Abortion due to Bacillus safensis in a mare

A 16-year-old Westphalian mare aborted a dead fetus at 7 months of gestation without prodromal signs. The chorioallantois was diffusely thickened and discoloured, with fibrinous plaques, congestion and haemorrhage. Small colonies of 1-μm, Gram-positive bacilli were scattered throughout the exudate overlying the chorionic epithelium, and within macrophages. Bacillus safensis was isolated from the fetal lungs and from a swab sample of the mare's uterus. This strain represents the first case of a B. safensis-associated equine abortion and the first case of any infection caused by this bacterium.     

Large colon strangulation due to a diaphragmatic hernia in a mare: A case report

This report describes a case of diaphragmatic hernia with incarcerated large colon in a 16-year-old Tennessee Walking Horse mare. This mare was presented with an acute episode of abdominal pain that was not responsive to analgesic therapy. Treatment consisted of resection of the devitalized large colon and closure of the rent in the diaphragm.     

Cystic calculus in a mare due to a misplaced uterine glass marble

A 9-year-old Quarter Horse mare was referred for evaluation of continuous oestrus, polyuria and suspected pyometra after a glass marble was placed in the uterus by the owner. Palpation per rectum and transrectal ultrasonography confirmed the presence of a spherical object, but it was not possible to discern whether it was located within the lumen of the uterus or urinary bladder. Thus, an endoscopic examination of both uterus and bladder was carried out and a spherical, spiculated surface urolith was found on the floor of the bladder. The cystic urolith with suspected marble core was removed using a 12-mm specimen retrieval bag with endoscopic guidance. Follow-up with the owner one month after discharge revealed that the mare had not shown any signs of discomfort while urinating nor signs of oestrus.     

Spinal cord granuloma due to Coccidioides immitis in a cat

A6-year-old 5.5-kg female spayed domestic short-haired cat from Tucson, AZ, presented with an ˜5-day history of progressive pelvic limb weakness. The owners had returned from a weekend away to find the cat unable to use her left pelvic limb. Approximately 2 months previously, the cat had a cough and was treated for presumptive asthma with 5 mg prednisone PO q24h. The cat had a similar cough 1 year previously and seasonal allergy was suspected. The cough resolved and prednisone treatment was discontinued. Other past pertinent history included a skin problem ˜4 years previously that was described as alopecia, erythema, and pruritus of a pelvic limb. This problem had been diagnosed as an allergy and had since resolved. The cat was housed exclusively indoors and had been adopted as a kitten from a local retail store. Viral titers (FeLV and FIV) were negative, and regular vaccinations and veterinary examinations had been completed     

Haemoabdomen secondary to granulomatous periarteritis due to parasitism with Halicephalobus gingivalis in a mare

A 22‐year‐old Quarter Horse mare exhibited neurological signs consisting of head pressing, central blindness, minimal ataxia and dysphagia. Despite treatment, the mare collapsed and died shortly after onset of signs. On necropsy, there were approximately 15 l of free blood in the abdominal cavity. A 12 × 4 cm diameter, irregularly‐shaped, nodular, firm, tan/yellow mass was found adhered to the outer surface of the right lateral aspect of the caudal abdominal aorta. A similar mass also affected the caudal aspect of the right kidney. Histopathology of the aortic and renal masses revealed multiple coalescing granulomas containing intralesional nematodes compatible with Halicephalobus gingivalis. Inflammatory cells disrupted the aortic tunica adventitia as well as the outer tunica media. Similar exudate also affected the cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of a portion of the large subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene were performed using previously published primers for H. gingivalis to confirm the identity of the nematode. Although rupture of a blood vessel could not be demonstrated grossly, the histological findings suggest that inflammation may have breached a small calibre artery and caused the haemoabdomen.     

Nocardia tenerifensis genome identification in a cutaneous granuloma of a cat.

An adult Domestic Longhair cat developed a subcutaneous mass in its tail. Histologically, this mass consisted of ill-defined pyogranulomas centered around aggregates of gram-positive, acid-fast filamentous bacteria, consistent with Nocardia. Due to the lack of fresh samples, DNA was extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections and subjected to polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA gene encompassing Nocardia sp.-specific sequences. Sequences analyzed using the GenBank database revealed 99.5% homology with Nocardia spp. and had the highest sequence homology of 98.2% with Nocardia tenerifensis among Nocardia spp. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of detection of N. tenerifensis genome associated with cutaneous nocardiosis in an animal.     

Segmental ischaemic necrosis of the jejunum in a post-partum mare due to two mesenteric avulsions

This report describes segmental ischaemic necrosis of the small intestine 4 days after foaling in a 9-year-old Arabian mare. The jejunal mesentery was avulsed from the intestine in two locations for 20 and 200 cm, resulting in intestinal necrosis, in the absence of entrapment or strangulation. This case highlights the need to consider the possibility of mesenteric injury when a post-partum mare presents mild signs of abdominal pain.     

Phaeohyphomycosis due to Pyrenophora phaeocomes and Drechslera nobleae in an Appaloosa mare

A 21-year-old Appaloosa mare was presented with a pigmented cutaneous mass at the base of the right side of the neck. The diagnosis of phaeohyphomycosis due to pigmented fungi, known as Pyrenophora phaeocomes and Drechslera nobleae, was made based on a histopathology report followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 18S rRNA gene sequencing. The mass was surgically excised with clean margins, which is usually curative.     

Feline cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis due to Cladophyalophora bantiana

A case of feline cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis due to Cladophyalophora bantiana is described. The cat was presented with breathing difficulty and a swollen, ulcerated nodule on the dorsal nose and left nostril. Histological examination of the nodule revealed a cystic granulomatous dermatitis characterised by neutrophils, macrophages and giant cells. Pigmented, yeast-like fungus cells and hyphal elements were easily identified in haematoxylin-eosin stained tissue sections. Cladophyalophora bantiana was isolated from a tissue specimen. This organism, primarily known to cause cerebral infection in humans and cats, only rarely causes cutaneous infection. Despite anti-fungal chemotherapy two relapses occurred. The cat was feline immunodeficiency virus- and feline leukemia virus-negative and even if the owner was unaware of trauma, the hypothesis of wound contamination is the most likely.     

Accidental fatal aflatoxicosis due to contaminated commercial diet in 50 dogs

Aflatoxins, produced by Aspergillus spp., are toxic contaminants of stored grain. This study describes 50 dogs presented with foodborne aflatoxicosis. Common clinical signs included lethargy (78%), vomiting (76%), anorexia (74%), icterus (66%), depression (66%), melena (60%), haematuria (36%) and diarrhoea (36%). Common laboratory abnormalities included increased activities of aspartate aminotransferase (86%), alkaline phosphatase (84%) and alanine aminotransferase (79%), hypoantithrombinaemia (86%), prolonged prothrombin (PT, 82%) and activated partial thromboplastin times (aPTT, 80%), hyperbilirubinaemia (73%), hypocholesterolaemia (60%) hypoalbuminemia (47%) and thrombocytopenia (42%). Non-survivors had longer PT and aPTT and lower antithrombin (P<0.001) at presentation compared to survivors (23.8s vs.10.5; 37.9 vs.17.6s and 5% vs. 54%, respectively). Hyperbilirubinaemia (>56.6 μmol/L) and albumin concentration <32.5 g/L at presentation were risk factors for mortality (P<0.0001). Common complications included disseminated intravascular coagulation (58%), hepatic encephalopathy (35%) and acute kidney injury (4%). The mortality rate was 68%, suggesting that dogs with aflatoxicosis have poor prognosis.     

A case of verminous mastitis in a mare

This report describes bilateral mammary gland infection with a previously unidentified Cephalobus species of nematode. Only one previous case of verminous mastitis due to a Cephalobus species has been reported, pre-dating the widespread use of molecular diagnostics. This report describes the case presentation and management, as well as the morphological and molecular methods of nematode identification.