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Assessment of three point-of-care tests for canine brucellosis

USER-ALT Callum Atkins and others, University of Edinburgh, UK

Brucellosis in dogs is a significant zoonotic disease threat. Mandatory pre-import testing is required for animals entering the UK from countries where the disease is endemic. Specialised laboratories are usually needed to identify infected animals already present. Rapid, reliable point-of-care brucellosis tests would be helpful for first opinion practices. The authors compare the performance of three lateral flow tests, using the Canine Brucella Multiplex assay as the reference test. The Anigen Rapid C. Brucella Ab test had a 90 % positive percentage agreement and a 100 % negative percentage agreement compared with the reference test. The equivalent figures for the FASTest BRUCELLA canis and the Canine Brucella LPS Antibody tests were 100 % and 92.5 %, and 0 % and 97.5 %, respectively. The authors conclude that the Anigen and FASTest assays may help to rule out brucellosis in dogs with compatible signs.

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine https:// doi. org / 10.1093 / jvimsj / aalag073

Renal diet slows the progression of early-stage kidney disease in cats

USER-ALT Michael Coyne and others, IDEXX Laboratories, Westbrook, Maine, USA

Renal disease is one of the most common causes of death in older cats. The International Renal Interest Society( IRIS) recommends introducing the use of veterinary renal diets as part of the treatment for cats with IRIS stage 2 disease and in all those with more advanced stage 3 and 4 disease. The authors investigated the effects of giving the same diet to cats at an earlier stage of the disease process. They examined the medical records from 839 cats receiving the diet and 591 that did not. Their results show a 45 % reduction in the risk of disease progression in cats with stage 1 disease. For cats with stage 2 disease, the renal diet was associated with a lower risk of progression even in those whose serum creatinine levels were above the reference range. Offering the therapeutic renal diet also improved the survival of cats with early stage kidney disease from a mean of 26 months in untreated cats to 31 months.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association https:// doi. org / 10.2460 / javma. 25.10.0665

Under-reporting of occupational injuries in veterinary practice

USER-ALT John Tulloch and others, University of Liverpool, UK

Occupational injuries are believed to be commonplace in veterinary practice but their true incidence may be unknown. The authors investigated the extent of under-reporting of such incidents and the factors that may be responsible. They carried out a retrospective audit of the accident reporting system in place within a large veterinary group and compared the findings with those of the self-reported results from a cross-sectional staff survey. They estimate that about 70 % of incidents went unreported to the company system. Unreported injuries were more common in small animal practices than in farm practices. The types of injuries that occurred included bites and scratches during clinical examinations, trips and falls, accidental drug administration and needlestick injuries. The authors state that without improved reporting, it will be challenging to establish the true incidence of these injuries and to create a more effective safety culture in practice.

The Veterinary Journal https:// doi. org / 10.1016 / j. tvjl. 2026.106637

8 Veterinary Nursing Journal