Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a myocardial disease of dogs and humans characterized by progressive ventricular dilation and depressed contractility and it is a frequent cause of heart failure. Conventional pharmacological therapy cannot reverse the progression of the disease and, in humans, cardiac transplantation remains the only option during the final stages of cardiac failure. Cytoprotective gene therapy with the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-B167 (VEGF-B167) has proved an effective alternative therapy, halting the progression of the disease in experimental studies on dogs [1,2]. The aim of this work was to test the tolerability and feasibility of intracoronary inoculation under fluoroscopic guidance of VEGF-B167 carried by adeno-associated viral vectors in canine DCM patients. Ten patients underwent the gene delivery procedure. The intraoperative phase was well tolerated by all dogs. Clinical and echocardiographic assessment at 7 days post-procedure in all dogs showed stable clinical conditions that could be superimposed to those pre-procedure. The results of this work indicate that intracoronary gene delivery is feasible and tolerated in dogs with DCM. Further monitoring/investigations are ongoing to evaluate the effects of this procedure on disease progre

Ten symptomatic dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum were examined by means of doppler echocardiography in order to identify the presence of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The presence of 2-dimensional features of PAH and the presence of tricuspid and/or pulmonic valve regurgitation for pulmonary artery pressure quantification were investigated and standard echo-doppler variables (AT, AT/ET, Tei) were calculated. None of the examined dogs showed 2-dimensional features of PAH. In only one dog, having also mitral endocardiosis, PAH was diagnosed by tricuspid jet velocity. Echo-doppler variables resulted not indicative of PAH in all dogs except one having a Tei index value predictive of PAH, but normal AT and AT/ET. Our preliminary data do not support the presence of PAH in canine leishmaniasis, anyway study population need to be enlarged to give conclusions.

Anaplasmosis, babesiosis and theileriosis are the major tick-borne diseases in cattle (TBDs). TBDs are widespread in tropical and temperate regions and are responsible for important economic losses in those areas. In this last part of the review on TBDs of cattle we report the translation of a work of the authors about an epidemiological investigation conducted on 1,500 cattle in three regions of southern Italy in order to assess the presence and prevalence of various pathogens responsible for these diseases and an appendix with additional data on the detection of Theileria bicornis, Theileria sp. Buffalo, Babesia rossi and Ehrlichia spp. Omatjenne, never reported before in Italy.

In medicina umana è ben nota l’associazione tra obesità e alcune malattie croniche che definiscono la c.d. sindrome metabolica (SM). Il fattore riconosciuto come determinante nella SM è il grasso intra addominale ed è stata proposta l’ecografia per ottenere una misurazione pratica e diretta dello spessore del grasso regionale a questo livello. Sebbene studi recenti hanno dimostrato che l’obesità è associata con l’insulino-resistenza e la dislipidemia anche nel cane, in questa specie non è attualmente disponibile un metodo semplice e immediato per determinare la distribuzione regionale del grasso corporeo. Scopo del lavoro è di valutare la possibile applicazione dell’ecografia per quantificare il grasso addominale viscerale e per predire le alterazioni metaboliche nei cani obesi. In questo studio prospettico sono stati arruolati 54 cani di proprietà presentati per visita clinica di routine. Il metodo del body condition score (BCS) è stato utilizzato per definire i cani obesi, sovrappeso o normali. Differenti misure ecografiche del tessuto adiposo sono state effettuate; in particolare sono state proposte misure ecografiche dello stato di obesità basandosi su metodiche già accreditate in campo umano e confrontate con le misure ecografiche precedentemente proposte nel cane. Sono state dunque valutate l’adiposità addominale viscerale,, l’adiposità addominale sottocutanea e preperitoneale ed infine quella sottocutanea lombare. Le misure ecografiche così ottenute sono state comparate con i parametri morfometrici (BCS, circonferenza pelvica, % Body Fat) e metabolici (glucosio, colesterolo totale, HDL, LDL, trigliceridi, leptina e proteina C reattiva) di obesità. I dati sono stati analizzati statisticamente. L’analisi della correlazione tra le nuove misure ecografiche proposte e le misure cliniche del peso corporeo ha dimostrato una correlazione significativa sia del grasso viscerale che preperitoneale avevano con tutte le misure cliniche fatta eccezione per il peso. In particolare la misura ecografica del grasso viscerale era correlata positivamente n solo con il BCS e gli altri parametri morfometrici di obesità, ma anche con la concentrazione sierica del colesterolo totale, dell’HDL e della leptina. I risultati di questo studio suggeriscono che l’ecografia può essere un metodo utile pratico e non invasivo per quantificare i depositi di grasso regionale nei cani. In particolare la misura del grasso viscerale può essere utile nella diagnosi di obesità nella clinica pratica e può fornire utili informazioni sul rischio di disfunzione metabolica associata all’obesità nel cane (DMAO). Infatti fra le misure ecografiche testate in questo studio la misura del grasso viscerale sembra essere quella che meglio correla con i parametri metabolici come già dimostrato in campo umano suggerendo che questa misura ecografica potrebbe rappresentare un marker di rischio di DMAO.

Tick-borne diseases are widespread in tropical and temperate regions and are responsible for important economic losses in those areas. In order to assess the presence and prevalence of various pathogens in southern Italy, we retrospectively analyzed cattle blood samples collected for a previous study in 2000 using reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization. The study had been carried out in three regions of southern Italy on 1,500 randomly selected and apparently healthy adult cattle. RLB showed that 43.7% of the cattle were positive for nine different species of hemoparasites with either a single infection or a mixed infection. Theileria buffeli was the most common species found, being present in 27.3% of the animals, followed by Anaplasma marginale in 18.1%, Anaplasma centrale in 13.8%, Babesia bigemina and Anaplasma bovis in 4.2%, Anaplasma phagocytophilum in 1.7%, Babesia bovis in 1.6%, Babesia major in 0.2% and Babesia divergens in 0.1%. Complete blood counts showed different degrees of anemia in 363 animals (24.2%) and of these, 169 were RLB-positive for at least one pathogen. Among the ticks that were collected from the cattle, the following species were identified: Rhipicephalus bursa, Ixodes ricinus, Hyalomma marginatum, Boophilus annulatus, Dermacentor marginatus and Haemaphysalis (sulcata, parva, inermis and punctata). The results obtained confirmed the spread of endemic tick-borne pathogens in the regions studied.

The present study aims to identify short peptide sequences characterized by a low level of similarity to the canine proteome, and responsible for autoimmune response that characterizes canine pemphigus foliaceous (cPF). As already demonstrated by several authors, in the human model of pemphigus foliaceous and pemphigus vulgaris short peptide sequences from the two antigens of PF and PV (Dsg1 and Dsg3 respectively) with low similarity to the host proteome (mouse and human), are endowed with a high epitopic power (Kanduc, 2009; Kanduc, 2008; Lucchese et al., 2006; Angelini et al.,2006). Five sera from dogs affected by PF were tested with Dot‐blot Immunoassay to evaluate the presence of autoantibodies against two peptides with low similarity to the dog proteome (Canfa, Canis Familiaris): Dsg1_CANFA49‐60 and Dsg3_CANFA48‐59. Two peptides with high similarity to the dog proteome were employed as negative controls : Dsg3_CANFA189‐203 and Dsg3_CANFA372‐379. The same peptide platform was used to test sera from healthy dogs. All the dogs with PF showed antibody reactivity to the low similarity peptide Dsg3_CANFA48‐59. No positivity was detected against the low similarity peptide Dsg1_CANFA49‐60 and the two high‐similarity peptides Dsg3_CANFA189‐203 and Dsg3_CANFA372‐379. No sera belonging to healthy dogs has recognized the two peptide sequences with low similarity neither the two high‐similarity peptides. The data presented in this study should be interpreted as preliminary results of a larger research project which is still in progress. In fact, thanks to the collaboration of many dermatologists throughout the country we are expanding our study to obtain a statistically significant number of samples. However, to date, we report the evidence that circulating antibodies present in the sera of dogs with PF recognize the Dsg3_CANFA48‐59 low similarity peptide sequence. Further studies need to confirm our data and give us a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms at the basis of the PF.

Ten symptomatic dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum were examined by means of doppler echocardiography in order to identify the presence of pulmonary hypertension (HP). The presence of 2-dimensional features of PH and the presence of tricuspid and/or pulmonic valve regurgitation for pulmonary artery pressure quantification were investigated and standard echo-doppler variables (AT, AT/ET, Tei) were calculated. None of the examined dogs showed 2-dimensional features of PH. In only one dog, having also mitral endocardiosis, HP was diagnosed by tricuspid jet velocity. Echo-doppler variables resulted not indicative of HP in all dogs except one having a Tei index value predictive of HP, but normal AT and AT/ET. Our preliminary data do not support the presence of HP in canine leishmaniasis, anyway study population need to be enlarged to give conclusions.