Harriet Brooks Brownlie | University of Bristol (original) (raw)

Papers by Harriet Brooks Brownlie

A 10-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was referred for the investigation of weight l... more A 10-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was referred for the investigation of weight loss (1.2 kg over a 6 month period). Lip smacking and nausea were also reported. Before this presentation no significant medical issues were reported, vaccinations were up to date and the cat was housed mainly indoors, with some time spent outside. On physical examination, the cat was bright and alert, well hydrated and had an adequate body condition score (4/9); its body weight was 4.88 kg. Cardiac auscultation revealed tachycardia (heart rate 190 beats per min), with a regular rhythm; no cardiac murmurs were detected. Pulmonary auscultation was unremarkable (respiratory rate 26 breaths per minute), and rectal temperature was 39.0ºC. No abnormalities were found on abdominal palpation. The cat was admitted for initial investigations. The haematological results were entirely within normal limits (Table 1). Serum biochemistry, metabolites and electrolyte analysis revealed moderate elevation in creatinine kinase (893 U/l; reference interval [RI] 10-290 U/l), mild hyperglycaemia (7.6 mmol/l; RI 4.2-6.6 mmol/l) and mild hyperlactaemia (3.61 mmol/l; RI 0.6-2.5 mmol/l); all other values were within normal limits (Table 2).

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports

Case summary A 6-year-old female neutered domestic shorthair cat from Cyprus was presented with m... more Case summary A 6-year-old female neutered domestic shorthair cat from Cyprus was presented with multiple ulcerated skin nodules. Cytology and histopathology of the lesions revealed granulomatous dermatitis with intracytoplasmic organisms, consistent with amastigotes of Leishmania species. Biochemistry identified a mild hyperproteinaemia. Blood extraction and PCR detected Leishmania species, Hepatozoon species and 'Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum' (CMhm) DNA. Subsequent sequencing identified Hepatozoon felis. Additionally, the rRNA internal transcribed spacer 1 locus of Leishmania infantum was partially sequenced and phylogeny showed it to cluster with species derived from dogs in Italy and Uzbekistan, and a human in France. Allopurinol treatment was administered for 6 months. Clinical signs resolved in the second month of treatment with no deterioration 8 months post-treatment cessation. Quantitative PCR and ELISA were used to monitor L infantum blood DNA and antibody levels. The cat had high L infantum DNA levels pretreatment that gradually declined during treatment but increased 8 months post-treatment cessation. Similarly, ELISA revealed high levels of antibodies pretreatment, which gradually declined during treatment and increased slightly 8 months post-treatment cessation. The cat remained PCR positive for CMhm and Hepatozoon species throughout the study. There was no clinical evidence of relapse 24 months post-treatment. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this is the first clinical report of a cat with leishmaniosis with H felis and CMhm coinfections. The high L infantum DNA levels post-treatment cessation might indicate that although the lesions had resolved, prolonged or an alternative treatment could have been considered.

Microbiology-sgm, 2004

Canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) is a complex infection that occurs worldwide predomi... more Canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) is a complex infection that occurs worldwide predominantly in kennelled dogs, and several bacterial and viral micro-organisms have been associated with outbreaks of CIRD. However, few studies have comprehensively examined the species of mycoplasma present in healthy dogs and those with CIRD. As part of an extensive study investigating the micro-organisms involved in CIRD, the species of mycoplasma present throughout the respiratory tract of dogs with and without CIRD were determined. Mycoplasmas were cultured from tonsillar, tracheal and bronchial lavage samples, and identified to the species level by PCR and sequencing. Mycoplasma cynos was demonstrated on the ciliated tracheal epithelium by in situ hybridization and was the only mollicute found to be associated with CIRD, but only in the lower respiratory tract. Isolation of M. cynos was correlated with an increased severity of CIRD, younger age and a longer time in the kennel.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 2004

In this investigation a population of dogs at a rehoming center was monitored over a period of 2 ... more In this investigation a population of dogs at a rehoming center was monitored over a period of 2 years. Despite regular vaccination of incoming dogs against distemper, canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), and canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV), respiratory disease was endemic. Tissue samples from the respiratory tract as well as paired serum samples were collected for analysis. The development of PCR assays for the detection of CPIV, canine adenovirus types 1 and 2, and canine herpesvirus (CHV) is described. Surprisingly, canine adenovirus was not detected in samples from this population, whereas 19.4% of tracheal and 10.4% of lung samples were positive for CPIV and 12.8% of tracheal and 9.6% of lung samples were positive for CHV. As reported previously, a novel canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) was detected in this population (K. Erles, C. Toomey, H. W. Brooks, and J. Brownlie, Virology 310:216-223, 2003). Infections with CRCoV occurred mostly during the first week of a dog's stay at the kennel, whereas CPIV and CHV were detected at later time points.

Journal of Virological Methods, 2009

Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) has been detected recently in dogs with canine infectious ... more Canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV) has been detected recently in dogs with canine infectious respiratory disease and is involved in the clinical disease complex. CRCoV is a group 2 coronavirus most closely related to bovine coronavirus and human coronavirus OC43. A real-time PCR assay was developed for the detection of CRCoV. The assay was validated against cell culture grown virus and shown to have a high level of sensitivity. A range of tissue samples were collected from dogs at a re-homing centre with a history of endemic respiratory disease. The samples were tested using a conventional nested PCR assay and CRCoV was quantitated by real-time PCR. CRCoV was detected most frequently in the nasal mucosa, nasal tonsil and trachea. It was also detected in the lung, and bronchial lymph node. Of the enteric tissues, only one mesenteric lymph node sample was positive. In addition two colon samples were positive for CRCoV by nested PCR only. In conclusion, CRCoV appears to infect the upper respiratory tract preferentially. The CRCoV real-time PCR assay has proved to be a highly specific and sensitive assay that can be applied for diagnostic purposes as well as to investigate further the tissue tropism of CRCoV.

Virology, 2003

An investigation into the causes of canine infectious respiratory disease was carried out in a la... more An investigation into the causes of canine infectious respiratory disease was carried out in a large rehoming kennel. Tissue samples taken from the respiratory tract of diseased dogs were tested for the presence of coronaviruses using RT-PCR with conserved primers for the polymerase gene. Sequence analysis of four positive samples showed the presence of a coronavirus with high similarity to both bovine and human coronavirus (strain OC43) in their polymerase and spike genes, whereas there was a low similarity to comparable genes in the enteric canine coronavirus. This canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCV) was detected by RT-PCR in 32/119 tracheal and 20/119 lung samples, with the highest prevalence being detected in dogs with mild clinical symptoms. Serological analysis showed that the presence of antibodies against CRCV on the day of entry into the kennel decreased the risk of developing respiratory disease.

Journal of Comparative Pathology, 2007

Eighteen pregnant sheep, six at 45 days gestation and twelve at 75 days gestation, were infected ... more Eighteen pregnant sheep, six at 45 days gestation and twelve at 75 days gestation, were infected with foot-andmouth disease virus (FMDV) type O UKG 34/2001. Two sheep from each gestational group were killed at 2, 4, and 7 days post-inoculation (dpi).Three sheep, pregnant for 75 days at infection, were killed at17 and 18 dpi. Realtime reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and virus isolation (VI) were used to detect viral RNA and infectious virus, respectively, in fetal tissues taken post mortem. Eleven fetuses were obtained from the six sheep inoculated at day 45 of gestation. Of these, two of three fetuses at 2 dpi had viral RNA detected by RT-PCR and virus was detected in one byVI.Viral RNA was detected in two of four fetuses at 4 dpi, while viral RNA and virus were detected in all four fetuses at 7 dpi. No gross abnormalities were evident in these fetuses. In the group inoculated at day 75 of gestation, viral RNAwas detected in three of four fetuses at 4 dpi.Virus and viral RNAwere detected in three of four fetuses at 7 dpi. Of the seven fetuses examined at 17 and 18 dpi, viral RNAwas detected in ¢ve, and four of these had died in utero. Gross abnormalities including haemorrhage and oedema in a number of tissues were evident in many of the fetuses in this group, but no vesicular lesions were found.Viral RNA and virus were detected in the amniotic £uid associated with infected fetuses. This study is the ¢rst to demonstrate that FMDV may cause transplacental infection and fetal death. r

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 2003

The role of Bordetella bronchiseptica in a natural outbreak of canine infectious respiratory dise... more The role of Bordetella bronchiseptica in a natural outbreak of canine infectious respiratory disease was investigated both by culture and serological analysis. B. bronchiseptica was found in the lungs of a large proportion of clinically healthy dogs and in a greater proportion of dogs with respiratory disease. Using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, we analyzed the serological responses of a large number of dogs. Dogs with high antibody levels showed no protection from disease, and there was no correlation between the development of disease and rising antibody titer. Similarly, there was no difference in antibody levels in dogs with and without B. bronchiseptica in the lungs. Antibodies to LPS have no predictive value in determining which animals will contract respiratory disease, how severe the disease will be, or which dogs will have B. bronchiseptica colonizing the lungs.

Veterinary Microbiology, 2003

Canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) is a multi-factorial infection that affects many ken... more Canine infectious respiratory disease (CIRD) is a multi-factorial infection that affects many kennelled dogs despite the wide use of vaccination. Current vaccines aim to protect against viral agents and a single bacterial agent, Bordetella bronchiseptica. We sought to examine the role of streptococcal species in CIRD. The isolation and identification of streptococci in the lower respiratory tract of clinically healthy dogs and those with CIRD were used to correlate the presence of specific streptococcal species with respiratory disease. In this study we report that the presence of S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus is associated with increasing severity of disease in a population of kennelled dogs with endemic CIRD.

Veterinary Microbiology, 2008

Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology, 2009