Eighty-seven cats from the Glasgow area were investigated to determine the prevalence of leptospiral infection and possible resultant disease. Eight (9.2 per cent) of the cats reacted serologically with the antigens of three serovars. Five of the cats were seropositive to Leptospira hardjo, two to L autumnalis and one cat seroconverted to L icterohaemorrhagiae. A paired serum sample indicated a recent infection in one of the cats. The major clinical sign shown by this cat was ascites. Four of the cats were from rural areas. This appears to be the first report of a serological survey of leptospiral infection in cats in the Glasgow area.
Non‐infective polyarthritis in the cat is classified into erosive (feline rheumatoid arthritis and feline periosteal proliferative polyarthritis) and non‐erosive (feline systemic lupus erythematosus, feline idiopathic polyarthritis) forms. Criteria are used to identify each group. Clinically, all forms are similar. Affected cats are stiff, unwilling to move and may resent any form of handling. Joints are usually swollen and painful on manipulation. Some cases are pyrexic and inappetent. Radiography demonstrates destructive changes within joints in the erosive forms and also the periosteal new bone, characteristic of the periosteal proliferative form. Soft tissue thickening is also demonstrated. Tests for the autoantibodies rheumatoid factor and antinuclear antibody are important in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Treatment is with anti‐inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents (prednisolone, cytotoxic drugs). Cats with the rheumatoid and periosteal proliferative types do not recover but some manage to cope with the lameness. Cats with idiopathic polyarthritis can make a complete recovery although cases associated with myeloproliferative disease have a hopeless prognosis.
A combined ultracentrifugation and precipitation technique was used to quantify the plasma lipoprotein concentrations of control dogs (n=33) and dogs with diabetes mellitus (n=11), hyper‐adrenocorticism (n=14), hypothyroidism (n=10) and obesity (n=20). In addition, the effect of breed type, age and gender on the lipoprotein phenotype was assessed. Breed type and age were found to have no effect upon cholesterol and lipoprotein concentrations but the high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) concentration was greater in intact females than intact males. Cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher than those of the control group in dogs with diabetes mellitus (P<0·01), hyper‐adrenocorticism (P<0·01) and hypothyroidism (P<0·001). In dogs with diabetes mellitus this was due to increased concentrations of very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL‐C) (P<0·01) and HDL‐C (P<0·05). The concentrations of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) (P<0·05) were significantly increased in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism, while in the hypothyroid dogs, VLDL‐C (P<0·05), LDL‐C (P<0·001) and HDL‐C (P<0·05) were significantly higher than the control group. The cholesterol and lipoprotein concentrations in the obese population were not significantly different from control dogs.
Feline dysautonomia is a dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, the main features of which are dilated pupils, dry mucous membranes, mega‐oesophagus and constipation. The clinical and pathological features, treatment and follow‐up details of 40 cases seen at the University of Glasgow Veterinary School are described. The pathology was demonstrated to be mainly restricted to the autonomic ganglia and neurons in selected cranial nerve nuclei. Less marked changes were also found in neurons of the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia. Nine cases recovered but this required up to one year and, in some, mild clinical signs persisted. Viral, toxicological and epidemiological studies were unrewarding and the aetiology is presently unknown. The similarities between this condition, grass sickness of horses and dysautonomia in the dog and man are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.