Karin Mundbjerg^1,2, Michelle Lauge Quaade¹*, Anders Tolver³, Peder Elbæk Pedersen², Emil Frank Pedersen³ and Anne Sofie Hammer¹

¹Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
²LVK Dyrlægerne, Hobro, Denmark ³Data Science Lab, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken, Denmark

*Corresponding Author: Michelle Lauge Quaade, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark.

Received: November 16, 2022; Published: November 24, 2022

Abstract

Mink urinary tract disease (MUTD) causes fatal disease in post-weaning mink kits and mortality rates can vary substantially between farms. MUTD is a disease complex associated with urolithiasis and urinary tract infection. In an exploratory observational study, the occurrence of MUTD and associations with potential animal and management factors were investigated on 20 Danish mink farms. A total of 321.781 mink kits were included in the study. Out of 2.676 mink kits died during the month of July a total of 851 were diagnosed with MUTD. Urolithiasis was diagnosed in 46% of the kits. The majority (98%) of uroliths samples from mink kits diagnosed with MUTD were identified as struvite stones. Staphylococcus delphini group A was isolated from 60% of pure cultures and 21% of mixed cultures obtained from bladder swabs from kits with MUTD. By use of univariate linear regression (continuous variables) and ANOVA (categorical variables) farm management factors were investigated for association with MUTD.
Average daily feed intake in week 17 (late gestation), average kit weight on day 28 post partum, and the color type black had a significant positive correlation with increased mortality associated with MUTD. Average daily feed intake in week 24 (late lactation), kit weight gain, and the number of daily feedings in June (late lactation) had a significantly negative correlation with increased mortality associated with MUTD. Use of short kits nets and cleaning of cage manure were also significantly associated with MUTD. Feeding management and cage hygiene during the weaning period and kit growth have been identified as potentially important factors for fatal MUTD in mink kits and are proposed as focus areas for future studies of this important production disease in mink.

Keywords:Cystitis; Management; Mink; Neovison Vison; Risk Factors; Urolithiasis

References

1. Nielsen IM. “Urolithiasis in mink: pathology, bacteriology and experimental production”. The Journal of Urology 75 (1956): 602-614.
2. Mundbjerg K., et al. “Urolithiasis and cystitis associated with Staphylococcus delphini group A and mortality in post-weaning mink kits (Neovison vison)”. Veterinary Microbiology 245 (2020): 108706.
3. Hansen MU., et al. “Screening of kit mortality on mink farms in Denmark from weaning to peltning”. NJF Seminar no 403 (2007).
4. Clausen T. “[causes of mink mortality through a produkction year] Danish”. Husdyrbrug Internal Report of Danmarks Jordbrugsforskning 2 (2006): 68-71.
5. Osborne CA., et al. “Quantitative analysis of 4468 uroliths retrieved from farm animals, exotic species, and wildlife submitted to the Minnesota Urolith Center: 1981 to 2007”. The Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice 39 (2009): 65-78.
6. Hedelin H., et al. “Urease-induced crystallization in synthetic urine”. The Journal of Urology 133 (1985): 529-532.
7. Matsumoto K and Funaba M. “Factors affecting struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) crystallization in feline urine”. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1780 (2008): 233-239.
8. Nwaokorie E., et al. “Epidemiology of struvite uroliths in ferrets: 272 cases (1981-2007)”. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 239 (2011): 1319-1324.
9. Finco DR., et al. “Food and water intake and urine composition in cats: influence of continuous versus periodic feeding”. American Journal of Veterinary Research (1986): 1638-1642.
10. Finke MD and Litzenberger BA. “Effect of food intake on urine pH in cats”. Journal of Small Animal Practice. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd (10.1111) 33 (1992): 261-265.
11. Funaba M., et al. “Effects of a high-protein diet versus dietary supplementation with ammonium chloride on struvite crystal formation in urine of clinically normal cats”. American Journal of Veterinary Research 64 (2003): 1059.
12. Leoschke WL and Elvehjem CA. “Prevention of urinary calculi formation in mink by alteration of urinary pH”. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. London, England: SAGE Publications 85 (1954): 42-44.
13. Queau Y. “Nutritional management of urolithiasis”. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice. Elsevier Inc 49 (2010): 175-186.
14. Buckley CMF., et al. “Effect of dietary water intake on urinary output, specific gravity and relative supersaturation for calcium oxalate and struvite in the cat. Buckley CMF, editor”. The British Journal of Nutrition 106 (2011): S128-130.
15. Carr J., et al. “Cystitis and ascending pyelonephritis in the sow”. In practice. [London]: British Veterinary Association 17 (1995): 71-79.
16. Schou TM and Malmkvist J. “Early kit mortality and growth in farmed mink are affected by litter size rather than nest climate”. Animal the International Journal of Animal Bioscience. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press 11 (2017): 1581-1589.
17. Birch JM., et al. “Risk factors associated with diarrhea in Danish commercial mink (Neovison vison) during the pre-weaning period”. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 59 (2017): 43.
18. Jespersen A., et al. “The effect of color type on early wound healing in farmed mink (Neovison vison)”. BMC Veterinary Research. London (2017): 13.
19. Osborne CA., et al. “Analysis of 77,000 canine uroliths: perspectives from the Minnesota Urolith Center”. The Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice. PHILADELPHIA: Elsevier Inc 29 (1999): 17-38.
20. Sundqvist C., et al. “Reproduction and fertility in the mink (Mustela vison)”. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. Oxford 85 (1989): 413-441.
21. Brink A-L and Jeppesen LL. “Behaviour of mink kits and dams (Mustela vison) in the lactation period”. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 85 (2005): 7-12.
22. Brink A-L., et al. “Behaviour in suckling mink kits under farm conditions: effects of accessibility of drinking water”. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. AMSTERDAM: Elsevier B.V 89 (2004): 131-137.
23. Fink R., et al. “Energy intake and milk production in mink (Mustela vison) - effect of litter size”. Archiv für Tierernährung. England: Taylor and Francis Group 55 (2001): 221-242.
24. Tauson A-H. “Water intake and excretion, urinary solute excretion and some stress indicators in mink (Mustela vison): effect of ambient temperature and quantitative water supply to lactating females”. British Journal of Nutrition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press 80 (1980): 555-564.
25. Mundbjerg K., et al. “Familial disease history and fur color type are associated with urinary tract disease in farmed mink (Neovison vison)”. Research in Veterinary Science (2020).
26. Buffington CA., et al. “Effect of diet on struvite activity product in feline urine”. American Journal of Veterinary Research. Shaumburg, IL: American Veterinary Medical Association 51 (1990): 2025-2030.
27. Wall I and Tiselius H. “Studies on the crystallization of magnesium ammonium phosphate in urine”. Urological Research. Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag 18 (1990): 401-406.
28. Rueda López M. “Low reproductive performance and high sow mortality in a pig breeding herd: a case study”. Irish Veterinary Journal. Ireland: BioMed Central Ltd 61 (2008): 818-826.
29. Wasserfurth P., et al. “Effects of mineral waters on acid-base status in healthy adults: results of a randomized trial”. Food and Nutrition Research. Sweden: Swedish Nutrition Foundation 63 (2019): 1-11.
30. Engbæk M and Larsen PF. “Acidification of drinking water has no effect on water intake and urinary pH in mink”. Annual Report 2014. Kopenhagen (2015): 95-97.
31. Clausen TN. “Ammonium chloride fed to mink kits from June 10^th to June 28^th, 1999”. Scientifur 24 (2000): 147.
32. Teichmann-Knorrn S., et al. “Prevalence of feline urinary tract pathogens and antimicrobial resistance over five years”. Veterinary Record. LONDON: BMJ Publishing Group Limited 183 (2018): 21.
33. Moyaert H., et al. “Antimicrobial susceptibility onitoring of bacterial pathogens isolated from urinary tract infections in dogs and cats across Europe: ComPath results”. Microbial drug resistance. New Rochelle, N.Y.: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc 23 (2017): 391-403.
34. Sompolinsky D. “Urolithiasis in mink”. The Cornell Veterinarian 40 (1950): 367-377.
35. Griffith DP., et al. “Urease. The primary cause of infection-induced urinary stones”. Investigative Urology. Baltimore, Md 13 (1976): 346-350.
36. Osborne CA., et al. “Epidemiology of naturally occurring feline uroliths and urethral plugs”. The Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice 14 (1984): 481-491.

Citation

Citation: Mundbjerg., et al. “Associations between Animal and Herd Management Factors and Urinary Tract Disease in Mink (Neovison Vison)".Acta Scientific Veterinary Sciences 4.12 (2022): 172-183.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2022 Michelle Lauge Quaade., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.