Navigating the demands of veterinary medicine while staying current with the latest diagnostic advancements can sometimes be challenging for veterinary professionals. It is difficult to take time away from caring for patients and managing administrative tasks to find time to research, continue learning, and implement new diagnostic technologies in our existing workflows.
However, amid these demands, emerging diagnostic innovations deliver improvements in accuracy as well as efficiency, offering tangible solutions to veterinary professionals striving to provide the best care possible for patients.
While the ability to diagnose conditions more quickly and accurately could lead to timely interventions and improved treatment outcomes, it also aims to ensure broader access to new technology, potentially improving care across veterinary medicine.
Here is a look at several innovations filling critical gaps in the current diagnostic landscape while enhancing the lives of pets.
Detecting parasites earlier
While fecal flotation tests have been a go-to method for screening infectious diseases in veterinary medicine, this approach has significant limitations, particularly some concerning factors that contribute to false negatives. Variables, such as single-sex parasite infections, intermittent egg-shedding, dense eggs that may not float, and the lack of centrifugation before testing can all compromise the accuracy of results. For years, recognition of the need for a more reliable diagnostic method has been growing.
Fecal antigen testing offers a promising alternative. By detecting the protein antigen without relying on the presence of parasite eggs, a new method directly identifies parasites, regardless of their life stage or reproductive status, even in prepatent and single-sex infections.
For our patients, this means earlier and more accurate detection and intervention for parasitic infections, such as hookworm, roundworm, and whipworm. In the past year, the scope of this diagnostic approach has also expanded to encompass flea tapeworm and Cystoisospora infections.
By effectively diagnosing these infections, we can proactively address them, minimizing discomfort and treatment delays. This development could lead to improved outcomes and more precise treatment plans, reducing the risk of infection to other pets and family members.1
Diagnosing kidney injury
The kidneys play a crucial role in maintaining overall patient health, regulating blood pressure, electrolyte balance, and red blood cell production. However, diagnosing kidney injury can be challenging due to subtle or nonspecific signs. If you do not know an injury has occurred, how can you treat for it?
Fortunately, the development and availability of a simple, urine-based test can uncover renal tubular injury, even when clinical signs are not apparent, by measuring the output of an intracellular protein called “cystatin B” in urine. This biomarker for kidney injury enables veterinary professionals to detect damage regardless of changes in kidney function.
Imagine a patient with suspected toxin exposure: this new test could confirm active kidney injury before traditional markers show changes, allowing for swift intervention and potentially preventing further damage. In cases of acute kidney injury, tracking biomarker levels could provide valuable insights into treatment progress and recovery, guiding clinicians in adjusting therapy as needed.
Additionally, for patients on NSAIDs, proactive monitoring with this biomarker test could help detect kidney complications early, allowing for timely intervention if treatment modification is warranted. This innovative diagnostic tool is already transforming how veterinarians detect and manage acute and chronic kidney conditions, paving the way for even more advancements in early disease detection and management in the U.S. and Canada. Soon, it will be accessible to veterinary practices worldwide.2
Creating efficiencies
As veterinary professionals, we constantly seek ways to streamline our workload, especially in-clinic cytology testing, which traditionally involves the manual process of making and assessing glass slides. This can take as much as 20 minutes. Time spent on manual tasks takes away from time discussing diagnostics, treatment, and follow-up plans with pet parents.
Automating cytology for tests such as blood morphology and ear cytology gives the veterinary team time back and diminishes inconsistencies in manual workflows that complicate interpreting diagnostic tests and follow-up.
With new slide-free cellular analysis technology currently in development, we will soon have access to innovation that not only makes cytology testing convenient, but redefines how we analyze cells. Standardization of sample preparation and assessment of cells in their natural state enables the application of advanced AI models trained by board-certified veterinary experts to examine samples rapidly, provide accurate diagnostic results, and plan treatment without the need to make traditional glass slides.
Integrating automated cytology results with diagnostic tools and software systems could simplify result management and interpretation, allowing us to devote more time to patient care by lightening the analytical workload. This marks a significant advancement in hematology. Through slide-free analysis, automated blood morphology is achieved in as little as 10 minutes, changing how we identify and quantify common red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelet morphologic changes during patient visits.
Once unprecedented, this level of rapid and comprehensive analysis could soon empower veterinary professionals to efficiently address and identify more conditions than ever, providing the most comprehensive hematology picture available in-clinic.
Embracing the future
These are exciting times for veterinary professionals. With more extensive data collection and higher fidelity diagnostics seamlessly integrated through in-clinic technology, veterinary teams are equipped to provide care to more pets in an increasingly evidence-based and efficient manner. These advancements bring new possibilities, empowering us to address the specific pain points of modern medicine. By reducing work volume and streamlining processes, these tools not only alleviate the challenges of staying current but also enable us to dedicate more time to patient care, ultimately enhancing the lives of pets.
Jason Johnson, DVM, MS, DACT, is the vice president and global chief medical officer at IDEXX. Dr. Johnson was the co-founder/vice president and dean of the Lincoln Memorial University (LMU)-College of Veterinary Medicine, and founder of the Center for Animal and Human Health in Appalachia. Johnson has conducted international veterinary work across seven countries and believes it is a privilege and our responsibility to elevate animal health around the globe.
References
- IDEXX Expands Fecal Dx® Antigen Testing Platform with Cystoisospora Detection, Marking the Second Platform Expansion in Less than Two Years. Press release. IDEXX Laboratories. January 12, 2024. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.idexx.com/en/about-idexx/news/idexx-expands-fecal-dx-testing-with-cystoisospora-detection/
- IDEXX Announces Novel Diagnostic Test for Kidney Injury, Expanding the Veterinary Industry’s Most Comprehensive Renal Testing Portfolio. Press release. IDEXX Laboratories. June 15, 2023. Accessed April 29, 2024. https://www.idexx.com/en/about-idexx/news/idexx-announces-novel-diagnostic-test-for-kidney-injury/