Delayed analysis of canine blood samples produces artifactual changes in CBC results, mainly in RBC morphology and platelet parameters, that are readily detected using the ADVIA 120. Refrigeration of specimens, even after 24 hours of storage at room temperature, is recommended to improve the accuracy of CBC results for canine blood samples.

Bartonella henselae is the major etiological agent of cat scratch disease in humans. Cats act as the natural reservoir of B. henselae and can transmit the infection to humans by a bite or scratch. The prevalence of B. henselae in cat populations was evaluated by serological and bacteriological tests. A total of 769 stray cats from three urban and three rural areas in northern Italy were sampled between January 1999 and December 2000. The positive and the negative predictive values of serological tests with respect to bacteremic status were evaluated. Tests of a total of 140 cats (18%) resulted in detection of bacteremia. A total of 540 cats were tested by serology; 207 (38%) were seropositive. Of the 531 cats tested by both methods, the results for 65 (12.2%) showed both bacteremia detection and seropositivity. The molecular typing of the isolates showed that 20.6% of bacteremic cats were infected with B. henselae type I strain, 61.1% were infected with B. henselae type II, and 18.3% were coinfected with both. A statistically significant difference in antibody and bacteremia prevalences among geographical areas was detected. Statistical analysis showed no association between characteristics such as seroprevalencebacteremic status, sex, general health status, and the presence of ectoparasites. The negative predictive value of serological test was 84.7%, and the positive predictive value was 31.8%. Receiving operator characteristic analysis of the data showed that serological tests had a low predictive value in relation to the bacteremic status of a cat; in surveys aimed at assessing the real risk of B. henselae infection in a human population, therefore, we suggest the use of blood culture as the reference test. Nevertheless, both blood culture assays and serological tests for Bartonella infection should be performed for a complete evaluation of the health status of cats.Although cat scratch disease (CSD) was recognized in 1930 and first reported in 1950 by Debrè et al. (8), the etiological agent was identified only in 1992 when Bartonella henselae was definitely associated with CSD in humans (23,24). Several years later, another Bartonella species, B. clarridgeiae, was identified as a causative agent of CSD in humans (20,21). Cats act as a natural reservoir of the bacteria and can transmit Bartonella to humans by a scratch or bite. Bartonella infection in cats is usually not characterized by clinical manifestations, but infected cats can remain bacteremic for long periods, thus playing a major role as a reservoir for the bacteria (5, 19). The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis, plays an important role in cat-to-cat transmission of the infection (7,10,18). A similar role may also be played by ticks (Ixodes pacificus) (4).Epidemiological studies worldwide have shown a high level of variability of Bartonella seroprevalence in cats. Seroprevalence levels ranging from 1 to 8.5% in Germany and Switzerland (1,12,15) and up to 56% in The Netherlands (2) and 81% in California (6) have been found. In Europe, the highes...

In this paper, we report on our experience of cytology of fine needle biopsies performed on 92 dogs with testicular tumours during the period from 1998 to 2002. Cytological diagnosis was consistent with seminoma in 20 cases, sertolioma in 16 cases, Leydig cell tumours in 50 cases and mastocytoma in one case. Five cases could not be diagnosed by cytology. Cytological observations were confirmed after surgery by histopathological examination in 87 cases. Cytology provided a sensitivity of 95% for seminoma, 88% for sertolioma and 96% for Leydig cell tumours. The specificity was 100% for all three tumour types. In our experience cytology of fine needle aspirations of testicular tumours is a very reliable technique.

Although the current series of cases is relatively small, cytologic evaluation of squash preparations can be considered a fairly accurate and reliable tool in the diagnosis of NS lesions.