| AxiomVetLab Welcomes Emma Dewhurst MA,
VetMB, MRCVS. |
Emma has just passed her written MRCpath paper and is studying
hard for her practical. We are very pleased to add Emma to our team at Teignmouth.
Emma qualified from Cambridge in 1994. Spent 2 years in the Department of
Veterinary Basic Sciences at the RVC, followed by 3½ years in small
animal practice in and around Bath and Bristol. During this time she decided
that she wanted to focus on pathology and successfully completed the Petsavers
clin. path. residency at Bristol University. |
| Sponsors
BSAVA Congress 2003 |
Axiom were out in force at the BSAVA congress sponsoring
sessions on Clinical Pathology and Endocrinology.
This compliments our growing Endocrine dept. Axiom is one of the few Clin.
Path Labs with in house RIA. We offer an extensive range of in house Endocrinology
including free T4 by dialysis, PTH, 17OH Progesterone and many more, all
with full veterinary interpretation. |
| NEW North Western
Service |
Axiom are offering an enhanced service to our colleagues
in Lancashire, Merseyside, Manchester, Cheshire and North Staffordshire
through our new facility at 52 Cowley Hill Lane St. Helens. Axiom will be
offering a FREE Courier Service to practices within a 35 mile radius. Samples
received before 14.00 will have a same day service for all routine biochemistry
and haematology, CSF and joint fluid analyses ionised calcium and blood
gases. For further details of this exciting new service and free courier
pick up contact St. Helens Lab Manager on 01744 730606 or Anne Tiley in
our main office 01626 778844.
 |
| Some NEW Faces
at Axiom |
Nick Buckland Bsc, CEng, FBCS,
MCIM, MIoD, MRI.
(Chairman of the Axiom QA Group)
nick.buckland@axiomvetlab.co.uk
Adrian Twigg MSc, FIBMS. (Section
Head Bio/Haematology) adrian.twigg@axiomvetlab.co.uk
Mark Shipman BSc (Hons). (Section
Head Serology & IT) |
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| NEW Microscope |
As part of the continued improvement in the
lab we have recently invested in an additional "state of the art"
Olympus BX41 microscope with a fluorescence unit. This unit will enhance
our already extensive IFA testing. These microscopes are frighteningly expensive,
the cost of one lens more than 3x the cost of the average practice microscope!
|
| Vet Nurse Training
Courses |
This microscope certainly impressed the last
batch of Vet Nurses to come on a training course. The microscope is linked
to a video camera and monitor so it makes an excellent teaching aid. The
nurses were also impressed with the 8000²ft plus of Laboratory and
office facilities; one remarked "it is like the Tardis" (for
those younger readers Dr.Who's space ship) I am not going into who Dr.
Who is/was or could be! The courses at Axiom are filling up fast please
contact either Sue Turton or Sara D'Agorne to book a place. Emma Dewhurst
in conjunction with Bristol University and Axiom will be organising a specific
nurses training course at Langford probably in September so look out for
details shortly.
|
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| Collaboration with Bristol University ~ Axiom Sponsors Scholar |
 Bristol University is one of the few establishments
in the UK offering a clinical pathology residency and Axiom are delighted
to sponsor this position. Recently Mark Pinches was appointed as the first
Axiom Veterinary Laboratory Clinical Pathology Scholar at Langford and we
wish him every success. Mark will spend some of his time at Teignmouth and
will be working on some joint projects. Many of you will know the current
Scholar, Emma Dewhurst, and we are very pleased to add Emma to our team
at Teignmouth. Emma has just passed her written MRCpath paper and is studying
hard for her practical.
Bristol University is one of the few establishments in
the UK offering a clinical pathology residency and Axiom are delighted to
sponsor this position. Recently Mark Pinches was appointed as the first
Axiom Veterinary Laboratory Clinical Pathology Scholar at Langford and we
wish him every success. Mark will spend some of his time at Teignmouth and
will be working on some joint projects. Many of you will know the current
Scholar, Emma Dewhurst, and we are very pleased to add Emma to our team
at Teignmouth. Emma has just passed her written MRCpath paper and is studying
hard for her practical.
Projects
Axiom processes a large data bank which until now has largely been untapped.
Both Jelena and Emma are keen to extract this data and publish so look out
in the future. Jelena is part of the diabetic discussion group assessing
both the genetics and immunology behind the disease. She is interested in
material from newly diagnosed diabetic cases; if you have a case contact
her on jelena.ristic@axiomvetlab.co.uk
We are currently collecting data on 17-0H progesterone,
which we are now running in house. The diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism
is fraught with difficulty and 17-OH progesterone may become a useful indicator.
Animals on Allopurinol, and those with appropriate clinical signs and an
inconclusive post cortisol ACTH response (values 450-600) are of
great interest. Those clients requesting the combined ACTH response i.e.
cortisol and 17-OH progesterone pre and post ACTH are eligible for a low
dose Dexamethasone test for only £10.00. John Dunn is investigating
measurement of Aldosterone in hyperthyroid cats, in conjunction with some
Students from Cambridge on their elective. He is also studying lymphocyte
morphology in lymphoid neoplasia, and developing an in house vWF test, contact:
john.dunn@axiomvetlab.co.uk |
| Axiom’s
NEW Olympus AU640 |
 ...clinical chemistry analyser
delivered to Axiom ...this is an updated
version of the Olympus we already have, this new analyser has big improvements
in the software on the computer side.
This will make it easier to run and will allow us to continue giving good
quality results on a wide range of chemistry tests for blood, urine and
body fluids.
Axiom Veterinary Laboratories was assessed and registered as meeting the
requirements of ISO 9002 in 1998 - since when we have been successful in
retaining our ISO 9002 status in the regular
6 monthly audits. |
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| New Horse Allercept Testing at Axiom Veterinary Laboratories [2003] |
After extensive testing Axiom are pleased to offer Allercept
panels for the horse.
Service 6 the "pollen
and stable panel" contains the 12 most important pollens plus a mixture
of 12 mites and moulds;
24 allergens in total.
Service 7 "Insect Panel"
contains 6 insect allergens, mosquito, black fly, horse fly, stable fly,
cockroach and midges (Culicoides sp.).
Panels 6 + 7 are available individually or combined, 1.0 ml serum
required for each panel. Further details contact Peter Webb on 01626 778844
or email peter.webb@axiomvetlab.co.uk
FOOD TESTING
Many clients ask why Axiom does not offer food Allergy testing when it did
so previously.
The answer is very simple - Serological testing for foods has no scientific
basis. All IgE results generated have no predictive value for food allergy.
Serological testing for allergy originally had a poor sensitivity due to
cross reactivity to IgG. When receptor was introduced that problem was solved
and it was hoped it would also solve the numerous other problems associated
with "food allergy" i.e. poor sensitivity and specificity. Unfortunately
FC receptor technology for foods has shown the same non-specificity and
lack of predictability as all the other in vitro and in vivo tests i.e.
completely useless. Axiom have withdrawn in vitro food testing as any results
generated are misleading and unhelpful.
CURRENT THOUGHTS ON FOOD ALLERGY
A recent review by The American College of Vet Dermatology task force on
Canine Dermatitis outlined the current concepts as we under stand them.
It is recommended that the term "food allergy" is no longer used
and we refer to "cutaneous adverse food reactions". |
| These include: |
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1) Toxic reactions |
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2) Non-toxic reactions |
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a) intolerance reactions i.e. non immunologically mediated |
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b) allergic: immunologically mediated |
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1) IgE mediated |
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2) Non IgE mediated |
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Despite an IgE mechanism of food allergy being documented
in man it has yet to be demonstrated in dogs or cats, the ACVD reports "the
pathogenesis of cutaneous adverse food reactions has not been fully elucidated"
"for the vast majority of dogs reported to suffer from cutaneous clinical
signs of food allergy, neither IgE-mediated hypersensitivity nor any other
immunologic mechanism has been established".
There were several interesting papers presented at the 2002 ACVD conference.
In two papers it was not possible to demonstrate increased specific IgE
to dogs fed foods to which they had been sensitised, in another UK study
where none of the dogs had a clinical diagnosis of food allergy, IgE antibodies
were demonstrated in many animals. At the 2003 BSAVA congress Doug Deboer
commented - "In vitro testing is not appropriate for food testing.
I am sick of seeing food allergy results on my referred cases, its garbage,
absolute garbage".
The sensitivity of IDT for food allergy was found to be 33% and a specificity
of 50% (i.e. no better than tossing a coin) with serum testing even
less reliable with a specificity of 40% (worse than tossing a coin)
IgE mediated reactions have been demonstrated in laboratory settings using
genetically high responding animals and very artificial and forced feeding
regimes.
IN CONCLUSION
There are probably many mechanisms involved with cutaneous adverse food
reactions.
An IgE mediated component has not been demonstrated in clinical situations.
Thus the testing for "food allergy" using in vitro IgE or IDT
techniques has no basis.
Cutaneous adverse food reactions are confirmed with an elimination diet,
(which of course controls both immunologically and non immunologically
mediated reactions).
Ref ACVD Task force on canine Atopic Dermatitis
Vet immuno and immunopath. Vol 81
ACVD annual meeting 2002. Abstracts in Vet Derm. Vol 13: 4
Kunkle and Horner JAVMA 200 677-680 Jeffers et al JAVMA 198 245-250 Jeffers
et al JAVMA 209 608-611
Allergic Skin Diseases of Dogs and Cats 2nd edition Saunders |
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| Axiom
2003 CD-ROM Launched at BSAVA [OLD] |
 |
As always this CD is eagerly sort after. It combines our
price list and a wealth of other data. New this year is the automatic download
of the latest changes and additions to the price list.
Simply press this icon once you have loaded the CD-ROM.
It does of course require an internet connection so if you do not have one
bad luck!
We plan to enhance the CD-ROM further by including short
training videos on packaging, smear preparation sampling requirements. If
you have some requirements that you think might help train your nurses in
laboratory techniques please contact Anne Tiley VN. on 01626 778844. Much
of the information on our CD can be found on our web site www.axiomvetlab.com
This site contains down loadable interactive submission forms, all our brochures,
endocrine fact sheets and all last years "images of the week"
These images are of low resolution if you require images with a higher resolution
contact: martin.wheeler@axiomvetlab.co.uk |
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