Background: The research work was undertaken to investigate the efficacy of various diagnostic tests by using conventional microscopic examination, rapid Ab detection test and molecular technique, haemato-biochemical changes, Abdominal organs changes using ultrasonography, and therapeutic efficacy of different treatment protocols on Canine Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (CME) infected dogs from in and around Navsari, Gujarat, India.

Methods: 69 dogs suspected of ehrlichiosis based on clinical signs and hematological values and then subjected to blood and buffy coat smear examination, rapid Ab detection test&nbsp;and PCR based assay targeting 16S rRNA gene. The pre and post-treatment haematology and biochemical analysis of treatment groups along with all the positive dogs were performed. Further, all the treatment group dogs were subjected to ultrasound for evaluating organ abnormalities. Modified Clinical Sign Grading (MCSG) score for CME-infected dogs was carried out to evaluate therapeutic responses based on minimizing the clinical score. Descriptive statistics along with Student t-test and One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by DMRT was performed to compare differences between means wherever applicable.

Result: CME incidence among the 69 suspected cases was 49.28%. Out of 69 suspected dogs, Ehrlichial inclusions or morulae in the monocytes could be identified in only 4.35% of blood smears and 10.14% of buffy coat smears examined by Giemsa and or Field-stained and 15.94% of dogs were found positive for Ehrlichia genus by PCR. 72.5 per cent of dogs were found positive for antibodies to E. canis, out of 40 dogs. The sensitivity of blood smear examination, buffy coat smear examination, and thrombocytopenia was 10.34%, 24.14%&nbsp;and 89.66%, respectively. The specificity of all the diagnostic tests was 100%. The anemia along with leucopenia, were the most significant hematological alteration recorded while ALP, creatinine, and BUN were elevated and albumin was significantly decreased in CME-infected dogs. Significant improvement of haemato-biochemical parameters towards normalcy in both treatment groups. However, a higher percentage of reduction was observed in the clinical score of imidocarb treated CME affected dogs than in the oxy-doxycycline therapy after 14 days.

Clinico-diagnostic and Therapeutic Management of Ehrlichiosis in Dog

<div>Background: Periparturient mortality in goats have a great economic impact on the livelihood of marginal farmers. Pregnancy toxaemia, a metabolic disease in small ruminants occurs as a result of negative energy balance consequent to enhanced requirement for glucose by the developing fetuses in the last trimester (last 6 to 4 weeks) of gestation. The present study was aimed to identify diagnostic and prognostic indicators of pregnancy toxaemia. 
 
Methods: During the period October 2016 to September 2018, a total of 516 adult non descriptive does were brought to Veterinary University Peripheral Hospital, Madhavaram Milk Colony, Chennai - 51, of which 264 (51.16%) were treated for medical conditions. Among the does treated for various medical conditions, 72 does were in their last six weeks of gestation carrying twins/triplets and presented with the history of off feed. They were subjected to determination of blood &beta;-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) level by means of a portable blood ketone and glucose monitoring system and qualitative urinalysis using urine dip stick. Does with BHBA level &gt; 0.8&nbsp; mmol/L and &lt; 1.6 mmol/L were classified as sub-clinical pregnancy toxaemic group (n=12) and BHBA level &gt;1.6 mmol/L were classified as clinical pregnancy toxaemic group (n=12) and subjected to therapy while the remaining 48 does had BHBA levels &lt; 0.8 mmol/L. The control animals were selected from adult Tellicherry does in the age group of 2 to 4 years maintained at Livestock Farm Complex (LFC), Madhavaram Milk Colony, Chennai - 600 051.&nbsp; 
 
Result: All the twelve does of sub-clinical pregnancy toxaemic group recovered completely with a cure rate of 100%, while in the clinical pregnancy toxaemic group the cure rate was only 33%. Reliable diagnostic indicators of pregnancy toxaemia include blood &acirc;-hyroxybutyric acid concentration (&sup3; 0.8 mmol/L) and presence of ketone body, glucose and protein in urine, while hypergly&shy;caemia in advanced pregnancy toxaemic does indicate fetal death.</div>

Diagnostic Indicators and Therapeutic Evaluation of Pregnancy Toxaemia in Goats

<div style="text-align:justify">Rapid industrialization and successful green revolution have introduced a wide array of chemicals into our environment; some of these chemicals entered in ecosystem; gets accumulated and exert serious health and ecological problems. These toxic substances can enter the food chain and emphasize pathological changes which damage either cell, organ or system (circulatory, immune, respiratory, digestive, nervous, reproductive and musculo-skeletal etc.) by altering structure and/or function of biological components; DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. This review article provides certain molecular diagnostic techniques used for their robust and accurate detection at molecular level. Investigations conducted during 2020-2021 where various review and research articles were surveyed and then extracted to enlist congestive datum for rapid detection of toxicological changes in animals. In our investigations we concluded that toxic substances present in our environment affects health of animals by altering structure and functioning of biomolecules and their concerned system. These cytological and systemic changes can be detected with the help of molecular diagnostic techniques including dideoxysequencing, pyrosequencing, allele specific RT-PCR, CRISPER/Cas, genotyping and microarrays etc. present collection of data will provide congestive information for rapid toxicological detection at molecular level.</div>

Molecular Diagnostic Strategies for the Detection of Toxicological Changes in Animals: A Review

<div>Background: Pyometra is the most common genital affections observed in bitches around the globe in-spite of advancement of disease diagnosis and treatment. Paucity of available literature regarding pyometra in canines in Odisha prompted to undertake an in-depth analysis on determinants linked to epidemiology, haemato-biochemical, clinicopathological and diagnostic imaging in pyometra bitches. 
 
Methods: During the period 2019-20, a total of 148 bitches were screened for canine pyometra in and around Bhubaneswar, Odisha on the basis of clinical signs, haematology and diagnostic imaging. Uterus was collected after ovario-hysterectomy and processed for histopathology through routine haematoxylin and eosin staining. 
 
Result: The overall incidence of pyometra was 15.54% with 4% mortality rate. Present study recorded a significant higher occurrence of pyometra in older bitches (&gt;7 year, 78.26%), smaller breeds like Spitz (47.82%), nulliparous bitches (60.86%) and dogs in dioestrus stage (82.60%). Haematological examinations revealed anaemia with marked leucocytosis and neutrophilia. There was significant increase in AST, ALT, ALP and BUN concentrations in affected bitches. Enlarged uterus with hypo echoic tubular structures containing mostly echogenic fluids were constant findings through ultrasonography. Flabby uterine horns with thick and corrugated endometrial wall containing profuse mucopurulent exudates were seen during necropsy. Chronic inflammatory response leading to intense haemorrhages and hyperaemia were constant microscopic changes. The most common isolated pathogen in canine pyometra was Escherechia coli (67.5%).</div>

​Pathomorphological, Haemato-biochemical and Diagnostic Imaging Studies in Canine Pyometra

<div>Background: Malignant mammary gland tumors can metastasize to various organs; of which, lungs and regional lymph nodes are most frequently affected. Chest radiographs and regional lymph node FNAs are important diagnostic tool to detect metastasis as per oncology practice guidelines. The present study was aimed to develop suitable diagnostic tool to detect metastasis in mammary tumor affected dogs. 
 
Methods: Between September 2017 to July 2018, thirty three dogs (n=33) affected with mammary tumors were included in the study. Out of thirty three dogs, three dogs (n=3) showed swollen regional lymph nodes and pulmonary metastases. Different parameters such as haematology, serum biochemistry, radioimmunoassay, radiology, cytology, histopathology and immunohistochemistry were analysed. 
 
Result: TNM clinical staging revealed that all the three dogs showed stage IV tumors which were usually malignant and showed frequent metastases. Haematological abnormalities such as anemia, leucocytosis and reduced platelet count were noticed. Serum biochemistry showed reduced protein and electrolyte level with elevated alkaline phosphatase and alanine transaminase. Radioimmunoassay showed many-fold elevation of estradiol and progesterone. Radiography of lungs revealed severe pulmonary metastasis. Cytological examination of swollen accessory lymph node revealed mixed population of lymphocytes and neoplastic cells. Grossly, the lymph nodes were found to be enlarged, blood tinged and covered with subcutaneous adipose tissue. Histopathology of tumor masses from three dogs revealed cystic papillary carcinoma, ductal carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma. Immunohistochemistry revealed that dogs were affected with triple negative tumors which were highly malignant, poor prognosis and not responding to therapy.</div>

Cytology and Radiology as a Diagnostic Tool to Detect Metastasis in Mammary Tumor Affected Dogs

<div>The haematological analysis is one of the essential diagnostic and prognostic tools for the health practitioner. Routine hematology consists of erythrocyte, leucocyte and platelet parameters estimation. Erythrocyte parameters (RBC, RDW, haemoglobin, haematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC) estimation plays a crucial role in identifying anemia and several other acute and chronic conditions. Accurate and precise haematology results depend on correct blood collection procedures, suitable anticoagulants, proper storage and effective blood transport. The individual reference value variance can be due to age, sex, stress, diet, body condition, hydration status and reproductive status. Automatic haeamtology analyzer can yield quick and accurate results provided the sample is free from any artifacts. In conclusion, the accuracy of the result of automatic haematology analyzer in canine medicine is impeded by the lack of precise and rapid comparison procedure, instability and complexity of blood cells. Therefore the findings of the automatic haemotolyzer should always be corroborated with the clinical findings and another laboratory test.</div>

​Erythrocyte Parameters as a Diagnostic Tool in Canine Medicine: A Review

<div style="text-align: justify;">Babesia gibsoni is the common cause of canine babesiosis in India. Its diagnosis by conventional diagnostic methods result in false negative condition, particularly in those cases in which parasitemia is low. Therefore the present study employed IFAT and PCR along with microscopic examination to overcome this situation. Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears revealed presence of small pear-shaped, oval or signet ring shaped B. gibsoni within the erythrocytes of 1.34 % dogs. IFAT and PCR detected a total of 1.80 % and 1.82 % dogs positive for B. gibsoni, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of IFAT was 93.10% and 88.89%, respectively whereas, sensitivity and specificity of microscopic examination was 71.26% and 95.56%, respectively. The agreement of IFAT and microscopic examination with PCR was 82.30% and 60.73%, respectively. The agreement between IFAT and microscopy was 60.99%. Therefore, IFAT is considered to be highly sensitive test for diagnosing B. gibsoni in subclinically or chronically infected dogs with significantly low level of parasitemia.&nbsp;</div>

Comparative evaluation of different diagnostic tests for B. gibsoni in dogs

<div style="text-align:justify">Background: Pulicat Lake is one of India&rsquo;s most valuable ecosystems. Correct species identification is essential for the conservation and management of finite resources. Molecular signatures and character-based keys could be used for faster identification. This will be a powerful tool to obtain a significant amount of accurate information quickly and conveniently and could be used for forensic applications and the conservation of fish in Indian waters. 
 
Methods: In addition to morphological identification, the species were identified using various approaches, such as Neighbour-joining (NJ), Maximum Likelihood (ML) trees and the Character-based method. For each species, the LOGic (BLOG 2.0) DNA Barcode analysis method was used to identify different positions of key diagnostic nucleotides in a given set. 
 
Result: DNA barcodes were generated from twenty-nine species of fish representing seven orders, 26 genera and 21 families in this study. The current study&rsquo;s findings show that the 16S rRNA barcodes facilitated successful fish species identification and also provided phylogenetic information to differentiate the fishes. The character-based molecular diagnostic keys for fishes were also developed in-silico from the data set comprising 393 mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequences including the sequences generated in the present study and other published resources.</div>

Character-based Diagnostic Keys, Molecular Identification and Phylogenetic Relationships of Fishes based on Mitochondrial Gene from Pulicat Lake, India: A Tool for Conservation and Fishery Management Purposes

Background: The present study was undertaken to investigate the association of systolic arterial pressure in various clinical conditions in dogs. During the study period, from May 2024 to October 2024, a total of 122 dogs presented at Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Jabalpur (M.P.) were examined. The blood pressure was recorded in 122 dogs, presented with various clinical conditions such as renal affections, cardiac disorders, ascites, ocular affections, diabetes mellitus, epistaxis, haemoprotozoan diseases etc., to determine the relationship between blood pressure and disease-specific clinical manifestations. 
 
Methods: All the diseased dogs were subjected to measurement of blood pressure by Doppler Vet BP machine.Haemato-biochemical parameters and different diagnostic modalities like ultrasonography and electrocardiography were performed to ensure the diagnosis of concerned clinical conditions.The association between blood pressure and clinical conditions in dogs was evaluated using the classification system proposed by American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) hypertension guidelines. 
 
Result: In renal cases, 21.62% dogs were having SAP &ge;160 mm Hg. The target organ risk categorization using value of SAP revealed that out of 29 dogs, 20.69%, 51.72%, 13.79% and 13.79% were at minimal risk, mild risk, moderate risk and high risk, respectively. In cardiac cases, 13.51% dogs were having SAP &ge;160 mm Hg with target organ risk categorization revealed that out of 11 dogs, 27.27%, 27.27%, 36.36% and 9.09% were at minimal risk, mild risk, moderate risk and high risk respectively. In ascites (hepatic origin) cases, 8.10% dogs were having SAP &ge;160 mm Hg. The target organ risk categorization revealed that out of 23 dogs, 60.86%, 26.08% and 13.04% were at minimal risk, mild risk, moderate risk, respectively. In ocular cases, 8.10% dogs were having SAP &ge;160 mm Hg. The target organ risk categorization revealed that out of 06 dogs, 50%, 33.33% and 16.67% were at mild risk, moderate risk and high risk, respectively. The mean SAP in diabetes mellitus, epistaxis, obesity, gastroenteritis and haemoprotozoan affected dogs were 161.50&plusmn;3.50, 147.60&plusmn;9.32, 161.75&plusmn;8.04, 139.38&plusmn;7.75 and 142.18&plusmn;7.11, respectively. This study emphasizes the multifactorial nature of hypertension in dogs, its association with clinical conditions and the risk of target-organ damage (TOD).

Evaluation of Blood Pressure and Associated Risks in Canine Disorders: A Diagnostic Perspective

<div>Background: Colic is one of the most common and challenging problem encountered by equine practitioners. In practise majority of horses suffering from colic can be treated with medical management but around 10% of horses with colic require surgical intervention in an effort to save the life of animal. In India, equine abdominal surgery is not popular because there is lack of infrastructure, manpower and expertise therefore, there is a need to conduct clinical studies to document outcome of equine colic cases managed surgically. The present report describes diagnostic, prognostic indicators and post-operative outcome of exploratory celiotomy performed to manage various cases of colic surgical outcome of colic surgery in Indian horse breeds. 
 
Methods: The present study was conducted on 20 horses having intestinal colic (n=20). The affected patients were selected for exploratory celiotomy on an emergency basis having moderate to severe persistent abdominal pain, lack of response to medicinal treatment with absence of intestinal borborygmi. Preoperative physical assessment, biochemical analysis and peritoneal fluid analysis were done in all the clinical cases. The preoperative physical assessment and various blood parameter estimation helped in decision making. 
 
Conclusion: The result of intestinal colic cases showed that mean heart rate and respiration rate (mean&plusmn;SE) were significantly higher in non-survivors&nbsp;as compared to survivors. Blood lactate level was significantly higher in non survivors than survivors. Large colon affectation (n=8) were the primary cause of the colic, followed by small colon (n=6), cecum (n=3) and small intestine (n=3). Postoperative complications were peritonitis and ileus (n=6), subcutaneous seroma (n=7), pyrexia (n=4), diarrhoea (n=6). Short term survivability in intestinal colic patients was 55% and long term survivability was 50%.</div>