Immune-mediated brain disease, often referred to by the umbrella term ‘meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown origin [MUO]’, is common in dogs but its etiology remains unclear. MUO bears some similarity with multiple sclerosis in people, which in turn has been modelled by the artificially induced disease ‘experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis [EAE]’ in rats and mice. During the early 2010s, work in mice established that the severity of EAE could be altered depending on the microbial components of the gastrointestinal tract. Specific bacterial species have since been associated with adjustments in balance between pro- and anti- inflammatory activity in the immune system. In a case-control study we found that gastrointestinal Prevotella spp were reduced in abundance in dogs that had MUO, suggesting that manipulation of the gut microbiome might be a means to ameliorate disease severity. We are now carrying out a second study to investigate this hypothesis.
The presentation will review the clinical manifestation of common large animal immunologic disorders. The information will prompt the clinician to consider underlying immunologic conditions in their lists of differential diagnoses, and describe how to select diagnostics. The review may be of interest to residents pursuing clinical training and board certification.
Bovine respiratory disease is a prevalent cause of sickness and death in cattle. Historically, much effort has focused on development of vaccines to prevent infection by viral and bacterial agents that contribute to respiratory disease. However, despite decades of vaccine research, this disease complex continues to exert a major negative impact on bovine health. Recent research investigating whole blood transcriptomes of cattle at high risk for respiratory disease suggests that inflammation-limiting responses may be key to disease resistance in some cattle. Preliminary results indicating a role for specific pro-resolving mediators in bovine respiratory disease resistance will be reviewed.