Welcoming of the New Year
Actual tasks in the veterinary practice (A. Németh) / 3

Millennium Veterinary Days
Common past and development of human and veterinary medicine (E. Sz. Vízi) / 8
Veterinary science and medicine with future claims (F. Kovács) / 10

Small animals
P. Király, N. Tarpataki: Experiences in the diagnosis and treatment of atopy in dogs / 15
A. Beregi, V. Molnár, F. Felkai, F. Bíró, Zs. Szentgáli: Diagnostic radiology of pet and wild birds. A review 1. Radiographic techniques and radiographs of healthy birds. Secondary communication / 23
O. Nippen: Dietetic nutrition of dogs and cats with hepatic diseases / 29
P. A. Mertens: Aging and behavioural problems – causes and treatment / 33
I. Stur: International problem – Are there really fighting dogs? / 36

Porcine
M. Arias, L. Romero, M. Agüero, A. Canals, M. J. Zamora, J-M. Sanchez-Vizcaíno: Eradication of infectious diseases: African swine fever and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) / 40

Laboratory
S. Bernáth, S. Bacsfay, Fehérváriné M. Tóth, Gy-né Szászfay: The registration of veterinary medicinal products in Hungary / 47

Laboratory methods
L. Kállai: Laboratory animal studies. 2. With and without microbes / 51

Book review
Gy. Hajós, G. Zajkás (eds): Nutrition and health (in Hungarian) / 38

Study tours
Alternative procedures in the disposal of animal waste (J. Kováts) / 58

Events
31th Congress of the World Society for Veterinary History (Brno, 6–10 September 2000) (J. Kováts) / 59

Personal
János Tanyi is retired (B. Fazekas) / 61

Letter to the Editor
Rectal obstipation in elephant (T. Kégl) / 62

In memoriam
Antal Serényi (A. Berey) / 64
Zoltán Idrányi (I. Szigethy) / 64
Gyula Kántor (J. Kovács) / 64

P. Király – N. Tarpataki:
EXPERIENCES IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ATOPY IN DOGS

The importance of aeroallergens is now becoming more and more significant both in the human medicine and the veterinary parctice.
In this aerticle the intradermal skin test (IDST) is used in 92 dogs suspected of atopy to establish the diagnosis and to determine further therapy.
Analysis is performed on 50 patients found positive in the IDST, from the view of familiar-, breed-, sex-, and age predisposition, clinical signs, incidence of different allergeens, and efficacy of previous treatments. No significant sex or familiar pedisposition was found, however, the incidence of certain breeds was different from literature. The distribution of pruritus was predominantly facial (77%) and on the ventral body (68%). The onset of the clinical signs was relatively early (under 3 years of age) and they were also characteristic (53%). The major non seasonal allergens – most frequently diagnosed in the IDST – were D. farinae (82%) and human dander (51%), and to a lesser extent (11%) grass pollens proved to be positive among the seasonal allergens.
The results of hyposensitisation in 15 dogs, the causative therapy of atopy, were very encouraging. Signs dramatically improved or disappeared in the majority of cases (80%) treated with immunotherapy.
It is concluded that the intradermal skin test and immunotherapy are quick and reliable methods for diagnosis and treatment of dogs with atopy.

M. Arias – L. Romero – M. Agüero – A. Canals – M. J. Zamora – J-M. Sánchez-Vizcaíno:
ERADICATION STRATEGIES OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES: AFRICAN SWINE FEVER AND PROCINE REPRODUCTIVE AND RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (PRRS)

This publication gives a brief overview of two economicallay important diseases that affect the porcine species. Althought they are caused by taxonomically distant viruses which produce different symptomatology and disease, succesfull strategies was used for their control and eradication. African swine fever (ASF) is included in the list A of OIE, and its importance in Europe comes out from the increase of outbreaks in the sus-Saharan countries of Africaa in the last years, and Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), a disease currently not included in the OIE list but nowadays perhaps one of the biggest problem in the international animal health. The authors review in this paper both diseases and the current strategies used for eradication of ASFV and for the removal of PRRS virus from endemic herds.

S. Bernáth – N. Bacsfay – Fehérváriné Tóth M. – Szászfai Gyuláné:
THE REREGISTRATION OF VETERINARY MEDICINAL PRODUCTS IN HUNGARY

The marketing authorisations of veterinary medicinal products are valid for five years in Hungary. The validity of the licence may be extended by a renewal procedure upon request from the authorisation holder for further five-years periods. The application for renewal should be filed to the Ministry of Agriculture and Regional Development six months before the expiration of the validity of the current marketing authorisation. In the revision, the renewed dossier, the results of the state quality control of medicinal products’ samples taken from trade, and in case of notification arriving to the pharmacovigilance, the experiences of the case, are assessed. The regulations of the European Union and the data of scientific literature are also taken into account. The objective of the process is to ensure that only the products of a consistently high quality, safety and efficacy remain on the market. Veterinary medicinal products with expired marketing authorisation or rejected application for renewal shall be withdrawn from circulation by the end of the same year when the marketing authorisation expires. The revision contributes to the constant modernisation of the marketed medicinal products, and to the withdrawal of outdated products from the market.