Cats with FeLV survive much longer if they have less p27 antigen proviral DNA
In cats infected with feline leukemia virus, the p27 antigen concentration and the number of proviral DNA copies were linked to the course of the infection. A new study found that cats with high levels of p27 antigen and high numbers of proviral DNA copies survived a median of 1.37 years after registration, while 93.1% of low-positive cats were still alive after four years.
The study, published in Viruses magazine in February, was carried out by researchers from Idexx Laboratories Inc.; Austin pets live in Austin, Texas; and the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine.
The researchers included 254 cats who were tested for p27 antigen and proviral DNA using Idexx tests. The 127 FeLV positive cats were retested monthly for six months and monitored for survival during the four-year study.
The samples were analyzed to determine limit values. A significant difference in survival was observed when the thresholds were applied to test results at registration to classify cats as high positive or low positive.
Last year the American Association of Feline Practitioners updated its guidelines for testing and managing Feline Retrovirus.
Man convicted of selling performance-enhancing drugs to racehorses
Scott Robinson, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced to 18 months in prison exactly one year after he and others were charged with participating in a widespread horse doping program.
Robinson pleaded guilty on September 16, 2020, of sourcing chemicals used to manufacture custom performance enhancing drugs for racehorses and shipping those drugs to customers across the country. Medications included blood builders to increase red blood cell counts and bespoke analgesics to numb a horse’s nerves and block pain.
“Scott Robinson has developed and benefited from a system that exploits racehorses for the pursuit of speed and prize money and endangers their safety and well-being,” said US attorney Audrey Strauss in a March 9 statement from the Justice Department. “Robinson was selling unsanitary, misnamed, and adulterated drugs, misleading regulators and law enforcement agencies.”
From 2011 through early 2020, Robinson worked with others to manufacture, sell, and ship multi-million dollar adulterated and misnamed horse medicines. He sold these drugs through several direct-to-consumer websites aimed at racing horse trainers and owners.
Robinson has lost nearly $ 4 million and will be released under custody for three years after his release from prison.
Mizzous Veterinary School Receives $ 11 Million
With a $ 11 million contribution to the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Glenn R. and Nancy A. Linnerson to advance comparative and translational medical research at MU.
The estate gift announced by the university on March 8th came from the late Dr. Linnerson, Missouri ’54 and wife, Nancy Linnerson, who graduated from Mizzou with a degree in human environmental science that same year. According to a university press release, it is the greatest gift in veterinary school history.
“Together with the MU Research Reactor and the upcoming NextGen Precision Health building, these facilities will help accelerate new drugs and biomedical devices to improve patient care,” said Mun Choi, PhD, president of the University of Missouri in the Press release.
The Linnersons were passionate about comparative and translational medicine, with a particular interest in prostate cancer and comparative oncology.
“The imaging equipment we can acquire with this foundation will not only improve diagnostic skills for treating animal patients, but also have the potential to leverage Mizzou’s existing strengths and resources, such as the MU Research Reactor, to conduct medical studies expand, “he said Kevin Lunceford, director of radiology services for the Veterinary Health Center, in the press release. “Put simply, this gift will save lives.”
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correction: In an earlier version of this article, Scott Robinson was incorrectly referred to as a veterinarian. He is not.
