Blodprøvetaking hund
Canine immune response to anthrax and its implications on surveillance in endemic regions
We request permission to execute a field trial in connection with a PhD on Bacillus anthracis and its immune responses in dogs at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI). Our main goal is to get a perspective on some of the mechanisms that ensure the survival of dogs faced with an anthrax infection. The background for this request is that as part of a larger study in Tanzania, we have obtained blood samples from clinically healthy dogs living in households with confirmed human anthrax cases. These samples were then tested for specific B.anthracis antibodies using ELISA and Western Blot, which yielded promising results. As we do not have, nor ethically wish to have a controlled true positive population, we need to establish a negative control population to further validate the tests and results to further study this. Firstly we need blood samples from the dogs to run the serological tests and set a baseline for the negative control population. Furthermore, we want to stimulate and study canine NK-cells in an experimental way to study the immunological effects these cells have on the infection. This will be work that continues for the better part of 2019, whilst the first sampling should be executed no later than the 1st of November.
The trial is divided into two parts. Part one is the need for 5ml of whole blood from a minimum of 10 dogs. This is a one-time sampling and will not need to be repeated. The second part of this trial will cover our need for whole blood for the production of Natural killer cells for in vitro stimulation by specific antigens. We will need 40ml of whole blood from three dogs, and this will be repeated no more than nine times with a minimum of one month between each sampling. It does however not have to be the same three dogs sampled every time.
In both parts of the trial, the blood will be drawn from the jugular vein, or the cephalic vein depending on the dogs’ preference, with a vacutainer and sterile needle. This is standard procedure in any small animal clinic and causes no major discomfort to the animal. The dogs in question are service dogs in the Norwegian armed forces and will receive a short physical exam prior to sampling from their regular on-base veterinarian. They are well accustomed to handling and testing, and will not be in need of sedation or restraints.
We request permission to execute a field trial in connection with a PhD on Bacillus anthracis and its immune responses in dogs at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (NVI). Our main goal is to get a perspective on some of the mechanisms that ensure the survival of dogs faced with an anthrax infection. The background for this request is that as part of a larger study in Tanzania, we have obtained blood samples from clinically healthy dogs living in households with confirmed human anthrax cases. These samples were then tested for specific B.anthracis antibodies using ELISA and Western Blot, which yielded promising results. As we do not have, nor ethically wish to have a controlled true positive population, we need to establish a negative control population to further validate the tests and results to further study this. Firstly we need blood samples from the dogs to run the serological tests and set a baseline for the negative control population. Furthermore, we want to stimulate and study canine NK-cells in an experimental way to study the immunological effects these cells have on the infection. This will be work that continues for the better part of 2019, whilst the first sampling should be executed no later than the 1st of November.
The trial is divided into two parts. Part one is the need for 5ml of whole blood from a minimum of 10 dogs. This is a one-time sampling and will not need to be repeated. The second part of this trial will cover our need for whole blood for the production of Natural killer cells for in vitro stimulation by specific antigens. We will need 40ml of whole blood from three dogs, and this will be repeated no more than nine times with a minimum of one month between each sampling. It does however not have to be the same three dogs sampled every time.
In both parts of the trial, the blood will be drawn from the jugular vein, or the cephalic vein depending on the dogs’ preference, with a vacutainer and sterile needle. This is standard procedure in any small animal clinic and causes no major discomfort to the animal. The dogs in question are service dogs in the Norwegian armed forces and will receive a short physical exam prior to sampling from their regular on-base veterinarian. They are well accustomed to handling and testing, and will not be in need of sedation or restraints.