ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: As a result of extensive field-related activities, military working dogs (MWDs) have an increased occupational risk for acquiring vector-borne infectious diseases. METHODS: Indirect fluorescent antibody, Bartonella alpha-proteobacteria growth medium enrichment culture, and 16-23S Bartonella intergenic transcribed spacer polymerase chain reaction were performed using blood, serum, or tissue specimens. RESULTS: Endocarditis was diagnosed in three MWDs infected with Bartonella vinsonii subspecies (subsp.) berkhoffii genotype III. One dog was also infected with Bartonella rochalimae. CONCLUSIONS: B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii genotype III may represent an occupational risk for MWDs that develop endocarditis or myocarditis. Comprehensive periodic screening for canine vector-borne infections, in particular occult infections caused by Bartonella spp, is prudent to avoid serious or life-threating illnesses.
Subject(s)
Bartonellaceae Infections/complications , Bartonellaceae/pathogenicity , Endocarditis/veterinary , Military Personnel , Myocarditis/veterinary , Animals , Bartonellaceae Infections/diagnosis , Bartonellaceae Infections/veterinary , Dog Diseases/diagnosis , Dogs , Endocarditis/etiology , Female , Male , Myocarditis/etiologySubject(s)
Cryptococcosis/veterinary , Cryptococcus/isolation & purification , Dog Diseases/microbiology , Amphotericin B/administration & dosage , Amphotericin B/therapeutic use , Animals , Antifungal Agents/administration & dosage , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Cryptococcosis/drug therapy , Cryptococcosis/microbiology , Cryptococcosis/pathology , Dog Diseases/pathology , Dogs , Fatal Outcome , Fluconazole/administration & dosage , Fluconazole/therapeutic use , MaleABSTRACT
Golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) is a well-established model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The value of this model would be greatly enhanced with practical tools to monitor progression of respiratory dysfunction during treatment trials. Arterial blood gas analysis, tidal breathing spirometry, and respiratory inductance plethysmography (RIP) were performed to determine if quantifiable abnormalities could be identified in unsedated, untrained, GRMD dogs. Results from 11 dogs with a mild phenotype of GRMD and 11 age-matched carriers were compared. Arterial blood gas analysis was successfully performed in all dogs, spirometry in 21 of 22 (95%) dogs, and RIP in 18 of 20 (90%) dogs. Partial pressure of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate concentration were higher in GRMD dogs. Tidal breathing peak expiratory flows were markedly higher in GRMD dogs. Abnormal abdominal motion was present in 7 of 10 (70%) GRMD dogs. Each technique provided objective, quantifiable measures that will be useful for monitoring respiratory function in GRMD dogs during clinical trials while avoiding the influence of sedation on results. Increased expiratory flows and the pattern of abdominal breathing are novel findings, not reported in people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and might be a consequence of hyperinflation.
