A case of hypercalcemia in a heifer presumably due to mammary carcinoma bovine hypercalcemia of malignancy

Mammary carcinoma is rare in cattle with only a handful of cases found in the literature, and none have reported an associated hypercalcemia. An 8‐year‐old Holstein‐Friesian heifer was presented to the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital's Large Animal Hospital with a 3‐month history of lethargy. Laboratory abnormalities included ionized hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia (2.28 mmol/L and 1.8 mg/dL, respectively). Physical examination revealed a mammary mass that was cytologically described as a suspected mammary carcinoma, which was later confirmed by histologic evaluation. On surgical removal of the mass, calcium initially decreased rapidly, and within a few days was within the RI, further supporting a diagnosis of hypercalcemia of malignancy in a heifer. However, attempts to confirm this using hormone profiles (parathyroid hormone [PTH], parathyroid hormone‐related protein [PTHrp], and calcitriol) were inconclusive due to the lack of validated assays and RIs for cattle. Immunohistochemical staining for PTHrP showed scattered cytoplasmic staining among the neoplastic cells, suggesting PTHrP production by these cells.     

Genotyping of groups of cows to improve genomic breeding values of new traits

Genotyping females and including them into the reference set for genomic predictions in dairy cattle is considered to provide gains in reliabilities of estimated breeding values for selection candidates. This should especially be true for low heritability traits. By the use of simulation, we extended a genomic reference set for an existing trait by including a fixed number of genotyped first‐crop daughters for one or two generations of reference sires. Moreover, we calculated results for the effects of a similar strategy in a situation where for a new trait the recording of phenotypes has recently started. For this case, we compared the effect of two different genotyping strategies: first, to phenotype cows but to genotype their sires only, and second, to collect phenotypes and genotypes on the same cows. We studied the effects on validation reliabilities and unbiasedness of predicted values for selection candidates. We found that by extending the reference set with genotyped daughters it is possible to increase the validation reliability of genomic breeding values. In the case of a new trait, it is always better to collect and use genotypes and phenotypes on the same animals instead of using only sire genotypes. We found that the benefits that can be achieved are sensitive to the sampling strategy used when selecting females for genotyping.     

Ultrasonography of a ureteral and bladder fungal granuloma caused by Scedosporium apiospermum in a basset hound

A 5‐year‐old, spayed female, Basset Hound was referred for evaluation of a urinary bladder mass. Ultrasonographic images revealed a large, inhomogeneous, hypoechoic mass associated with the dorsal wall of the neck of the urinary bladder and left ureter. Partial cystectomy and left ureteral reimplantation were performed. Histopathology showed a severe inflammatory mass lesion forming multiple granulomas. A DNA sequencing test revealed Scedosporium apiospermum as the causative agent. Susceptibility tests on the isolated strain indicated susceptibility to voriconazole. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report describing S. apiospermum as a cause of granulomas involving the canine ureterovesicular junction.     

Parachlamydia acanthamoebae in domestic cats with and without corneal disease

Corneal samples of cats with and without corneal diseases were screened with a pan‐Chlamydiales PCR and specific PCRs for Parachlamydia, Protochlamydia, Chlamydophila felis, Acanthamoeba and feline herpesviruses (FHV‐1). Several corneal samples tested positive for Parachlamydia and related Chlamydiales, indicating cat exposure to these intracellular bacteria.     

Impact of Climate Change on the Phenological Development of Winter Wheat,Sugar Beet and Winter Oilseed Rape in Lower Saxony,Germany

Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection - There is a general agreement that climate change, in the medium and long term perspective, may affect agricultural crops. As part of the KLIFF project...     

Distribution of pathotypes with regard to host cultivars in French wheat leaf rust populations

ABSTRACT Isolates of wheat leaf rust collected from durum and bread wheat cultivars in France during 1999-2002 were analyzed for virulence on 18 Thatcher lines with single genes for leaf rust resistance (Lr genes). Sampling focused on the five most widely grown bread wheat cultivars (two susceptible and three resistant) to allow statistical comparison of diversity indexes between the cultivars. Leaf rust populations from durum and bread wheats were different. The diversity of the bread wheat leaf rust pathotypes, as measured by the Shannon index, ranged from 2.43 to 2.76 over the 4 years. Diversity for wheat leaf rust resistance was limited in the host since we postulated only seven seedling resistance genes in the 35 cultivars most widely grown during 1999-2002. Leaf rust populations were strongly differentiated for virulence within bread wheat cultivars, and diversity was higher on those that were resistant, mainly due to a more even distribution of virulence phenotypes than on susceptible cultivars. The pathogen population on the susceptible cv. Soissons was largely dominated by a single pathotype (073100), whereas all other pathotypes virulent on cv. Soissons either decreased in frequency or remained at a low frequency during the period studied. Several pathotypes including the most complex one were found only on resistant cultivars, even though most of them were virulent on the susceptible cv. Soissons. Specific interactions were necessary, but not always sufficient, to account for pathotype distribution and frequencies on the cultivars, suggesting that selection for virulence to host resistance genes is balanced by other selective forces including selection for aggressiveness.     

Occurrence of the microsporidian parasite Nucleospora salmonis in four species of salmonids from the Massif Central of France

Nucleospora salmonis (Hedrick, Groff et Baxa, 1991), an intranuclear microsporidian parasite of marine and freshwater fish, causes diseases mainly in salmonid species. Losses have been reported in stocks of salmonid fish reared in the region of Auvergne (France). The cause of chronic mortalities in the local host species raised in aquaculture and destined for supplementation of the river system Loire-Allier was examined. The presence of N. salmonis was confirmed by PCR and histology in Salmo salar L. previously and in newly investigated salmonid species, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta fario L., Thymallus thymallus (L.) and Salvelinus alpinus (L.), present in European streams. The infection by N. salmonis was consistent in all cases with characteristic symptoms of the disease in deceased or moribund fish. The small subunit ribosomal DNA from N. salmonis was partially sequenced and compared to previously characterised N. salmonis isolates. As a result, a genotype, or clonal entity, was attributed to N. salmonis among Atlantic salmon found along the Northern Atlantic coastal lines and other salmonid species co-inhabiting or co-cultivated in the Auvergne region.