Page 17 - eclipse - Autumn 2018
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CLINICAL NEWS
‘Alabama rot’ breakthrough
Specialists at RVC Small Animal Referrals have made a ground- breaking discovery in the treatment of cutaneous and
renal glomerular vasculopathy (CRGV).
The condition was first observed in Alabama in the 1980s, hence the nickname ‘Alabama rot’. The lack of understanding of what causes the disease or the mechanism by which dogs develop clinical signs has led to high fatality rates for those that develop it. The reason for its sudden appearance in the UK six years ago also remains a mystery.
The disease causes small clots in blood
vessels, which eventually result in skin ulcers, tissue damage, and kidney failure
in many cases. Many theories have been put forward about the cause – from E. coli- produced toxins to parasites and bacteria, however most of them have been excluded from previous investigations.
Though developing a reliable cure is impossible until the precise cause is identified, the RVC team has been successful in saving some dogs with the condition with therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE or plasmapheresis). This filters the blood so toxic substances or auto-antibodies, including whatever causes CRGV, are removed. The
filtered blood is returned to the patient along with plasma, from healthy donors, provided by the College’s transfusion medicine service.
Its development was made possible by noticing the similarities between CRGV in dogs and some forms of thrombotic microangiopathy in humans, which can be treated with plasma exchange. Two out of six dogs who underwent plasmapheresis at the RVC made a full recovery.
The full findings of the research have been published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science. The article, ‘Description of
the Use of Plasma Exchange in Dogs with Cutaneous and Renal Glomerular Vasculopathy’, is open access.
Dr Stefano Cortellini, an author of the study and Lecturer in Emergency and Critical Care at the RVC, said: “Despite the fact that only a third of dogs treated with TPE recovered from their disease, this is the first time that dogs so severely affected by CRGV have been reported to survive and so we remain optimistic that TPE may play an important role in the treatment of this deadly disease.”
Alabama rot case being treated in the ICU at RVC Small Animal Referrals
Recently launched: CSC book
RVC alumni receive a 20% discount when ordering through the CABI bookshop!
Please use discount code CCAB20.
cabi.org/bookshop/book/ 9781786391629
Amuch needed book was published in May 2018, “The Veterinary Clinical Skills Manual” edited by Prof Ayona Silva-Fletcher (Course Director MSc in Veterinary Education) and Nicki Coombes (Veterinary Lecturer in Clinical Education).
This is a collaborative venture, with over 30 authors contributing to chapters about the skills taught in the RVC Clinical Skills Centre (CSC), as well as the pedagogy that underpins this. The book contains many of the step-by-step instruction booklets and QR codes linked to videos created by the CSC team over the years, and an online version of the book is
available to be downloaded using a code that is provided with the book. If you are an RVC alumnus from the last 14 years, you may be familiar with some of the skills and resources used.
Assessment, research and how to set
up assessments in the CSC are also detailed within the 25 chapters. The book is heavily illustrated and aimed not only
at students, but veterinary educators in the wider veterinary community who want to set up similar facilities in their own teaching institutions. The book is based on 14 years of experience at the RVC
in setting up and running teaching and assessments in the CSC.
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