Dupont S, Butaye P, Claerebout E, Theuns S, Duchateau L, Van de Maele I, Daminet S
Department of Medicine and Clinical Biology of Small Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, Merelbeke, B-9820, Belgium.
J Small Anim Pract. 2013 Sep;54(9):475-80. doi: 10.1111/jsap.12119. Epub 2013 Aug 5.
To evaluate faecal and clinical scores and presence of several enteropathogens possibly implicated in the development of diarrhoea in pups aged between 6 and 16 weeks independently of their health status.
Pups were selected from pet shops and breeding facilities and assigned a faecal and clinical score. Standard isolation methods were used to determine presence of parasites, viruses and bacteria in faecal samples. For Escherichia coli, virulence genes were assessed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction.
Fifty-six pups were included in this study. Eighteen had no diarrhoea, 22 had no significant clinical signs related to gastroenteritis. Samples were positive for Toxocara canis (n=29), Giardia duodenalis (n=35), Cystoisospora (n=22), E. coli (n=47) and Clostridium perfringens (n=20). In four E. coli positive samples, genes were detected that correlate with pathogenicity in other animal species. A significant positive correlation between the presence of T. canis and faecal score was found.
Puppies obtained from a pet shop or breeding facility have a high risk of gastrointestinal disease. Furthermore, infectious agents may be present independently of faecal or clinical score. The identification of possible pathogenic E. coli strains suggests that their role in diarrhoea warrant further investigation.
评估6至16周龄幼犬的粪便和临床评分，以及几种可能与腹泻发生有关的肠道病原体的存在情况，而不考虑其健康状况。
从宠物店和繁殖场所挑选幼犬，并给予粪便和临床评分。采用标准分离方法确定粪便样本中寄生虫、病毒和细菌的存在情况。对于大肠杆菌，通过多重聚合酶链反应评估毒力基因。
本研究纳入了56只幼犬。18只无腹泻，22只无与胃肠炎相关的明显临床症状。样本中犬弓首蛔虫（n = 29）、十二指肠贾第虫（n = 35）、等孢球虫（n = 22）、大肠杆菌（n = 47）和产气荚膜梭菌（n = 20）检测呈阳性。在4份大肠杆菌阳性样本中，检测到与其他动物物种致病性相关的基因。发现犬弓首蛔虫的存在与粪便评分之间存在显著正相关。
从宠物店或繁殖场所获得的幼犬患胃肠道疾病的风险很高。此外，感染因子可能独立于粪便或临床评分而存在。对可能致病的大肠杆菌菌株的鉴定表明，它们在腹泻中的作用值得进一步研究。
