Varroacide Effectiveness of Polyvar Yellow® (Flumethrin 275 mg) Preparation

The aim of the experiment was to check the effectiveness of the varroacide veterinary product called PolyVar Yellow® (flumethrin 275 mg) in field conditions in the area of north-eastern Poland. The experiment was carried out on twenty bee colonies, of which in ten (group PY) were tested with the veterinary product and the remaining ten constituted a control group without anti-varroosis treatment (group C). Treatment began in mid-August and lasted until the end of October when bee flights ceased. A control treatment was then conducted with a 3.2% oxalic acid solution. The effectiveness of Varroacide of PolyVar Yellow® was estimated on the basis of the parasite falls on the Varroa sticky inserts and based on the infestation rate of bees with the parasite before and after the treatment. High varroacide effectiveness of the preparation was obtained at 97%. The tested veterinary product was shown to protect effectively bee colonies against reinvasion of Varroa destructor mites.

A Bayesian reanalysis of the effects of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin on viral carriage in patients with COVID-19

Gautret and colleagues reported results of a non-randomised open-label case series which examined the effects of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin on viral load in the upper respiratory tract of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) patients. The authors report that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) had significant virus reducing effects, and that dual treatment of both HCQ and azithromycin further enhanced virus reduction. These data have triggered speculation whether these drugs should be considered as candidates for the treatment of severe COVID-19. However, questions have been raised regarding the study’s data integrity, statistical analyses, and experimental design. We therefore reanalysed the original data to interrogate the main claims of the paper. Here we apply Bayesian statistics to assess the robustness of the original paper’s claims by testing four variants of the data: 1) The original data; 2) Data including patients who deteriorated; 3) Data including patients who deteriorated with exclusion of untested patients in the comparison group; 4) Data that includes patients who deteriorated with the assumption that untested patients were negative. To ask if HCQ monotherapy is effective, we performed an A/B test for a model which assumes a positive effect, compared to a model of no effect. We find that the statistical evidence is highly sensitive to these data variants. Statistical evidence for the positive effect model ranged from strong for the original data (BF+0 ∼11), to moderate when including patients who deteriorated (BF+0 ∼4.35), to anecdotal when excluding untested patients (BF+0 ∼2), and to anecdotal negative evidence if untested patients were assumed positive (BF+0 ∼0.6). To assess whether HCQ is more effective when combined with AZ, we performed the same tests, and found only anecdotal evidence for the positive effect model for the original data (BF+0 ∼2.8), and moderate evidence for all other variants of the data (BF+0 ∼5.6). Our analyses only explore the effects of different assumptions about excluded and untested patients. These assumptions are not adequately reported, nor are they justified in the original paper, and we find that varying them causes substantive changes to the evidential support for the main claims of the original paper. This statistical uncertainty is exacerbated by the fact that the treatments were not randomised, and subject to several confounding variables including the patients consent to treatment, different care centres, and clinical decision-making. Furthermore, while the viral load measurements were noisy, showing multiple reversals between test outcomes, there is greater certainty around other clinical outcomes such as the 4 patients who seriously deteriorated. The fact that all of these belonged to the HCQ group should be assigned greater weight when evaluating the potential clinical efficacy of HCQ. Randomised controlled trials are currently underway, and will be critical in resolving this uncertainty as to whether HCQ and AZ are effective as a treatment for COVID-19.WarningThere have been reports of people self-administering chloroquine phosphate (intended for treatment of disease in aquarium fish), which has led to at least one death and one serious illness. We state that under no circumstances should people self-administer hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine phosphate, azithromycin, or anything similar-sounding, or indeed any other drug, unless approved by a medical doctor. The FDA has issued a specific warning: https://www.fda.gov/animal-veterinary/product-safety-information/fda-letter-stakeholders-do-not-use-chloroquine-phosphate-intended-fish-treatment-covid-19-humans

Clinical signs associated with a case of iatrogenic poisoning by a turpentine-based commercial product in a 3-day-old foal

The aim of this study is to report a case of iatrogenic poisoning by a turpentine-based commercial product in a 3-day-old foal and the successful treatment of this condition. A 3-day-old male foal presented with acute cardio-respiratory collapse, anaphylactic shock, severe respiratory distress, dyspnea and pulmonary edema. The animal’s history included previous administration of a commercial veterinary product (UNITIPAN). Clinical examination revealed: temperature: (39.9 °C), pulse: 135 bpm, respiration: 51 bpm, mucous membranes: moist and congested, capillary refill time: 3 sec or less. The foal was treated with emergency hydration, duphalyte, steroidal anti-inflammatory, atropine sulphate and antibiotic. After 6 h of treatment, the foal was stabilized and vital signs were normalized 8 h after treatment start.

Therapeutic activity of Thonningia sanguinea aqueous extract, Vahl on an experimental colibacillosis in chicken

Broiler breeding is faced with serious diseases, including colibacillosis, which is the leading cause of antibiotic therapy and the second leading cause of mortality in poultry after salmonellosis. It is caused by avian pathogens of E. coli. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of the aqueous extract of Thonningia sanguinea on certain therapeutic parameters in broiler chickens during experimental colibacillosis compared to a usual antimicrobial against colibacillary diarrhea (colistin). For each parameter, three lots of chicken meat were used: two treated batches, one with the plant extract and the other with colistin and one untreated contaminated batch (control). The study was spread over two weeks and for one week each chicken in the treated batch absorbed 500 mg of plant extract daily. The results show that the aqueous extract of this plant causes an improved clinical index, increased mean weight gain, reduced organ damage, elimination of germs in affected organs, and decreased mortality compared to the control group. On all the parameters, other than the moisture content, the plant extract had a more beneficial effect than colistin. Under these conditions, this plant could be used as a veterinary product to control avian colibacillosis.

Determination of Acrinathrin Residues in Honey and Beeswax

The Asian bee mite (Varroa jacobsoni Oud.) causes variable damage in Hungarian apiaries due to the different and changing conditions. Plastic and wooden strips impregnated with synthetic pyrethroid-type active ingredients show a high efficacy against the mites. These treatments, however, may leave residues in bee products (honey, propolis, wax). After experimental treatment with Gabon PA 92, the levels of active ingredient (acrinathrin) residues were determined in honey and beeswax samples. The analytical results proved that the average concentration of acrinathrin residues was less than 0.01 mg/kg in honey and less than 0.10 mg/kg in beeswax. From the food-hygienic point of view it is favourable that the honey did not become ‘contaminated’ with acrinathrin during the experimental treatment. The analytical results serve as a basis for the registration of this veterinary product in Hungary.