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Biomedical subjects

A P Foster

Publications and source records attributed to A P Foster.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Postal survey of the population of South American camelids in the United Kingdom in 2000/01.

The members of the two leading British camelid breeders associations were surveyed by means of a postal questionnaire between December 2000 and January 2001; 696 questionnaires were posted and 218 usable responses were returned. A total of 3520 camelids were recorded, of which 2719 (77.2 per cent) were alpacas (Lama pacos) and 726 (20.6 per cent) were llamas (Lama glama). Ninety-four per cent of the camelid herds were of one species, and 70 per cent of the animals were kept for more than one purpose. Camelids imported from South America were present on 45 per cent of the units surveyed. Husbandry procedures and preventive health measures were uniform; 92.2 per cent of the animals were kept on pasture all year round, 99 per cent were supplemented with hay and 97.7 per cent with concentrate feed; 88.1 per cent were vaccinated against clostridial disease with a multivalent vaccine licensed for sheep, and 96.3 per cent were treated periodically with anthelmintic drugs. During 2000, ill health, other than dermatological conditions, was reported by 24.3 of respondents, and 32 different conditions were described. Skin disease was reported by 51 per cent of breeders. Zinc deficiency was diagnosed presumptively as the cause of skin disease by 31.9 per cent of the respondents, and ectoparasitism by 26.4 per cent. Of those who treated a skin condition, 71.9 per cent reported an improvement, but less than half of them considered the improvement to have been permanent.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2005

Comparative study of the efficacy of eprinomectin versus ivermectin, and field efficacy of eprinomectin only, for the treatment of chorioptic mange in alpacas.

The efficacy of eprinomectin versus ivermectin (Study 1: a single-centre, randomised, treatment-controlled, blinded field trial), and the field efficacy of eprinomectin (Study 2: a single-centre, open, un-controlled field trial) for the treatment of chorioptic infestation in naturally infested alpacas were assessed in two studies. Thirty alpacas, all positive for Chorioptes sp. mite, were randomly allocated to two treatment groups in Study 1. Group A received a single topical administration of a 0.5% formulation of eprinomectin at the dose rate of 500mug/kg. Group B received three subcutaneous administrations at 14 days interval of a 1% formulation of ivermectin at the dose rate of 400mug/kg. Response to treatment was assessed by periodic mite count, and skin lesions scored. In Study 2, one group of 19 alpacas received four administrations at weekly interval of topical eprinomectin at the dose rate of 500mug/kg, and response to treatment was monitored by mite counts. No localised or systemic side effects were observed in either trial. There was a statistically significant decrease in mite counts on day 7 (P<0.001) within treatment Groups A and B of Study 1, but mite counts increased again on day 14 and remained high for the duration of the trial in both treatment groups. On day 14 of Study 2, there was a statistically significant reduction in mite counts (P<0.008) and the mite counts remained very low throughout the remainder of the study. The eprinomectin protocol employed in Study 2, consisting of four weekly topical administrations at the dose rate of 500mug/kg of body weight, proved highly effective at reducing the Chorioptes mite burden in alpacas.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMed2005

Measurement of serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) specific for house dust mite antigens in normal cats and cats with allergic skin disease.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether cats with allergic skin disease have significant concentrations of serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE) specific for antigens derived from the house dust mites (HDM) Dermatophagoides farinae (DF) and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were developed for this purpose. Binding of serum allergen-specific IgE was detected via the use of biotinylated Fc-epsilon receptor alpha chain protein (FcvarepsilonRIalpha). Following optimisation of the assay, serum samples from 59 cats with allergic skin disease and 54 clinically normal cats were screened. Results were expressed as ELISA units per ml (EU/ml) compared to a standard curve. Serological findings were correlated with the clinical presentation of affected cats. Cats with symptoms of feline allergic skin disease were grouped as follows: self-induced alopecia without lesions (group 1), papulocrusting dermatitis (group 2), eosinophilic granuloma complex (group 3), papular/ulcerative dermatitis of head and neck/facial dermatitis (group 4), and a combination of symptoms (group 5). Control normal cats comprised the final group (group 6). The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical analysis. There was no significant difference between groups for DF- and DP-specific IgE concentrations with a p-value of 0.875 and 0.705, respectively. Although the FcvarepsilonRIalpha-based ELISA was able to detect house dust mite-specific feline IgE, the presence of this allergen-specific IgE correlates poorly with the presence of clinical manifestations of allergic skin disease. The results of this study question the clinical relevance of house dust mite-specific IgE in feline allergic skin disease.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Comparison of intradermal and serum testing for allergen-specific IgE using a Fcepsilon RIalpha-based assay in atopic dogs in the UK.

Atopic dermatitis in dogs is a common allergic skin disease that affects substantial numbers of dogs in the UK. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of an intradermal test (IDT) and an in vitro test in a large cohort of dogs. Dogs were intradermal tested with Greer allergens (Greer Labs Inc, Lenoir, NC, USA) using standard techniques. At the same time blood samples were drawn and submitted for evaluation by ELISA using the ALLERCEPT Definitive Allergen Panels for allergen-specific IgE, a commercial assay that uses a biotinylated recombinant extracellular domain of the high affinity Fc-epsilon receptor alpha chain protein (Fcepsilon RIalpha). The allergens used in the two tests included grass, tree and weed pollens, moulds, flea saliva/whole flea extract and house dust mite species. The optical density readings from the ELISA for each allergen were compared with the results of the IDT for 265 dogs. The prevalence of positive reactions in the ELISA was equal to or greater than the results of the IDT in the case of almost all of the allergens, but two notable exceptions were the house dust mites Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. These two allergens were the most common positive reactions by IDT (prevalence D. farinae 78.9%, D. pteronyssinus 66.4%). The results of the two tests were significantly different (McNemar's test, P<0.05) for 16 of the 22 allergens. The sensitivities of the ELISA compared to the IDT (where there were more than 3 dogs with positive reactions in both tests) varied between 19.3 and 77.1% (D. pteronyssinus 19.3% and D. farinae 67.9%) and the specificities varied between 64.2 and 96.6% (D. pteronyssinus 96.6% and D. farinae 89.3%).

Allergens↗
PubMed2003

Serum IgE and IgG responses to food antigens in normal and atopic dogs, and dogs with gastrointestinal disease.

In human food allergy, with or without concurrent atopy, there may be significant increases in serum allergen-specific IgE. Serological methods have been tried but are not currently recommended for diagnosis of suspected food allergy in dogs. The aim of this study was to investigate humoral immune responses to food antigens in dogs. Serum IgG and IgE antibodies specific for food antigens were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using polyclonal anti-dog IgG and IgE reagents. Antigens tested were beef, chicken, pork, lamb, chicken, turkey, white fish, whole egg, wheat, soybean, barley, rice, maize corn, potato, yeast and cow's milk. Three groups were examined: normal dogs, dogs with atopic dermatitis (AD); and dogs with one of four types of gastrointestinal (GI) disease: small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), food-responsive disease, and infectious diarrhoea. Statistically significant differences in food-specific antibodies were not detected between the GI subgroups. There were statistically significant differences in the IgE concentration between the normal dogs, and dogs with atopic or GI disease, for all of the antigens tested. There were statistically significant differences in the average IgG concentrations between the normal dogs, and dogs with atopic or GI disease, for all of the antigens tested, except egg and yeast. The relationship of antigen responses for pooled data was analysed using principle component analysis and cluster plots. Some clustering of variables was apparent for both IgE and IgG. For example, all dogs (normal and diseased) made a similar IgG antibody response to chicken and turkey. Compared with other groups, atopic dogs had more food allergen-specific IgE and this would be consistent with a Th(2) humoral response to food antigens. Dogs with GI disease had more food allergen-specific IgG compared with the other groups. This may reflect increased antigen exposure due to increased mucosal permeability which is a recognised feature of canine intestinal disease.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Substance P induces activation, adherence and migration of equine eosinophils.

The tachykinin, substance P (SP), affects eosinophil function by direct and indirect mechanisms and has been shown to cause equine eosinophils to adhere to vascular endothelium and to release cytokines that increase cell adherence. The aim of this study was to determine whether SP could act directly on equine eosinophils in vitro. Eosinophil activation was also compared in cells from normal ponies and those with insect hypersensitivity as SP may be released in the skin of hypersensitive animals. SP caused equine eosinophils to adhere, migrate and produce superoxide, although high concentrations were required to produce these effects [10 +/- 2% adherence, 45 +/- 20 cells/0.3 mm2 and 48 +/- 7 nmol (of reduced cytochrome C)/106 cells, respectively, at 3 x 10-4 m]. That the 7-11, but not the 1-7, amino acid fragment of SP caused superoxide production, suggested the effects of SP were receptor mediated. Eosinophils from hypersensitive ponies produced more superoxide in response to SP, but not phorbol myristate acetate or histamine, over the concentration range tested when compared with cells from normal ponies. The data obtained in this study suggest that although SP can directly activate equine eosinophils, in view of the high concentrations required, such actions may be of less relevance physiologically than other SP-mediated effects.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Sterile nodular panniculitis and pansteatitis in three weimaraners.

The clinical and pathological findings in three unrelated weimaraners with pyrexia and multiple subcutaneous nodules are reported. Abdominal pain was an additional feature in two of the dogs and clinical investigations revealed inflammation of subcutaneous, mesenteric and falciform fat. Histopathological findings were consistent with pansteatitis. In the third dog, lesions were apparently limited to the subcutis and, hence, a diagnosis of nodular panniculitis was made. Microbiological examination of tissues was negative in all dogs, and there was no evidence of pancreatic disease. This report thus describes a presumed sterile and idiopathic panniculitis/pansteatitis complex in weimaraner dogs. Although the aetiology is unknown, this may represent an immune-mediated disorder.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Polyomavirus infection in hamsters and trichoepitheliomas/cutaneous adnexal tumours.

Multiple skin nodules, with histological features of adnexal tumours consistent with trichoepithelioma, were observed on the head and trunk of Syrian hamsters. Skin biopsies from 20 hamsters from five different colonies were affected, and two of the affected hamsters also had lymphoma. Two owners reported that 16 of 70 hamsters and 50 of 100 hamsters in their colonies had similar skin lesions. These tumours have previously been associated in laboratory colonies with hamster polyomavirus (HaPV) infection. Examination of skin tissues by electron microscopy failed to reveal intranuclear virus particles. Using recombinant major capsid protein VP1 of HaPV, VP1-specific antibodies were detected in sera from 12 of 12 affected hamsters and in four of four unaffected in-contact hamsters, by ELISA. The ELISA data were verified by immunoblot analysis. Eleven of 13 serum samples contained antibodies which reacted with at least one recombinant structural HaPV protein (VP2), including samples from three in-contact unaffected hamsters. Nine of the 11 anti-VP2-positive samples also reacted with recombinant VP3 of HaPV, and six reacted with VP1. Amplification by PCR and sequencing detected VP1 -encoding sequences showing a high degree of homology with HaPV. The findings suggest a possible infection by HaPV or a HaPV-like virus and it is likely that such an infection was enzootic within the affected colonies.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Culicoides antigen extract stimulates equine blood mononuclear (BMN) cell proliferation and the release of eosinophil adherence-inducing factor(s).

Intradermal injection of a Culicoides antigen extract (CAgX) induces T lymphocyte and eosinophil accumulation in the skin of horses with sweet itch. Blood mononuclear (BMN) cells from normal ponies proliferate when stimulated by mitogen (phytohaemagglutinin, PHA) or antigen (tetanus toxoid, TT) and, as shown here, release soluble factor(s) that induce eosinophil adherence. CAgX also caused concentration dependent proliferation of BMN cells from sweet itch and normal ponies [stimulation index: 29 (13) and 17 (7) for BMN cells from sweet itch and normal ponies, respectively during the active phase of disease; 4 microg protein ml(-1)CAgX; 168 h]. A heat labile factor(s) which caused eosinophil adherence was also released [sweet itch ponies: 6.0 (1.6) per cent adherence versus 1.3 (0.4) per cent; normal ponies: 6.6 (0.5) per cent adherence versus 0.9 (0.1) per cent for supernatants from CAgX (4 microg protein ml(-1); 48 hours) stimulated versus unstimulated BMN cells, respectively]. These results suggest that soluble proteins released from T lymphocytes could affect eosinophil function in the lesional skin of sweet itch horses.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2001

Cutaneous alternariosis in a cat.

A 10-year-old male domestic shorthaired cat had a chronic, slowly enlarging subcutaneous mass on the right side of its nose. At the time of presentation, the nasal airflow was severely impeded on the affected side. The cat had been treated medically with various drugs. Oral itraconazole had been the most effective in reducing the size of the mass, but had caused hepatotoxicity and had to be withdrawn. The mass was finally removed surgically, and a diagnosis of granulomatous cellulitis caused by Alternaria alternata (phaeohyphomycosis) was established, based on histopathology and fungal isolation. There has been no recurrence of the lesion after 21 months and the cat remains clinically well at the time of writing. Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by A alternata has not, to the authors' knowledge, been previously described in small domestic animals in the UK.

Alternaria↗
PubMed2000

Molecular cloning and phylogenetic analysis of a cDNA encoding the cat (Felis domesticus) Ig epsilon constant region.

A feline splenic cDNA library was screened with a (32)P-labelled cDNA probe encoding the canine IgE epsilon heavy chain subunit. A cDNA sequence of 1614 nucleotides encoding the complete feline IgE heavy chain, as well as a portion of a variable region, was identified. A search of the GenBank database revealed an identity of 82% at the nucleotide level and 76% at the amino acid level between the feline epsilon heavy chain sequence and the canine homologue. In a separate study, feline genomic DNA, isolated from whole feline embryo cells, was subjected to PCR amplification using primers based on known partial genomic DNA sequences for the feline C epsilon gene. Following removal of an intron from the 683 bp PCR product, the coding sequence yielded an ORF of 506 bp. The DNA sequence of this PCR clone differed by a single nucleotide from the cDNA clone. This difference is silent, and therefore the proteins encoded by the two sequences are identical over the regions cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis of the constant regions of nine immunoglobulin epsilon genes revealed that the feline cDNA is most similar to the canine homologue.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Pemphigus foliaceus in association with systemic lupus erythematosus, and subsequent lymphoma in a cocker spaniel.

A seven-year-old neutered male cocker spaniel was presented with an 11-month history of generalised bacterial dermatitis. There were skin lesions over the entire body, which were round, slightly raised and encrusted. Skin biopsies were collected and the histological findings were consistent with pemphigus foliaceus. Immunohistochemical staining by the indirect immunoperoxidase method was positive, with desmosomal deposition of immunoglobulin (Ig) G. Haematological analysis revealed a regenerative anaemia and profound thrombocytopenia, while a Coombs' test was positive for polyvalent canine Coombs' reagent and anti-dog IgG. An antinuclear antibody test was positive, with a titre of 10,240. An ophthalmic examination demonstrated low tear production (keratoconjunctivitis sicca). Seven months after initial referral, the dog was re-presented with severe generalised peripheral lymphadenopathy. Radiographic evaluation of the thorax and abdomen revealed enlarged cranial mediastinal and sublumbar lymph nodes. Tru-Cut biopsy from an enlarged lymph node confirmed the diagnosis of lymphoma, which was phenotyped as a B-cell tumour. The diagnosis in this case was systemic lupus erythematosus, with the unusual feature of pemphigus foliaceus, and subsequent development of B-cell lymphoma. The case adds further to knowledge of the protean clinical presentations of canine autoimmune diseases and provides additional evidence for the potential association between autoimmunity and immune-system neoplasia in this species.

Animals↗