Hypereosinophilic syndrome with cardiac infiltration and congestive heart failure in a cat

Hypereosinophilic syndrome is an uncommon disorder in the cat. It is a heterogeneous group of conditions defined by a persistent hypereosinophilia associated with organ damage directly attributable to tissue hypereosinophilia. A seven-year-old castrated domestic shorthair cat presented to the emergency service for dyspnea. Initial physical examination identified the presence of a grade III/VI systolic left parasternal murmur with no gallop or arrhythmia. A snap N-terminal-pro hormone brain natriuretic peptide was abnormal, and a point-of-care ultrasound revealed mild pleural effusion, scant pericardial effusion, and an enlarged left atrium. There was leukemia (72.35 K/uL, reference range 4.5–15.7 K/uL) predominated by eosinophilia (33.84 K/uL; reference range 0–1.9 K/uL). On echocardiogram, there was concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricular walls with irregular endocardial borders. The left atrium was enlarged with evidence of spontaneous echogenic contrast. The mitral valve was thickened with a vegetative lesion on the anterior leaflet. Despite treatment, the patient experienced cardiopulmonary arrest, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was unsuccessful. Complete necropsy with histopathology revealed eosinophilic infiltrates in multiple organs and the presence of a severe, acute-on-chronic, fibrinous, and eosinophilic-granulomatous endomyocarditis with mural thrombosis and marked endocardial fibrosis. This case represents an unusual presentation of the hypereosinophilic syndrome in the cat with cardiac involvement and congestive heart failure as a primary clinical sign.     

Disseminated sarcocystosis in a cat with lymphosarcoma

Cysts of the protozoan Sarcocystis sp were found in skeletal and cardiac musculature in a 1.5-year-old cat with lymphosarcoma. The cat was FeLV-positive and had grossly visible neoplastic involvement of the spinal cord, mediastinum, bone marrow, and kidneys. Ultrastructural examination of the parasitic cyst wall suggested that the species in this case was different from that described in the only other reported case. It was hypothesized that immunosuppression from FeLV infection permitted an aberrant life cycle with encystment of Sarcocystis sp in this cat.     

Vertebral lymphosarcoma in a cat

Lymphosarcoma of the cauda equina in a domestic shorthair cat invaded the body of L7 and cranial portion of the sacrum. Clinical signs consisted of acute ambulatory paraparesis, tail paralysis, and dyschezia. Radiographically, there was evidence of bone lysis. Surgical exploration yielded a diagnosis, but did not induce improvement in the cat, which was subsequently euthanatized. Neurologic signs were similar to those associated with sacral nerve root avulsion injuries in cats.     

Hyperviscosity syndrome with IgM monoclonal gammopathy and hepatic plasmacytoid lymphosarcoma in a cat

A 19-month-old cat investigated because of depression, anorexia, polyuria, and polydipsia was found to have hepatomegaly, retinal haemorrhages, and distended tortuous retinal veins. Prolonged bleeding occurred after venipuncture, and serum was hyperviscous due to an immunoglobulin M monoclonal gammopathy. Prothrombin and activated partial thromboplastin times were prolonged, thrombin clotting time was only slightly prolonged and the activities of coagulation factors VII, VIII and IX were normal. The cat died suddenly before the origin of the immunoglobulin could be determined. Hepatic plasmacytoid lymphosarcoma was found at post-mortem examination. The pathophysiology of hyperviscosity syndrome is discussed and the observations in this cat are compared with those reported in the dog.     

Hypereosinophilia in a horse with intestinal lymphosarcoma.

Paraneoplastic eosinophilia is reported in dogs, cats, and humans. Hypereosinophilia (an eosinophil count greater than 1.5 x 10(9) L) is often associated with metastasis and a poor prognosis. This report describes a case of paraneoplastic hypereosinophilia in a pony. Neoplasia should be included in the differential diagnoses in a horse with eosinophilia.     

'D-shaped' and 'reverse-D-shaped' pupil in a cat with lymphosarcoma

A 7-year-old female spayed European shorthair cat was presented because of visual reduction and a green reflex in the right eye. Examination revealed a 'D-shaped' pupil in the right eye and a 'reverse-D-shaped' pupil in the left eye. Both eyes showed fibrinous anterior uveitis with exudates in the anterior chamber and precipitates on the posterior surface of the cornea. In both eyes a chorioretinitis was diagnosed which caused partial retinal detachment and peripapillary oedema in the left eye. Histopathology revealed intestinal and ocular lymphosarcoma. The aberrant pupil shapes which persisted after death were due to infiltration of the iris stroma and were not caused neurologically. The observation that in both eyes only the medial parts of the iris were affected could not be explained.     

Hypereosinophilic syndrome in two cats

Two cats showing chronic vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss were found to have leukocytosis with marked eosinophilia. Both cats were diagnosed with hypereosinophilic syndrome by the findings of increased eosinophils and their precursors in the bone marrow, eosinophilic infiltration into multiple organs, and exclusion of other causes for eosinophilia. Although cytoreductive chemotherapy with hydroxycarbamide and prednisolone was performed, these two cats died 48 days and 91 days after the initial presentation.     

Thymic lymphosarcoma of T cell lineage in a koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

Objective To diagnose and characterise thymic lymphosarcoma in a koala.
Design A pathological case.  

Animal

Seven-year-old female koala.
Procedure The neoplastic process was investigated macroscopically, haematologically, histologically and immunohistologically.
Results The koala had difficulty swallowing because of a medial swelling in the lower neck. Biopsy of this mass and blood examination revealed lymphosarcoma with a leukaemic manifestation; necropsy and histopathological examination showed the mass to be thymus. Palatine tonsils, cervical, axillary and mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, liver, gut, bronchi, genitalia and bone marrow were infiltrated by neoplastic cells. Immunohistological staining of the thymic mass, cervical and mesenteric lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen and gut revealed the neoplastic cells to be of T lymphocyte origin (positive for both anti-human CD3 and CD5).  

Conclusions

It is speculated that the neoplastic process originated in the thymus and was disseminated by bloodborne neoplastic cells: This first report of thymic lymphosarcoma in a marsupial confirms that antibodies raised originally to investigate human lymphoid neoplasia can cross-react with neoplastic lymphocytes in koalas.     

Large granular intestinal lymphosarcoma and leukemia in a dog

A rare, large granular lymphocyte (LGL) tumor causing a protein-losing enteropathy and thrombocytopenia was diagnosed in an Irish wolfhound. The case had an aggressive clinical course, like most LGL tumors in humans. Immunophenotyping suggested that the LGL tumor in this dog was derived from a natural-killer cell.     

Cutaneous lymphosarcoma with IgG monoclonal gammopathy, serum hyperviscosity and hypercalcemia in a cat

A diagnosis of cutaneous lymphosarcoma in an 11 year old castrated male Siamese cat was made. In addition to an IgG monoclonal gammopathy, a variety of unusual paraneoplastic syndromes were associated with this tumor. These included serum hyperviscosity, hypercalcemia and increased susceptibility to infection.