Background: Thyroid hormone concentrations were found to be different in Greyhounds and Whippets compared with nonsight hound dogs.Hypothesis: In Sloughis, thyroid hormone concentration is lower than in nonsight hounds and comparable to Greyhounds. Animals: Fifty-one Sloughis with no evidence of disease and a mean age of 4 years (range, 1-12 years). Methods: Thyroid profiles consisting of total thyroxine (tT4), free thyroxine (fT4), free thyroxine after equilibrium dialysis (fT4 after ED), canine thyroid stimulation hormone (cTSH), and thyroglobulin antibodies as well as CBC and serum biochemistry results of Sloughis were compared with those of normal dogs. In 8 Sloughis, TSH stimulation tests were performed.Results: In Sloughis, tT4 concentrations and fT4 concentrations measured by chemiluminescence were lower than those of controls (1.13 AE 0.65 mg/dL compared with 2.9 AE 0.8 mg/dL, P o .0001 and 11 AE 4.3 pmol/L compared with 16.7 AE 5.2 pmol/L, P o .0001, respectively). Concentrations of fT4 after ED and TSH were increased in Sloughis, when compared with controls (41.3 AE 26.9 pmol/L compared with 20.98 AE 10.29 pmol/L, P o .0001 and 0.22 AE 0.15 pmol/L compared with 0.15 AE 0.13 pmol/ L, P 5 .0138, respectively). T4 concentration after TSH stimulation increased from 1.5 mg/dL (range, 0.2-2.7 mg/dL) to 2.7 mg/ dL (range, 1.2-4.7 mg/dL); the recommended post-TSH T4 concentration was achieved by only 3 of 8 Sloughis. Hemoconcentration was found in 84.3% and hypoglobulinemia in 80.3%.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: When evaluating Sloughis for hypothyroidism, veterinarians should be aware that these dogs have different thyroid hormone concentrations than nonsight hound dogs.

The transmembrane envelope (TM) proteins of retroviruses are used as antigen in diagnostic immunoassays and they represent a conserved target for neutralizing antibodies. To analyze the situation in infections with the feline foamy virus (FFV), its recombinant TM protein was produced and used for ELISA and Western blot analyses. Screening sera from 404 German cats showed that 39% reacted against the TM protein, the same infection rate was determined using the Gag protein. Epitope mapping showed antibodies against the membrane proximal external region (MPER) of the TM protein in the sera from infected cats, but attempts to induce neutralizing antibodies by immunization with the recombinant TM protein failed. This is the first report demonstrating that the TM protein of the FFV is highly immunogenic and valuable for serological screening. Similar to HIV-1, but in contrast to different gammaretroviruses, immunization with the TM protein of FFV did not induce neutralizing antibodies.

Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi sensu lato, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is the most important arthropodborne zoonosis-pathogen in the Northern hemisphere. Besides small mammals, birds, primarily Passeriformes and sea birds, play an important role in the transmission, distribution and maintenance of this disease. Previous studies on birds have focused mainly on the detection of Borrelia-infected ticks. However, the presence or absence of an infected tick cannot be taken as an indicator of the infective status of the avian host; to date this area of research has not been explored. In this study, serological analyses of blood collected from free-living birds of prey (n = 29) at the rehabilitation centre in Eastern Westphalia, Germany, highlights that birds of prey are also susceptible to B. burgdorferi and react immunologically to an infection. Increased antibody-levels could be found by using a modified Indirect Immunofl uorescenttesting in two common buzzards, Buteo buteo, and two eagle owls, Bubo bubo. Further research regarding the serological diagnostics of B. burgdorferi within the avian host is required. In the future, it should be taken into account that birds of prey can be reservoirs for B. burgdorferi, as well as carriers of infected ticks; although at present their epidemiological importance is still to be confirmed. Repositorium hinterlegen wollen, verwenden Sie bitte dazu ein "pre-print"oder ein "post-print" der Manuskriptfassung nach den Richtlinien der Publikationsfreigabe für Ihren Artikel bzw. den "Online-Rechte für Zeitschriftenbeiträge"