This study aimed to evaluate the disruption of the swine gut microbiota and histopathological changes caused by infection with enterotoxigenic E. coli. Fecal samples were collected from piglets suffering from diarrhea post-recovery and healthy animals. Intestinal tissues were collected for histopathological changes. The results revealed histopathological changes mainly in the ileum of the infected animals compared to those in the ileum of the control and recovered animals. The operational taxonomic units (OTUs) revealed that the E. coli diarrheal group exhibited the highest bacterial richness. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) corroborated the presence of dysbiosis in the gut microbiota following E. coli-induced diarrhea. While the normal control and infected groups displayed slight clustering, the recovery group formed a distinct cluster with a distinct flora. Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Fusobacteria were the dominant phyla in both the healthy and recovered piglets and in the diarrheal group. LEfSe and the associated LDA score analysis revealed that the recovered group exhibited dominance of the phyla Euryarchaeota and Bacteroidota, while groups N and I showed dominance of the phyla Firmicutes and Fusobacteriota, respectively. The LDA scores highlighted a significant expression of the Muribaculacea family in group R. The obtained findings will help in understanding the microbiome during swine colibacillosis, which will support control of the outbreaks.

Trauma is a common cause of cutaneous surgical disease with an increased risk of secondary infection in cat clinics. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), a platelet and leukocyte concentrate containing multiple cytokines and growth factors, is known to accelerate the healing of wounds. However, how PRF affects wound healing in the cat trauma model has not been fully investigated. The study aimed to examine the impact of PRF on skin wound healing in the cat trauma model. In this study, PRF from cats was successfully produced for our investigation. The models of feline trauma were effectively established. A total of 18 cats were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 6): (1) Control group (CON); (2) PRF group; (3) Manuka honey group (MAN, as a positive control). Experiments were performed separately on days 7, 14, 21, and 28. Our results showed that PRF was a safe and efficient method of wound healing that did not influence the cat’s body temperature, respiration rate, and heart rate (HR). PRF accelerated skin wound healing in the cat trauma model based on the rate and histological observation of wound healing. In addition, PRF promoted the production of growth factors and suppressed inflammation during wound healing. PRF accelerated wound healing by increasing the formation of collagen fibers, as shown by Masson-trichrome staining. The outcomes of the PRF and MAN groups were comparable. In conclusion, PRF improves the healing of skin wounds in cats by boosting the synthesis of growth factors, reducing inflammation, and enhancing the synthesis of collagen fibers.

Feline panleukopenia is an acute, highly contagious, and fatal infectious disease, posing a serious threat to the health and conservation of felids. It is necessary to develop diagnostic tools suitable for point-of-care testing (POCT). Herein, a colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting the FPV VP2 gene was developed using cresol red as a colorimetric indicator. The colorimetric LAMP enables result interpretation by visual observation of a color change from violet to yellow after amplification at 64 °C for 40 min. The limit of detection was 18.38 copies/µL for pMD-VP2 plasmid and 10^1.62 TCID₅₀/mL for crudely extracted nucleic acids. This method exhibits no cross-reactivity with other common feline pathogens, and shows good repeatability. Nevertheless, this method is unable to differentiate FPV from canine parvovirus (CPV) owing to their high genetic similarity. Testing of 153 clinical samples revealed a 40.52% (62/153) positive rate, with 98.04% agreement compared to a commercial qPCR kit (42.48% positive rate). Collectively, the developed colorimetric LAMP assay offers a specific, sensitive, simple and visual approach for FPV detection, demonstrating great potential for field point-of-care applications.

Feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) is one of the major pathogens causing upper respiratory tract disease (URTD) in cats, and is widely prevalent among domestic cats and other felids worldwide. Herein, we developed a closed one-tube colorimetric and fluorescent LAMP assay targeting the FHV-1 TK gene, using cresol red as the colorimetric indicator and EvaGreen as the fluorescent dye. The assay was completed within 40 min at 63 °C, with results readable either by colorimetric observation or fluorescence amplification curve. FHV-1-positive reaction could be confirmed by a color change from violet to yellow with the naked eye, and also could be determined by fluorescence amplification curve. The assay showed no cross-reactivity with other related pathogens, and had a detection limit of 100 copies. Among 87 clinical nasal swabs tested, 44 were positive, achieving an overall agreement of 97.7% compared to TaqMan quantitative PCR. The newly developed LAMP assay is simple, efficient, result-visual and reliable, which can be applied in the clinical diagnosis and epidemiological investigation of FHV-1, especially for point-of-care testing of FHV-1 in primary veterinary clinics and field settings.