Clinical features, treatment, and outcome of dogs with Coccidioides osteomyelitis

OBJECTIVE To describe signalment, clinical signs, serologic test results, treatment, and outcome of dogs with Coccidioides osteomyelitis (COM) and to compare those findings with findings for dogs with osteosarcoma (OSA). ANIMALS 14 dogs with COM and 16 dogs with OSA. PROCEDURES Data were retrospectively gathered from electronic medical records. RESULTS Dogs with COM were younger and weighed less than dogs with OSA. Six dogs with COM had appendicular lesions, 5 had axial lesions, and 3 had both appendicular and axial lesions; 9 had monostotic disease, and 5 had polyostotic disease. Axial lesions and nonadjacent polyostotic disease were more common in dogs with COM than in dogs with OSA, but radiographic appearance was not different between the 2 groups. Median IgG titer at diagnosis of COM was 1:48 and was significantly decreased after 6 and 12 months of treatment. Percentage of dogs with COM that had clinical signs was significantly decreased after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of treatment. One year after initiation of treatment, 9 of 9 dogs were still receiving fluconazole and 8 of 9 dogs had positive results for serum IgG titer testing. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Dogs with COM typically had a rapid improvement in clinical signs after initiating treatment with fluconazole but required long-term antifungal treatment. Dogs with COM differed from dogs with OSA, but radiographic features had a great degree of overlap between groups, confounding the ability to make a diagnosis on the basis of diagnostic imaging alone.

Laboratory Examination of Syphilis

Syphilis, is sexually transmitted disease caused by spirochete Treponema pallidum subsp.pallidum. It have many diverse clinical manifestations that occur in distinct stages. Early diagnosis and management are the main things to prevent transmission and complication. Direct test or morphological observation is the definitive diagnosis of syphilis. This can be done through animal inoculation test, dark field microscopy, direct fluorescence antibody (DFA), and nucleid acid amplification test (NAAT). While the indirect test is a nontreponemal serologic test consist of Wasserman test, venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL), toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST), unheated serum reagin (USR), rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and treponemal serologic test, such as T. pallidum passive particle agglutination (TPPA), T. pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA), fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-Abs), enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and rapid test. The algorithm of serologic test can be divided into traditional or reverse.

Laboratory Examination of Syphilis

Syphilis, is sexually transmitted disease caused by spirochete Treponema pallidum subsp.pallidum. It have many diverse clinical manifestations that occur in distinct stages. Early diagnosis and management are the main things to prevent transmission and complication. Direct test or morphological observation is the definitive diagnosis of syphilis. This can be done through animal inoculation test, dark field microscopy, direct fluorescence antibody (DFA), and nucleid acid amplification test (NAAT). While the indirect test is a nontreponemal serologic test consist of Wasserman test, venereal disease research laboratory (VDRL), toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST), unheated serum reagin (USR), rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and treponemal serologic test, such as T. pallidum passive particle agglutination (TPPA), T. pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA), fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption (FTA-Abs), enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and rapid test. The algorithm of serologic test can be divided into traditional or reverse.

Defense and Immune Response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 in COVID-19 Patients: A Narrative Review

In the present review, we aim to determine the defense methods, assessment the profile of acute antibodies response in COVID-19 patients, and to provide accurate date for the usage of antibody test in clinical practice. After exposure to COVID-19, the immune system is responded in different ways and particles in different concentrations according on period of infection graduation. While the main response of immune system includes IgM, IgG and IgA antibodies, and, the most serological diagnosis tests and researches were found that “≥4- fold increase in the IgG titer” is suitable for a majority of COVID-19 patients and after three months is disappeared. IgM and IgG antibodies are the best defense methods. Serologic test method is helpful for the diagnosis of SARSCoV- 2 infection in suspects and close contacts. Antibodies determination in SARS Cov-2 is essential for COVID-19 assessment, treatment and vaccine development. In conclusion, we noticed in most of cases the production of IgM is started after 72 hrs. Of symptoms appears and peak up the production curve in 20-22 days then is disappeared in day 56 of infection. While, the production of IgG is started after 8 days of infection and peak up the production curve in 17-19 day then disappeared in day 80 of infection, but IgA production is started in 5th day of infection.

By devaluing the serological test we throw the baby out with the dirty water

According to a quite diffuse opinion, also amplified by the media, the serologic test has a limited diagnostic value and is of no use as an indication to the booster dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, this point of view was strengthened by a hasting criticism, which appeared in television, social networks and newspapers and was based on a personal interpretation of a paper published in NEJM Oct 2021. The current article shows how the NEJM paper asserts just the opposite thesis, supporting the serologic test instead. Details are here provided, especially about the effective antibody/infectivity correlation and the possible threshold value between diseased and healthy people. The conclusion is that the NEJM paper strongly supports the serologic test, while the quick criticism derived from a biased lecture, in search of the confirmation of a preconception.