Evaluation of a human urine barbiturate test to screen for pentobarbital euthanasia of dogs and cats

Pentobarbital is used commonly to euthanize animals. Occasionally during a death investigation, it is necessary to determine whether a cat or dog was euthanized via pentobarbital overdose. Screening for the detection of barbiturates including pentobarbital can be performed using commercial immunochromatographic tests. We used a commercial immunochromatographic test for barbiturates in humans to screen for barbiturates in urine collected postmortem from 20 dogs and 20 cats to determine whether they had been euthanized with pentobarbital. Additionally, we analyzed the urine for pentobarbital using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry as a confirmatory test. Screening and confirmation testing revealed 100% agreement between the tests and with the euthanasia status of each animal. Our results support the use of the immunochromatographic test for the screening of urine collected postmortem to assess for the presence of barbiturates, specifically pentobarbital, used for euthanasia.

Prevalence of Clinical Malaria in District Khairpur Mir’s Sindh, Pakistan

Aim: To evaluate the frequency of malarial parasites in different seasons at district Khairpur Mir’s, Sindh, Pakistan. Study Design: A prospective study. Place and study duration: This study was conducted at Post Graduate Diagnostic and Research Laboratory (PGRDL), Institute of Microbiology Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur and Bismillah Medical Center (BMC), Khairpur, from 01-Jan-2021 to 30-June-2021. Methodology: Febrile patient of all ages and both sexes were included, pre-diagnosis of malarial parasites using the Immunochromatographic test (ICT) kits, the blood samples were taken by venepuncture procedure after collecting samples in Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) tubes for ICT and blood slides for microscopy. All results were entered and analyzed in SPSS 24 version. Continuous variables were presented as mean and SD and qualitative variables were presented as frequency/percentages. Probability value ≤0.05 was considered as significant. Results: In this study overall 7332 febrile patients with means age 37.8±22.54, from which male 3476 (47%) and majority of 3856 (53%) were female patients. Whereas 1908 (26%) patients were suffered from the active state of malaria and majority of 5424 (74%) population suffered from non-malarial diseases having vague symptoms including the chills, fever, body aches, abdominal cramps. The positive cases of Plasmodium vivax 1534 (20.92%) Plasmodium falciparum 316 (4%) whereas mixed cases are 58 (1%). Conclusion: The malarial parasites were observed predominantly with type of P. Vivax followed by P. falciparum and mix cases. Therefore dire need to take preventive measures by controlling the spread of plasmodium species in month of March onward till June. Keywords: Malarial Parasites (MP), Febrile Patients, Immunochromatographic Test (ICT).

Serosurvey of anti-Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum antibodies in hunting dogs and hunters in Brazil

Background and Aim: Although wild boar hunting activities and the hunting dog trade in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado biomes of Brazil overlap both with endemic and with non-endemic areas for visceral leishmaniasis, no study to date has focused on Leishmania spp. exposure among hunting dogs and hunters. The aim of the present study was to assess the presence of Leishmania spp. antibodies in hunting dogs and hunters in different anthropized areas of two Brazilian biomes. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 170 hunting dogs and 46 hunters between October 2016 and May 2018. The presence of antibodies against Leishmania spp. in hunting dogs was screened through a dual-path platform immunochromatographic test (DPP rapid test; Bio-Manguinhos/Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and in hunters through an rK39-based rapid immunochromatographic test. Both tests were used in accordance with Brazilian Ministry of Health recommendations. Results: Overall, although antibodies were detected through the immunochromatographic test in 3/170 (0.02%) of these female asymptomatic hunting dogs, all living in anthropized areas of the Atlantic Forest biome in South Brazil, no sample was confirmed through the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All the hunters were non-reactive in the rapid immunochromatographic test. Conclusion: Our study on three suspicious hunting dogs has suggested that Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum may circulate both in endemic and non-endemic areas in Brazil. In addition, a high rate of hunting dog replacement due to death and trade may have led to less chance of infection and transmission between animals and between animals and humans, which would corroborate the outcomes reported here. Further studies should be conducted to fully establish whether hunting dogs and hunters may be used as sentinels in other areas endemic for Leishmania spp.