Necrotizing Meningoencephalitis in Atypical Dog Breeds: A Case Series and Literature Review

Background

Canine necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) is a fatal, noninfectious inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. NME has been reported only in a small number of dog breeds, which has led to the presumption that it is a breed‐restricted disorder.

Hypothesis/Objectives

Our objective was to describe histopathologically confirmed NME in dog breeds in which the condition has not been reported previously and to provide preliminary evidence that NME affects a wider spectrum of dog breeds than previously reported.

Animals

Four dogs with NME.

Methods

Archives from 3 institutions and from 1 author''s (BS) collection were reviewed to identify histopathologically confirmed cases of NME in breeds in which the disease has not been reported previously. Age, sex, breed, survival from onset of clinical signs, and histopathologic findings were evaluated.

Results

Necrotizing meningoencephalitis was identified in 4 small dog breeds (Papillon, Shih Tzu, Coton de Tulear, and Brussels Griffon). Median age at clinical evaluation was 2.5 years. Histopathologic abnormalities included 2 or more of the following: lymphoplasmacytic or histiocytic meningoencephalitis or encephalitis, moderate‐to‐severe cerebrocortical necrosis, variable involvement of other anatomic locations within the brain (cerebellum, brainstem), and absence of detectable infectious agents.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Until now, NME has only been described in 5 small dog breeds. We document an additional 4 small breeds previously not shown to develop NME. Our cases further illustrate that NME is not a breed‐restricted disorder and should be considered in the differential diagnosis for dogs with signalment and clinical signs consistent with inflammatory brain disease.     

Effect of feeding level on growth and nutrient deposition in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) growing from 150 to 600 g

The effects of feeding level on growth and energy partitioning were studied in rainbow trout growing from 150 to 600 g. Triplicate groups of fish (initial weight 158 g fish^?1) were fed a practical diet at various feeding levels (25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of near satiation) for 24 weeks at 8.5°C. The final body weights of fish were 235, 381, 526 and 621 g. Restricted feeding levels significantly reduced live weight gain. Feeding levels had less pronounced effects on feed efficiency ratio, which were 0.98, 1.08, 1.02 and 0.83, respectively, for the 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% feeding levels. The growth of fish fed to near satiation was accurately described by the thermal‐unit growth coefficient. The growth data also showed that the widely used specific growth rate was not an appropriate model. Fish fed at the lowest feeding level (25%), which represented a maintenance ration (energy gain was less than 2 kJ fish^?1 day^?1), showed positive protein deposition but negative lipid deposition. This indicates that fish fed a maintenance ration mobilize body lipid reserve to support protein deposition. The efficiency of energy for growth (k_g) was estimated to be 0.63. The factorial multiple regression approach estimated that the partial efficiencies of metabolizable energy utilization for protein deposition (k_p) and lipid deposition (k_f) were 0.63 and 0.72, and that maintenance energy requirement was about 19 kJ (kg BW^0.824)^?1, for rainbow trout held at 8.5°C.     

Comparison of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase and melatonin receptor type 1B immunoreactivity between young adult and aged canine spinal cord

Melatonin affects diverse physiological functions through its receptor and plays an important role in the central nervous system. In the present study, we compared immunoreactivity patterns of arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), an enzyme essential for melatonin synthesis, and melatonin receptor type 1B (MT2) in the spinal cord of young adult (2~3 years) and aged (10~12 years) beagle dogs using immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. AANAT-specific immunoreactivity was observed in the nuclei of spinal neurons, and was significantly increased in aged dog spinal neurons compared to young adult spinal neurons. MT2-specific immunoreactivity was found in the cytoplasm of spinal neurons, and was predominantly increased in the margin of the neuron cytoplasm in aged spinal cord compared to that in the young adult dogs. These increased levels of AANAT and MT2 immunoreactivity in aged spinal cord might be a feature of normal aging and associated with a feedback mechanism that compensates for decreased production of melatonin during aging.     

Development of a multiplex PCR assay to detect Edwardsiella tarda,Streptococcus parauberis,and Streptococcus iniae in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

A multiplex PCR protocol was established to simultaneously detect major bacterial pathogens in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) including Edwardsiella (E.) tarda, Streptococcus (S.) parauberis, and S. iniae. The PCR assay was able to detect 0.01 ng of E. tarda, 0.1 ng of S. parauberis, and 1 ng of S. iniae genomic DNA. Furthermore, this technique was found to have high specificity when tested with related bacterial species. This method represents a cheaper, faster, and reliable alternative for identifying major bacterial pathogens in olive flounder, the most important farmed fish in Korea.     

Cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the dentate gyrus of high-fat diet-fed mice are increased after rosiglitazone treatment

In this study, we determined how rosiglitazone (RSG) differentially affected hippocampal neurogenesis in mice fed a low-fat diet (LFD) or high-fat diet (HFD; 60% fat). LFD and HFD were given to the mice for 8 weeks. Four weeks after initiating the LFD and HFD feeding, vehicle or RSG was administered orally once a day to both groups of mice. We measured cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus using Ki67 and doublecortin (DCX), respectively, as markers. In addition, we monitored the effects of RSG on the levels of DCX and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in hippocampal homogenates. At 8 weeks after the LFD feeding, the numbers of Ki67- and DCX-positive cells as well as hippocampal levels of DCX and BDNF were significantly decreased in the RSG-treated group compared to the vehicle-treated animals. In contrast, the numbers of Ki67- and DCX-positive cells along with hippocampal levels of DCX and BDNF in the HFD fed mice were significantly increased in the RSG-treated mice compared to the vehicle-treated group. Our data demonstrate that RSG can modulate the levels of BDNF, which could play a pivotal role in cell proliferation and neuroblast differentiation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus.     

A simplified one-step nuclear transfer procedure alters the gene expression patterns and developmental potential of cloned porcine embryos

Various somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques for mammalian species have been developed to adjust species-specific procedures to oocyte-associated differences among species. Species-specific SCNT protocols may result in different expression levels of developmentally important genes that may affect embryonic development and pregnancy. In the present study, porcine oocytes were treated with demecolcine that facilitated enucleation with protruding genetic material. Enucleation and donor cell injection were performed either simultaneously with a single pipette (simplified one-step SCNT; SONT) or separately with different pipettes (conventional two-step SCNT; CTNT) as the control procedure. After blastocysts from both groups were cultured in vitro, the expression levels of developmentally important genes (OCT4, NANOG, EOMES, CDX2, GLUT-1, PolyA, and HSP70) were analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Both the developmental rate according to blastocyst stage as well as the expression levels CDX2, EOMES, and HSP70 were elevated with SONT compared to CTNT. The genes with elevated expression are known to influence trophectoderm formation and heat stress-induced arrest. These results showed that our SONT technique improved the development of SCNT porcine embryos, and increased the expression of genes that are important for placental formation and stress-induced arrest.     

Comparison of acid-detergent lignin,alkaline-peroxide lignin,and acid-detergent insoluble ash as internal markers for predicting fecal output and digestibilily by caltie offered bermudagrass hays of varying nutrient composition

Background： The potential for acid-detergent insoluble ash （ADIA）, alkaline-peroxide lignin （APL）, and acid-detergent lignin （ADL） to predict fecal output （FO） and dry matter digestibility （DMD） by cattle offered bermudagrass [Cynodon doctylon （L） Pers.] hays of different qualities was evaluated. Eight ruminally cannulated cows （594 ± 35.5 kg） were allocated randomly to 4 hay diets： low （L）, medium low （ML）, medium high （MH）, and high （H） crude protein （CP） concentration （79, 111,131, and 164 g CP/kg on a DM basis, respectively）. Diets were offered in 3 periods with 2 diet replicates per period and were rotated across cows between periods. Cows were individually fed 20 g DM/kg of body weight in equal feedings at 08：00 and 16：00 h for a 10-d adaptation followed by a 5-d total fecal collection. Actual DM intake （DMI）, DMD, and FO were determined based on hay offered, ort, and feces excreted. These components were then analyzed for ADL, APL, and ADIA concentration to determine marker recovery and marker-based estimates of FO and DMD. Results： Forage DMI was affected by diet （P = 0.02）, and DMI from MH and H was greater （P 〈 0.05） than from L. Apparent DMD tended （P = 0.08） to differ among diets while FO （P = 0.20） was not affected by diet treatments. Average ADL recovery （1.16） was greater （P 〈 0.05） than that of ADIA （1.03） and APL （1.06）, but ADIA and APL did not differ （P = 0.42）. Estimates of FO and DMD derived using APL and ADIA were not different （P≥0.05） from total fecal collection while those using ADL differed （P 〈 0.05）. There was no diet by marker interaction （P≥ 0.22） for either FO or DMD. Conclusion： Acid-detergent insoluble ash and APL accurately predicted FO and DMD of cattle fed bermudagrass hay of varying nutrient composition. These internal markers may facilitate studies involving large numbers of animals and forages. Results from such studies may be used to develop improve