Simultaneous presence of a seminoma and a leiomyoma in the testes of a horse

An 18‐year‐old stallion was presented for castration because of insidious, bilateral scrotal enlargement of one year's duration. The left testis was firm, while the right was soft and lobulated; both were larger than normal. Palpation of the scrotum and its contents did not cause the horse to show signs of discomfort. Ultrasonography of scrotal contents revealed abnormal, heterogeneous tissue with ill defined regions of hyper‐ and hypoechogenity throughout both testes. Several hours after admission the horse developed severe signs of colic. On the basis of anamnesis, clinical findings, and results of ultrasonography and transrectal palpation bilateral testicular neoplasia and incarcerated inguinal hernia were tentatively diagnosed. Because the horse's owner did not consent to surgical treatment, the stallion was subjected to euthanasia. Histological and immunohistochemical examination of the testicular tissue collected post mortem revealed a seminoma in the left testis and a leiomyoma in the right testis. The post mortem examination also revealed incarceration of the small intestine in addition to the testicular tumours. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the simultaneous presence of bilateral, yet different testicular tumour types in a stallion.     

Occurrences of candidiasis in a Fisher's lovebird and a budgerigar

Two cage birds, a two-month-old Fisher's lovebird (Agapornis fischeri) and a one-year-old budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus), manifested clinical symptoms with general weakness, loss of appetite and ruffled feathers, then died. Pathological findings revealed a large quantity of yellowish-white pseudomembrane on the mucosal membrane of the esophagus and crop in these two birds. Histopathologically, blastospores (5.5 microm long x 3.4 microm wide) and pseudohyphae were detected in the lesions of conspicuous parakeratosis and moderate acanthosis in the stratified squamous epithelium. These two birds were diagnosed as having had candidiasis.     

Diagnosis and treatment of a caecal mucocoele in a dog

An 11-year-old male intact Staffordshire Bull terrier was referred for diabetic ketoacidosis. Abdominal ultrasonographic examination revealed a 5 cm × 2 cm intraluminal caecal mass-like structure. Exploratory laparotomy and typhlectomy were subsequently performed. Histopathology of the caecal mass-like structure was consistent with a caecal mucocoele, defined as a cystic dilation of the caecal lumen with stasis of mucus. This lesion has been previously described in humans, where it is termed an appendiceal mucocoele. The patient was euthanased 58 days post-operatively due to unrelated diabetic complications.     

Pleuritis and pneumonia attributed to a conifer twig in a bronchus of a horse

A conifer twig was responsible for severe fibrinopyogranulomatous adhesive pleuritis and pneumonia in a horse. At necropsy, the twig was found in a terminal bronchus and extended into the lung parenchyma, through the pleura, and into the accumulated exudate. Inhalation of plant material may be a more common cause of pleuritis than previously recognized. Meticulous examination at necropsy would be necessary to make the diagnosis.     

The pathogenicity and immunologic relationship of a virulent and a tissue-culture-adapted Babesia bovis

Babesia bovis grown in tissue culture was used to inoculate 12, 2-year-old Holstein steers. All 12 developed serological evidence of infection but only six had a febrile response of greater than or equal to 40 degrees C, and only one had a demonstrable B. bovis parasitemia. An average modest drop of 19% was observed in packed cell volume (PCV) during the period of reaction. All 12 steers were subsequently challenged with virulent B. bovis: seven on day 78 post inoculation (p.i.), two on day 106 p.i., and three on day 251 p.i. No demonstrable clinical response was observed in any of the 12 steers previously exposed to the tissue-culture organism, whereas severe signs of babesiosis occurred in seven 2-year-old, non-vaccinated control steers given a comparably virulent B. bovis challenge. All seven controls showed a febrile response, B. bovis parasitemias, with an average drop of 55% in PCV and a 28% mortality.     

Diagnosis of a uterine leiomyoma using hysteroscopy and a partial ovariohysterectomy in a mare

A 14-year-old quarter horse mare had a 2-year history of infertility and the presence of a mass in the right uterine horn. Prior to surgery, the mass was determined to be invasive by using ultrasonography and hysteroscopy. A partial ovariohysterectomy was performed. The mass was diagnosed histologically as a uterine leiomyoma.     

A light and electron microscopic study of a normal adrenal medulla and a pheochromocytoma from a horse.

The outer medullary (juxtacortical) zone of a normal equine adrenal gland had columnar chromaffin-positive cells arranged with their long axes perpendicular to fine vascular channels. The deeper medullary regions were composed of smaller irregularly round to polygonal chromaffin positive cells in small packets. Both cell types contained two types of membrane-bound cytoplasmic secretory granules. Osmiophilic granules with a homogeneous core, crenated membrane and narrow submembranous halo predominated in the columnar juxtacortical cells. The rounder, central medullary cells contained predominantly electron dense granules with a wide irregular electron lucent space between an eccentric core and the granule membrane. In contrast, irrespective of cell type or zone, cells from a pheochromocytoma contained only one type of granule similar to that described for the juxtacortical region of the normal equine adrenal medulla. The tumor cells could be classified into three subtypes based on density of granule packing but the granules were morphologically similar in all tumor cells.     

Relative virulences of a drug-resistant and a drug-sensitive strain of Eimeria acervulina, a coccidium of chickens

The virulence of a field strain of the chicken coccidian parasite Eimeria acervulina (Boreham I), dually resistant to the chemically unrelated anticoccidial agents decoquinate and clopidol, was compared with that of a drug-sensitive laboratory strain (Ongar) of the same species. Following a single heavy infection (prevented from recycling), both strains exhibited pathogenic effects typical of their species, viz., pathognomonic lesions, adverse effects on body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR), but no mortality. One week after infection, chicks infected with either strain had a statistically significantly worse weight gain than the uninfected control; the Boreham I strain produced more oocysts, and caused slightly more severe duodenal lesions and poorer FCRs than the Ongar strain (all those effects being non-significant). After 3 weeks, there were no significant differences between any cumulative effects of either strain, nor any differences from the uninfected control. However, from 2 to 3 weeks after infection, chicks infected with either strain had a greater feed consumption and growth rate than uninfected chicks. When chicks reared on solid floors were given lighter infections of either strain, which were allowed subsequently to recycle naturally, there were no consistent reductions in weight gains, but feed consumption was higher than that of uninfected chicks. Whatever, the mode of infection, there were no significant differences between the weights of infected and uninfected chicks after 3 weeks, but the FCR of infected chicks was usually poorer than that of uninfected chicks. The difference between the virulences of the Boreham I and Ongar strains was not greater than that between various drug-resistant strains or between various sensitive strains of several Eimeria species recorded in the literature. It is therefore concluded that there was no difference between the virulences of the two strains of E. acervulina that could be attributed to the drug-resistance of one of them.     

Ultrastructure and stereology of leukocytes and platelets of normal foxes and a fox with a Chediak-Higashi-like syndrome

Peripheral blood leukocytes and platelets from five normal foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and a fox with phenotypical characteristics of Chediak-Higashi syndrome (CHS) were examined by electron microscopy. Lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and platelets from the affected fox contained giant membrane-bound granules that resembled lysosomes. In eosinophils and neutrophils from the affected fox and a normal fox, relative cell volume occupied by granules and number of granules per unit area were calculated. Relative cell volume occupied by granules was the same in both foxes, but there were significantly fewer granules per unit area in the affected fox. This result is consistent with the idea that the giant granules arose from fusion of pre-existing, normal-sized granules, as occurs in CHS. In platelets from the affected fox, no osmiophilic granules were seen. Our findings agree with those from studies of CHS-affected blood cells in other species.     

Molecular and cytogenetic paternity testing of a male offspring of a hinny

An alleged male foal of a female mule, whose sire and grandparents were unknown, was identified for its pedigree. Parentage testing was conducted by comparing polymorphism of 12 microsatellite DNA sites and mitochondrial D‐loop sequences of the male foal and the female mule. Both the sequence analysis of species‐specific DNA fragments and a cytogenetic analysis were performed to identify the species of the foal and its parents. The results showed that the alleged female mule is actually a hinny, and the male foal, which possesses 62 chromosomes, qualifies as an offspring of the female hinny and a jack donkey.