Mastitis is a disease of the mammary gland that negatively influences the quantitative and qualitative parameters of milk. At the same time the milk from a mastitic gland is a source of infection to both other animals and the consumer and therefore a direct threat to human and animal health. This determines the importance of an early and accurate diagnosis of the various forms of inflammation of the mammary gland in goats. Clinical signs, measurement of somatic cells in milk and bacteriological examination are standard methods for diagnosis of mastitis. Bacteriology is not suitable as a routine first line test to identify subclinical mastitis. Therefore, indirect tests for the diagnosis of mastitis are more suitable for application in practice, and based on their results, samples can be selected for further examination. The purpose of this article is to look at the different test available for the diagnosis of subclinical mastitis in goats, based on various indicators of inflammation in the mammary gland.

Introduction The study of histopathological changes caused by influenza A (H5N8) viral infection in bird species is essential for the understanding of their role in the spread of this highly infectious virus. However, there are few such studies under natural conditions in minor gallinaceous species. This article describes the pathomorphological findings in Colchis pheasants infected naturally with H5N8 during an epizootic outbreak in Bulgaria. Material and Methods Samples of internal organs of 10 carcasses were collected for histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation, virus isolation and identification, and nucleic acid detection. Results Consistent macroscopic findings were lesions affecting the intestine, heart, lung, and pancreas. Congestion and mononuclear infiltrate were common findings in the small intestine, as were necrosis and lymphoid clusters in the lamina propria of the caeca. Congestion with small focal necrosis and gliosis with multifocal nonpurulent encephalitis were observed in the brain. Myocardial interstitial oedema and degenerative necrobiotic processes were also detected. Immunohistological analysis confirmed systemic infection and revealed influenza virus nucleoprotein in all analysed organs. Conclusion Variable necrosis was observed in the brain, liver, trachea, heart, small intestine, and caeca. Viral antigen was commonly found in the brain, heart, lung and trachea. Contact with migrating waterfowls was suspected as a reason for the outbreak.

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The aim of this study is to estimate the histopathological changes in visceral organs of naturally infected with the avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype A H5N1 dalmatian pelicans in Bulgaria. The identified gross lesions are: haemorrhagic small intestine, sparse content in gizzard and proventriculus, well defined hyperemia of the tracheal mucosa associated with petechiae, as well as meningeal and brain congestion. The infected birds exhibited the following histopathological changes: edema of the tracheal mucosa with loss of mucosal glands, mild to moderate congestion with focal necrosis and multifocal non suppurative encephalitis and gliosis, mononuclear infiltration in the cecum, and diffuse mononuclear infiltration in the submucosa of the small intestine. The virus was detected by virus isolation (VI) and RT-PCR from tissue samples (lung, trachea, small intestine, brain, proventriculus, cloaca) from the infected birds.

This study documents the clinical signs, necropsy findings and viral antigen distribution of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus infection in domestic poultry (a backyard farm) and the phylogenetic analysis of the virus. On January 29, 2015, an outbreak of HPAI H5N1 in domestic poultry was reported on a backyard farm in Bulgaria. Out of the twenty-two chickens with clinical signs, twenty died while the remaining two were destroyed. The morbidity was 100%, whereas the overall mortality and lethality were 90.91%. The clinical observations made were sudden death, high mortality, weakness, and recumbency. Although multisystemic lesions were observed occasionally, the main pathologic findings were observed in the nervous, circulatory, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. An influenza virus nucleocapsid protein was identified by an immunohistochemical analysis in all the analysed organs: brain 3/3, trachea 3/3, lung 3/3, intestine 3/3, heart 3/3, which confirmed the systemic infection. The phylogenetic analyses of the virus showed a close genetic relationship with the H5N1 viruses of Asian origin, isolated in 2012 and 2013, belonging to the clade 2.3.2.1c. The HA-gene genetically clusters with HPAI H5N1 viruses isolated from wild pelicans in Romania and Bulgaria, thereby demonstrating the link between wild and domestic birds in the epidemiology of avian influenza. The contact between the affected chickens and migrating water birds over Bulgaria’s territory was suspected as a reason for the outbreak in the backyard farm. In addition, the detection of the virus in wild bird populations in Bulgaria three days earlier strongly supports the hypothesis of migrating wild birds spreading HPAI H5N1.