the ventral cloaca. This canal becomes progressively obliterated after birth. It uncommonly persists to different degrees after birth. Case Description: A young bull was presented with distended abdomen and clinical signs of chocking, with low-grade fever, loss of appetite, frothy mouth arched back. On the first inspection, the animal was suspected to have simple indigestion. The treatment was attempted in this stage by introducing a stomach tube but only little relief was achieved. Therefore, 5 days later, an exploratory laparotomy was done and a big balloon-like cyst structure extended ventro-latrally in the abdominal cavity was noticed. That structure was located on the floor of the abdominal cavity extending from the pelvic rim caudally to the umbilical region cranially. The structure was then incised and evacuated and a rubber tube was fixed for constant drainage for up to one month later. The bull was followed-up and made a good recovery after a month post-surgery. Conclusion: We found that urachal abscess could be treated simply via surgical evacuation of the abscess and proper drainage for some time with a very promising outcome. Additionally, this affection can be diagnosed based on history, clinical signs, and exploratory surgery, when relatively modern diagnostic techniques are not available.

Patellar luxation in Hejazi goats.

Background: Patellar luxation (PL) is a common orthopedic affection among farm and pet animals with mostly congenital (environmental and/or genetic) background. Aim: We report here the first observation of lateral PL in Hejazi goats bred in Libya. Methods: Five Hejazi goats aged between 4 months and 2 years with severe hind limb lameness were admitted to Al-Sorouh veterinary clinic in Tripoli during the period from 2016 to 2018. The goats were thoroughly examined clinically and radiographically. Two goats were surgically treated, and the other three cases were not because of either the cost limitation or expected poor prognosis. The surgical intervention involved femoral trochlear sulcoplasty, medial joint capsule imbrication, and tibial tuberosity transposition. Results: The clinical examination showed grade III-IV lateral PL. Radiologically, there were unilateral or bilateral, ventrocaudal, and dorsal PLs. Two cases were referred to surgical correction. One case almost restored the normal movement of stifle joint together with a good general status 1 year postsurgery. However, the surgical treatment was not effective in correcting the luxated patella in the second case. Conclusion: Lateral PL is common among orthopedic affections in Hejazi goats in Libya, and its surgical treatment provided a quite convenient approach. An association between inbreeding and the PL was suggested in those cases.

Clinical, radiological, and pathological findings of primary nasal osteosarcoma in a Libyan cat.

Background: Although bone tumors are common pathologies in companion animals, limited reports describe nasal osteosarcoma (OSA) in cats. Case description: A case of nasal OSA in a local Libyan cat was admitted to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tripoli-Libya, with nasal swelling and discharges and facial deformity. The radiological findings revealed nasal osteolysis with the absence of evidence of lung metastasis. In addition, fungal growth was not identified in microbiological culture. Furthermore, the pathological examination has grossly revealed a destructed nasal bone due to the presence of a tumor mass, with a mucohemorrhagic nasal discharge and absence of metastasis. OSA was confirmed histopathologically. Conclusion: This report presents the clinical, radiological, and pathological findings of a primary nasal OSA in a Libyan cat with no tumor metastasis to other body organs.

Genetic classification of Echinococcus granulosus cysts from humans, cattle and camels in Libya using mutation scanning-based analysis of mitochondrial loci.

We genetically classified Echinococcus granulosus from humans, cattle and camels in Libya utilizing DNA regions (designated pcox1 and pnad1) within the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) mitochondrial genes, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of pcox1 and pnad1 amplicons derived from genomic DNA samples from individual cysts (n = 176) revealed four distinct electrophoretic profiles for each locus. Direct sequencing of selected amplicons representing each of these profiles defined four different sequence types for each locus, which were present in five different combinations (designated haplotypes A-E) amongst all 176 isolates. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated sequence data for these five haplotypes, together with a range of well-defined reference sequences, inferred that all cyst isolates from humans (n = 55) and a small number from cattle (13% of 38) belonged to the G1-G3 complex of E. granulosus (or E. granulosus sensu stricto), whereas most (87%) cysts from cattle and all 83 of them from camels were linked to the G6-G10 complex (or Echinococcus canadensis). The present study provides a foundation for future large-scale studies of the epidemiology and ecology of E. granulosus in Libya and other African countries.

Biodistribution of canine leucocytes labelled with technetium-99m stannous fluoride colloid in whole blood and their ability to localise to sites of induced inflammation.

This study assessed the biodistribution of autologous leucocytes radiolabelled with technetium-99m stannous fluoride colloid (99mTcSnC) for detection of foci of induced inflammation in dogs. Venous blood was collected from seven healthy dogs and incubated with 99mTcSnC for 1h at room temperature. Radiolabelled samples were injected intravenously (IV) and the dogs were scanned using a gamma camera. Another seven healthy dogs were injected intradermally with tumour necrosis factor alpha and then IV with 99mTcSnC radiolabelled autologous blood 3h later before being scanned. The radiolabelled leucocytes localised to sites of inflammation by 30 min post-injection. IV injection of autologous leucocytes radiolabelled with 99mTcSnC appears to be a sensitive method for localisation of induced foci of inflammation in dogs.

In vitro evaluation of feline leukocytes radiolabeled in whole blood with 99mTc stannous colloid.

Technetium-99m stannous colloid (9mTcSnC) has been used to radiolabel human leukocytes to investigate various inflammatory disorders. We investigated the in vitro behavior of feline leukocytes labeled in whole blood with 99mTcSnC. Heparinized blood samples were collected from healthy cats and divided into control and test aliquots. The latter were labeled with 99mTcSnC using a standard procedure. Leukocyte viability was determined for each sample using a trypan blue exclusion test. Labeling efficiency was determined for test aliquots. Test aliquots were layered onto Histopaque-1077 and centrifuged before measurement of radioactivity of the blood components. Leukocytes from radiolabeled and control samples were washed and incubated with opsonized zymosan particles to allow assessment of phagocytic function. Aliquots were taken from radiolabeled feline leukocyte samples at 1, 3, 4, and 7 h postlabelling. After centrifugation of each aliquot, radioactivity of the supernatant and pellet was measured and the labeling retention determined. Leukocyte viability in both radiolabeled and control samples was > 98%. The labeling efficiency was 95.2 +/- 0.14%. The distribution of radioactivity in feline blood was found to be 3.4 +/- 0.18% in plasma, 39.0 +/- 0.37% in erythrocytes, and 57.6 +/- 0.38% in leukocytes. Labeled feline leukocytes had phagocytic activity of 90.9 +/- 0.18% (control 91.3 +/- 0.15%). The radiolabeled leukocytes retained 93.4 +/- 0.19% of the radioactivity up to 7h postlabeling. 99TcSnC efficiently labeled feline leukocytes with no effect on viability and minimal effect on phagocytic function. The percentage retention of radioactivity by the leukocytes was still high at 7h postlabeling.

In vitro evaluation of canine leukocytes radiolabeled in whole blood with (99m)Tc stannous colloid.

INTRODUCTION: Technetium-99m stannous colloid ((99m)TcSnC)-labeled leukocytes are used to investigate a variety of inflammatory diseases in human medicine. The present study investigates the in vitro behavior of canine leukocytes labeled in whole blood with (99m)TcSnC. METHODS: Blood samples from 10 healthy dogs were labeled with (99m)TcSnC using a standard procedure. The distribution of radioactivity among blood components (plasma, leukocyte layers and erythrocytes) was measured following separation of the radiolabeled samples across Histopaque density gradients. Phagocytic function of labeled and unlabeled leukocytes was estimated using zymosan particles. Labeling retention by leukocytes was determined at 1, 3, 4 and 7 h postlabeling. RESULTS: The mean+/-standard error percentage of radioactivity associated with plasma, erythrocyte and leukocyte fractions was 2.0+/-0.21%, 55.5+/-0.60% and 42.5+/-0.54%, respectively (the last comprising 70.2+/-0.83% in polymorphonuclear leukocytes and 29.8+/-0.83% in mononuclear leukocytes). Labeled canine leukocytes had a phagocytic activity of 91.3+/-0.28% (control, 91.7+/-0.26%). The radiolabeled canine leukocytes retained 94.1+/-0.30% of radioactivity at 7 h postlabeling. CONCLUSIONS: Radiolabeling of canine leukocytes in whole blood with (99m)TcSnC has minor adverse effect on their phagocytic function. The radiolabeled canine leukocytes retained a large percentage of radioactivity for at least 7 h postlabeling.