Asger Lundorff Jensen

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic and progressive joint disease that can cause permanent loss of joint function. OA is highly prevalent in horses, dogs, and cats, affecting different joints and leading to reduced mobility and chronic pain. Different risk factors for animal OA have been identified, including trauma and breed. Inflammation is a hallmark of the disease, with various underlying mechanisms such as cyclooxygenase and metalloproteinase activation, nerve growth factor, cytokine, and prostaglandin E ₂ upregulation, among others. Although disease complexity makes OA difficult to treat, enormous advances have been made in regard to therapeutic options, especially due to the identification and better understanding of the common mechanisms underlying human and animal disease. Indeed, to date, numerous therapies have been developed over the years and are available to treat animal OA, including COX inhibitors, PGE₂ 4 receptor blockers, chondroprotective agents, biologicals, and medical devices for veterinary medicine, as well as those used to treat human disease. Herein, the different therapies available for animal OA, treatment regimens for each species, mechanisms of action, benefits, setbacks, and challenges for achieving a better quality of life and longevity for veterinary patients are presented and discussed.

Objectives: Reticulocyte haemoglobin content (CHr) is a promising tool for evaluating iron status in dogs; however, its usefulness in cats varies. Heinz bodies interfere with haematological analyses on the Advia 120/2120i analyser (Siemens Healthineers), but the effect of Heinz bodies on CHr measurement in feline blood samples is unknown. Methods: In an analytical intervention study, CHr concentration was measured pairwise in 30 feline blood samples with and without Heinz bodies chemically induced in vitro using 1-acetyl-2-phenylhydrazine (APH). Results: The percentage of Heinz bodies and the amount of Heinz body material were assessed by microscopy after staining with New Methylene Blue, and both increased significantly after in vitro APH incubation. After incubation, CHr levels decreased significantly in both samples without APH and in APH-treated samples, but no significant difference was detected between the samples with and without APH. Conclusions and relevance: In vitro - induced Heinz bodies did not impact CHr levels. Explaining the lesser diagnostic utility of CHr measurements in cats compared with dogs as an effect of Heinz bodies is therefore not substantiated by this in vitro study. Accordingly, variations in feline patient populations and varying definitions of iron deficiency in previous studies are likely the main explanations for the lesser diagnostic utility of CHr measurements in cats.

Background: Acute phase proteins are a group of vital constituents of the innate immune system, which may also serve as circulatory biomarkers of inflammation. The major acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) is a reliable and sensitive biomarker in cows, allowing for rapid detection of inflammatory disease. A multispecies automated immunoturbidimetric assay (VET‐SAA, Eiken) has been validated for horses, dogs, and cats, and it has been used to measure SAA concentrations in bovine samples.Objectives: The aim of the present study was to perform an analytical validation of the VET‐SAA immunoturbidometric assay based on monoclonal antihuman SAA antibodies for the measurement of SAA in clinical samples from cows.Methods and Results: The validation included an assessment of imprecision, inaccuracy, and detection limit, as well as an evaluation of the overlap performance, using banked serum from healthy and sick cows with or without inflammatory disease. Intra‐ and interassay variation ranged from 0.91% to 2.9% and 2.5% to 5.8%, respectively. The assay was performed with acceptable accuracy within a clinically relevant range of SAA, although minor signs of inaccuracy were detected. Overlap performance was acceptable, with the VET‐SAA assay able to differentiate between healthy cows and cows with inflammatory and noninflammatory conditions. The automated VET‐SAA assay is considered acceptable for the measurement of SAA in cows.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) and visual assessments of anisocytosis assess variability in erythrocyte size. Veterinary studies on the correlation between the two methods and on observer agreement are scarce. The objectives were to assess the correlation of the grading of anisocytosis by means of conventional microscopy of canine blood smears to RDW, and to assess intra- and inter-observer variation in assessing the degree of anisocytosis. The study included 100 canine blood samples on which blood smear examination and RDW measurement were performed. RDW was measured on the Advia 2120i analyzer. The degree of anisocytosis was based on a human grading scheme assessing the ratio between the size of the representative largest red blood cell and that of the representative smallest red blood cell (1+ if 4x). Three observers participated and assessed the blood smears by conventional microscopy twice, 3 weeks apart by each observer. The correlation was assessed for each observer on each occasion using Kendahl-tau-b analysis. Intra-observer agreement was assessed using quadratically weighted kappa. Inter-observer agreement was assessed using free-marginal multi-rater kappa. Anisocytosis graded on blood smears correlated significantly with RDW values as assessed by Kendahl-tau-b ranging between 0.37 and 0.51 (p < 0.0001). Intra-observer agreement ranged from weak to moderate with resulting kappa-coefficients being 0.58, 0.68, and 0.75, respectively. Inter-observer agreement was weak (Kappa-values 0.44). The weak to moderate observer agreement in the visual assessment of anisocytosis indicates that the more precise and more repeatable RDW measurement should be used for clinical decision-making.

Dirofilariasis is spreading among dogs and humans in Europe with infections being established in many countries. In Denmark, at least one to two generations of Dirofilaria spp. can occur per year. Here, we describe the first molecular biologically confirmed case of D. repens infection in a dog in Denmark.

Background/Aim: Staphylococcus aureus infection associated with orthopedic implants cannot always be controlled. We used a knee prosthesis model with implant-related osteomyelitis in rats to explore induction of an effective immune response with active and passive immunization. Materials and Methods: Fifty-two Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into active (N=28) and passive immunization groups (N=24). A bacterial inoculum of 10³ S. aureus MN8 was injected into the tibia and the femur marrow before insertion of a non-constrained knee prosthesis in each rat. The active-immunization group received a synthetic oligosaccharide of polysaccharide poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG), 9G1cNH₂ and the passive-immunization group received immunization with immunoglobulin from rabbits infected with S. aureus. Results/Conclusion: Active immunization against PNAG significantly reduced the consequences of osteomyelitis infection from PNAG-producing intercellular adhesion (ica⁺) but not ica⁻ S. aureus. Passive immunization resulted in better clinical assessments in animals challenged with either ica⁺ or ica⁻ S. aureus, suggesting a lack of specificity in this antiserum.