Senile cardiac amyloidosis in the dog

Thirty-two cases of senile cardiac amyloidosis from a routine necropsy material of 594 dogs were studied. The age of the affected dogs ranged from 10 to 16 years. Amyloid was observed in the intramural arteries and arterioles, predominantly in the ventricular myocardium. The vessels were often obturated with amyloid, and myocardial necroses and fibroses were common consequences of the vascular lesions. In three cases amyloid deposits were also observed in the main subepicardial coronary arteries. In contrast to man, only slight interstitial amyloid degeneration was found in four of the dogs observed. Amyloid in the mitral valves, tricuspid valves and aortic cusps was observed in six, two and three cases respectively. It was concluded that the distribution of senile cardiac amyloidosis in the heart of the dog differs considerably from that in man.     

Amyloidosis in black-footed cats (Felis nigripes)

A high prevalence of systemic amyloidosis was documented in the black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) based on a retrospective review of necropsy tissues (n = 38) submitted as part of ongoing disease surveillance. Some degree of amyloid deposition was present in 33 of 38 (87%) of the examined cats, and amyloidosis was the most common cause of death (26/38, 68%). Amyloid deposition was most severe in the renal medullary interstitium (30/33, 91%) and glomeruli (21/33, 63%). Other common sites included the splenic follicular germinal centers (26/31, 84%), gastric lamina propria (9/23, 39%), and intestinal lamina propria (3/23, 13%). Amyloid in all sites stained with Congo red, and in 13 of 15 (87%) cats, deposits had strong immunoreactivity for canine AA protein by immunohistochemistry. There was no association with concurrent chronic inflammatory conditions (P = .51), suggesting that amyloidosis was not secondary to inflammation. Adrenal cortical hyperplasia, a morphologic indicator of stress that can predispose to amyloid deposition, was similarly not associated (P = .09) with amyloidosis. However, adrenals were not available from the majority of cats without amyloidosis; therefore, further analysis of this risk factor is warranted. Heritability estimation suggested that amyloidosis might be familial in this species. Additionally, tissues from a single free-ranging black-footed cat had small amounts of amyloid deposition, suggesting that there could be a predilection for amyloidosis in this species. Research to identify the protein sequence of serum amyloid A (SAA) in the black-footed cat is needed to further investigate the possibility of an amyloidogenic SAA in this species.     

Severe persistent orf in young goats.

Orf (contagious ecthyma) is a viral disease of small and wild ruminants, humans, and less frequently other species. In sheep and goats, the disease is characterized by the formation of vesiculo-proliferative lesions in the skin of lips and nostril. Here, a form of generalized orf in 16 goat kids from 2 different locations in west Texas is described. The disease was characterized by multifocal, severe, proliferative dermatitis that persisted from about 2 months of age until the goat kids were euthanized 3 months later. All affected goats were Boer or Boer crosses under 1 year of age. The mean immunoglobulin concentration in sera of affected goats was elevated compared with healthy control goats. Severe to moderate lymphadenomegaly of the nodes draining the areas of the skin affected with orf lesions was present in all 16 goat kids. Suppurative arthritis, chronic fibrinous pneumonia, and premature thymic involution were found in 3, 5, and 7 of the goat kids, respectively. The skin lesions of 3 goat kids were infested with larvae of the opportunistic black garbage fly (Ophira sp.). The orf virus was identified in skin lesions by isolation in Marbin-Darby ovine kidney cells, electron microscopy, and amplification of viral DNA by polymerase chain reaction. The orf virus was not detected in peripheral blood or lymph node mononuclear cells of any of the goats. Cross-neutralization experiments showed that an ovine orf virus antiserum raised in sheep was more effective in neutralizing a sheep orf virus isolate than a caprine orf virus isolate. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of these orf cases may be the result of susceptibility factors within some individuals of the Boer breed of goats.     

Renal medullary amyloidosis in Dorcas gazelles

Between January 1976 and September 1987 renal medullary amyloidosis (RMA) was diagnosed in 17 Dorcas gazelles; the necropsy prevalence rate was 17/32 (53%). The most severe amyloid deposits were in the renal medulla; glomeruli were spared. Renal cortical lesions of interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy and dilatation significantly correlated with RMA (P less than 0.01) and were considered to be secondary changes. There were varying degrees of lymphoplasmacytic inflammation and tubular cast formation which did not significantly correlate with RMA. Amyloid was confirmed histochemically and by electron microscopy and was identified as AA type by the permanganate method. Progressive renal failure was the cause of death or necessitated euthanasia in 7/17 (41%) gazelles. RMA in Dorcas gazelles does not appear to be familial. A high prevalence of chronic or recurring Actinomyces (Corynebacterium) pyogenes infections may be an important factor.     

Familial renal amyloidosis in Chinese Shar Pei dogs

Renal amyloidosis was diagnosed in 14 young Chinese Shar Pei dogs, all of which were related. Clinical signs were those of renal failure and included vomiting, anorexia, lethargy, polydipsia, polyuria, weight loss, and dehydration. Some dogs had a history of intermittent fever and joint swelling. Laboratory findings also were compatible with renal failure and included azotemia, hyperphosphatemia, low total CO2 content in serum, isosthenuria, proteinuria, and hypercholesterolemia. All dogs had medullary deposition of amyloid, and 9 of 14 (64%) had glomerular involvement. The remaining renal lesions were typical of end-stage renal disease. In some dogs, amyloid deposits were found in other tissues (eg, liver, spleen, stomach, small intestine, myocardium, lymph node, prostate gland, thyroid gland, and pancreas). Amyloid deposits were sensitive to potassium permanganate oxidation, suggesting the presence of amyloid protein AA.     

Immunohistochemical identification of amyloid, using an anti-human serum amyloid P component (SAP) antibody, is possible in ruminants but not in dogs and cats

Amyloidosis represents a heterogenous group of diseases that have in common the deposition of fibrils composed of proteins of beta-pleated sheet structure, a structure which can be specifically identified by histochemistry using the Congo red or similar stains. Amyloid consists primarily of the amyloid fibrils but also of the amyloid P component (AP). This component, which is identical with the serum counterpart (SAP), is found in all types of human amyloid, and immunohistochemical identification of AP has been proposed as an adjunct to the universal, type-independent diagnosis of human amyloidosis. In the present study of animal amyloidosis, we compared the amyloid-specific Congo red stain with an immunohistochemical protocol using an anti-human SAP antibody for the identification of amyloid in formalin fixed tissue samples. The species and types of amyloidoses investigated were: (i) seven cows, one yak (Bos grunniens), and one sheep affected with amyloidosis of presumed AA type, (ii) one dog with a pancreatic endocrine tumour producing amyloid of presumed AIAPP type, (iii) two cats with presumed AIAPP-amyloidosis of the islets of Langerhans, one cat with presumed AA-amyloidosis, and one cat with an amyloid-producing odontogenic tumour. Intense immunostaining co-localized with amyloid, identified by its congophilia and green birefringence, using a protocol without any antigen retrieval in each of the seven cows, the yak and the sheep. The method seemed more sensitive in the ruminants than the Congo red stain, but was unable to detect amyloid in the dog and the cats regardless of the application of various antigen retrieval protocols. However, specific identification of amyloid still rests on the Congo red method or similar histochemical techniques.     

Effects of Daily Oral Administration of Copper to Goats

Three goats were dosed orally with a 0.2 % aqueous copper sulphate solution. The dosing was 20 mg copper sulphate/kg body weight twice a day for 56 to 113 days. One of the goats accumulated substantial amounts of copper in the liver and developed two haemolytic crises. The two other goats showed only increased liver copper concentrations before they were killed. The results indicate that the goats were susceptible in varying degrees to repeated oral copper dosing, and that two of the goats were significantly less susceptible to copper than sheep. The goat that turned into a haemolytic crisis showed changes similar to those seen in sheep as far as blood and plasma parameters are concerned. The gross and histological lesions were also mainly of the same type as described in sheep. The hepatic lesions found in the goat differed to some degree from those found in sheep as the necroses were more distinctly located to the centrilobular area, and as the iron pigments were mainly located in phagocytes in the hepatic sinusóides.     

Familial renal amyloidosis in Abyssinian cats

Medullary and glomerular amyloidosis, papillary necrosis, and secondary interstitial disease were diagnosed in eight related adult Abyssinian cats from two catteries. The lesions were similar to those in two unrelated mongrel cats with renal amyloidosis. Ultrastructurally, the patterns of amyloid deposition were as described in other species, although medullary deposition predominated. Potassium permanganate oxidation blocked Congo red staining of the deposits suggesting that they contained amyloid A protein (secondary amyloid). The disease may be a model of familial secondary amyloidosis and offers an opportunity to study the pathogenesis of both amyloid deposition and papillary necrosis. The histochemical characteristics of feline renal amyloid require careful attention to technique. Section thickness affects Congo red affinity and both dichroism as well as birefringence should be considered when interpreting staining reactions. Thioflavine-T may be the preferred stain for identification of small deposits of amyloid. Variation in section thickness markedly affected the degree of potassium permanganate oxidation.     

Facial eczema in goats: the toxicity of sporidesmin in goats and its pathology

Groups of six goats were orally dosed with sporidesmin at rates of 0.3, 0.6, 1.2 and 2.4 mg of sporidesmin per kg body weight and their responses up to 6 weeks later compared with those of sheep dosed at the same time. Clinical facial eczema and pathological lesions similar to those found in sheep were found in all the goat breeds, but at higher dose rates of sporidesmin than those which caused equivalent lesions in sheep. Saanens were the most susceptible goat breed, requiring 2-4 times as much sporidesmin as sheep to achieve similar effects. G4 and feral goats required 4-8 times the sheep dose of sporidesmin to obtain similar responses. Gamma-glutamyltransferase reached its highest serum levels after 20 days while glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase reached their highest levels between 10 and 20 days. Alkaline phosphatase did not rise consistently to high levels in affected goats. The elevation in aspartate aminotransferase levels tended to be early and transient; glutamate dehydrogenase early and prolonged; gamma-glutamyltransferase late and prolonged, and'alkaline phosphatase late and minor. There was considerable individual variation in the time at which elevations occurred and the levels which enzymes reached. Cholesterol and bilirubin levels were high if liver injury was severe.     

Serodiagnosis of inapparent caseous lymphadenitis in goats and sheep, using the synergistic hemolysis-inhibition test

The synergistic hemolysis-inhibition (SHI) test, a serologic test for the detection of infection with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, was applied to serum samples from 196 goats and 76 sheep, including animals both with and without C pseudotuberculosis abscesses. Fifty-one of 52 (98%) goats and 27 of 28 (96%) sheep with abscesses caused by C pseudotuberculosis had seropositive titers. Seropositivity continued on subsequent samplings, even after superficial lesions were completely healed. The SHI test may detect subclinically infected animals, as well as animals with clinically recognizable lesions. Of the animals without abscesses, 53 of 186 (28%) goats and 4 of 41 (10%) sheep were seropositive. Either the SHI test is lacking in specificity or these titers are a reflection of a past or a current infection without any grossly visible abscesses.     

Experimental infection of sheep and goats with transmissible mink encephalopathy virus.

In a study to learn more about the pathogenicity of transmissible mink encephalopathy virus for the natural hosts of scrapie, 20 Cheviot sheep and 19 dairy goats were inoculated intracerebrally with the Idaho strain of the virus. Five sheep and nine goats became affected with a progressive neurological disease. The incubation period in the sheep varied from 45 to 80 months (mean, 65 months) and in the goats from 31 to 40 months (mean, 35 months). Except for degeneration of the cerebral cortex (neocortex), the disease was indistinguishable clinically and neurohistologically from scrapie. During two more passages of the virus in goats, the incubation period was shortened to 12 to 15 months, the morbidity rate rose to 100% (6/6 dairy goats and 3/3 African pygmy goats), and the cortical lesion became constant and more pronounced. By the intracerebral inoculation of pastel mink, transmissible mink encephalopathy virus was detected in the brains of several affected sheep and goats but not in extraneural sites (lymphoid tissues and intestine), except for a trace amount in the proximal colon of one goat. Even after two passages in goats, the virus remained nonpathogenic for the laboratory mouse. Despite the essential likeness of the experimental disease and scrapie, the common identity of their causal viruses remains to be determined. Even so, the results of this study are still compatible with the view that transmissible mink encephalopathy virus almost certainly is scrapie virus whose biological properties became altered by chance passage in mink, a carnivore and an aberrant host.     

四川5个山(绵)羊品种随机扩增多态DNA分析

本研究参阅文献挑选 80个随机引物 ,从中筛选出 3 0个重复性好的引物 ,对四川黑山羊、南江黄羊、北川白山羊、成都麻羊 4个山羊品种和藏绵羊进行RAPD分析 ,并进一步对 1 3只南江黄羊个体 ,1 8只黑山羊个体的基因组DNA进行PCR扩增。用Nei氏公式计算品种间的遗传距离 ,用UPGMA法构建树状聚类图。结果表明 :黑山羊与南江黄羊的遗传距离最小 ,亲缘关系较近 ;藏绵羊与各品种间的遗传距离都很大 ,亲缘关系远 ;RAPD技术可作为一种有效的分子标记用于山羊品种之间遗传亲缘关系的分析     

Prevalence and distribution of caseous lymphadenitis in feral goats

A total of 2,920 feral goats from pastoral areas of Western Australia were examined and the prevalence of caseous lymphadenitis was estimated to be 7.8 +/- 0.9% in goats presented for slaughter. Head, body and visceral lesions were present in 49.3%, 46.7% and 12.3% of affected goats, respectively. A comparison with previously reported data from sheep has been made and significant differences are discussed. Lung lesions were relatively uncommon in goats, whereas the distribution of carcase lesions was similar between the species. Multiple lesions appear to be less common in goats than in sheep.     

Prevalence of Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) antibodies among sheep and goats in India

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of pestivirus antibodies in sheep and goats in India. A total of 2803 serum samples collected between 2004 and 2008 from 1777 sheep in 92 flocks and 1026 goats in 63 flocks belonging to 13 states were tested by competition ELISA for detection of pestivirus antibodies. In sheep, the true prevalence rate was 23.4% (95% confidence interval: 22.9%–27.0%) and in goats it was 16.9% (95% CI: 16.4%–21.3%). The flock level seroprevalence was 66.3% for sheep and 54.0% for goats. Geographical variation in individual and flock prevalence was highly significant. A significant association (p?<?0.05) was found between sheep and goat flocks having cattle contact and the flock level seroprevalence. The seroprevalence was lower in 6 months–1 year age group compared to the 1–2 year and >2 year age groups in both sheep and goats. Cross neutralization studies on 61 seropositive sheep and 34 seropositive goat samples representing all positive flocks, exhibited > four fold higher titre to bovine viral diarrhoea virus type 1 (BVDV-1) in 41 sheep and 23 goat samples and to BVDV-2 in one sheep and goat each. This study for the first time showed serological evidence of wide spread BVDV infections in Indian sheep and goats, with BVDV-1 predominating and BVDV-2 occasionally besides highlighting the potential risk of infection to other species, which needs to be considered whenever BVD control measures are initiated.     

辽宁绒山羊BMP-2基因的克隆及序列比较分析

根据GenBank上绵羊的BMP-2基因序列设计特异性引物,以辽宁绒山羊基因组DNA为模板,利用聚合酶链式反应,成功克隆了常年长绒型和季节长绒型辽宁绒山羊BMP-2部分基因片段,丰富了绒山羊BMP-2基因序列。经与绵羊、牛、鼠、猪和人的BMP-2基因进行的比对结果表明,季节与常年长绒型辽宁绒山羊的BMP-2基因同源片段的同源性达到99．7％,二者与绵羊同源性为98．2％和98．4％;与牛同源性为98．2％和97．9％;与鼠同源性为86．3％和86％;与人同源性为88．1％和88．1％。结果表明,辽宁绒山羊BMP-2基因部分核苷酸序列与其他哺乳动物同源性很高,与绵羊、牛的同源性高达97％以上,这与它们的种属关系相近一致。与人、鼠的同源性也在86％以上,说明BMP-2基因在不同物种之间具有较高的保守性。     

绵羊、山羊内源肺腺瘤病毒启动子甲基化修饰检测

为分析绵羊和山羊内源性肺腺瘤病毒启动子甲基化修饰状况,参照绵羊、山羊内源性肺腺病毒gag基因上游非编码区序列CpG岛设计特异性甲基化引物,采用甲基化特异性PCR（MSP）方法检测了5只绵羊和5只山羊胎儿的肺脏、皮肤、血液基因组内源性病毒基因启动子区甲基化情况.结果表明：山羊和绵羊肺脏、皮肤、血液基因组中均存在甲基化和非甲基化的内源性肺腺瘤病毒启动子.     

Partial sequence analysis of B2L gene of Brazilian orf viruses from sheep and goats

We herein describe the partial nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the B2L gene of seventeen Brazilian orf viruses (ORFV). Seventeen viruses were recovered from outbreaks of contagious ecthyma in sheep and goats in four states in Southern and Northeast country, and three from commercial vaccines. Most analyzed viruses were associated with outbreaks of classical contagious ecthyma, with lip, nostrils and labial commissure involvement, yet udder/teat, feet, vulvar and disseminated lesions were also reported in some cases. Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed a high degree of B2L similarity among sheep sequences (>99%) regardless the geographic origin, and a remarkable high identity for the two goat isolates (>99.8%), with similarity dropping to below 99% when comparing viruses from the two species. A phylogenetic tree grouped most sheep and goat viruses on different branches. In addition, sequence alignment allowed the identification of up to six scattered nucleotide changes that were predominant and more consistent in goat isolates, including a number of sequences from other continents. Thus, in spite of the high nucleotide similarity, different degrees of similarity and discrete nucleotide changes in the B2L gene may help in grouping ORFV viruses according to host species.     

Systemic amyloidosis in a mare

A mare with chronic cachexia had multiple skin nodules, abdominal masses (attached and free floating), and large lymph nodes. Fine-needle aspiration cytologic evaluation of a skin mass revealed multinucleated giant cells surrounding eosinophilic material. Histologic evaluation revealed extensive amyloid deposits within the masses, lymph nodes, and the interstitium of many organs. The presence of systemic (visceral) and organ-limited (cutaneous) forms of amyloid is rare in horses. Amyloid congophilia was retained after potassium permanganate oxidation. The fibrils were thus distinct from the AA (secondary) fibrils that are found in most cases of equine amyloidosis, suggesting that this mare may have had primary amyloidosis. Regardless of fibril type, the presence of multinucleated giant cells in association with eosinophilic material in cytologic preparations of skin nodules may suggest a differential diagnosis of amyloidosis in horses.     

Seroprevalence of, and risk factors for, peste des petits ruminants in sheep and goats in Northern Jordan

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an economically important disease that affect sheep and goat industry in Asia and Africa. In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence, and risk factors, of PPR in sheep and goat flocks from five different governorates (Irbid, Jarash, Ajloun, Mafraq and Zarka) located in Northern Jordan. Serum samples from 929 and 400 sheep and goats, respectively, corresponding to 122 sheep flock and 60 goats flock were collected. Seroprevalence was determined using PPR competitive ELISA. Health status and management information were collected using a semi-structured pre-tested questionnaire. The individual true prevalence of PPR in sheep and goats was 29 and 49%, respectively. The flock level true prevalence of PPR was 60 and 74% in sheep and goats, respectively. In both sheep and goat flocks, large flock size, visiting live animals market and inadequate veterinary services were identified as risk factors for PPR seropositivity. Mixed (sheep and goats) raising was identified as a risk factor for PPR seropositivity in sheep flocks only.