Uterine Leiomyoma in a Spayed Poodle Bitch: A Case Report

A 16‐year‐old, spayed, female poodle dog was presented for evaluation of tenesmus, with the ability to attract male dogs and a willingness to mate. The dog had undergone an ovariohysterectomy when it was 7 years old. Haematological and serum biochemistry analyses demonstrated leucocytosis and a mild uraemia. A vaginal smear was predominantly made up of superficial cells, accounting for at least 80% of the cells. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a heterogeneous multicystic mass at the caudal abdomen and two masses with anechoic areas adjacent to the caudal pole of each kidney. A midline exploratory laparotomy identified a uterine mass and residual ovaries that were surgically excised. Histopathological examination of the mass demonstrated that it was a leiomyoma. The left ovary had a cystic structure and the right ovary had a papillary cystic adenoma. Seven months after the surgery, the owner reported that the dog was clinically normal. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of a uterine leiomyoma after an incomplete ovariohysterectomy in the dog.     

Effect of residual sodium carbonate in irrigation water on the soil sodication and yield of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinni) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus)

The effects of residual sodium carbonate (RSC) in irrigation water on soil sodication and yield and cation composition of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii Roxb. Wats) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus Steud Wats) were studied in the open bottom reinforced concrete cemented (RCC) cylindrical barrels embedded in the field and filled with sandy loam soils. The results indicated that the increasing RSC in irrigation water significantly increased the pH, electrolyte conductivity (ECe) and SARe of the soil and, hence, considerably decreased the herb and oil yield of both the palmarosa and lemongrass. The reduction in total herb yield was 14.5, 18.3, 28.8 and 32.0% in palmarosa and 38.6, 46.0, 57.7 and 62.6% in the lemongrass over control at 4.0, 8.0, 12.0 and 16.0 meq/l of RSC, respectively. The total oil yield of palmarosa increased by 22.6% with the increase in RSC from 2.0 (control) to 4.0 meq/l and further increase in RSC decreased the oil yield by 13.0, 22.4 and 22.9% over control at 8,12 and 16 meq/l of RSC, respectively. The total oil yield of lemongrass was decreased by 27.0, 39.4, 47.7 and 50.8% over control at 4, 8, 12 and 16 meq/l, respectively. The concentration of Na increased significantly and K and Ca decreased with increase in RSC of irrigation water in vegetative tissues of both species. The lemongrass accumulates significantly greater amount of Na in shoot tissues as compared to palmarosa and it failed to survive at high RSC after 21 months of transplanting. The results suggests that palmarosa is more tolerant to irrigation water sodicity than the lemongrass.     

Molecular and biological characterization of a naturally occurring recombinant subgroup B avian leukosis virus with a subgroup J-like long terminal repeat

Infection of broiler chickens with subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV) results in the induction of myeloid tumors. However, although egg-type chickens are susceptible to infection with ALV-J, the tumor incidence is very low, and on rare occasions the tumors observed are of the myeloid lineage. We recently described the isolation of an ALV (AF115-4) from commercial egg-type chickens suffering from myeloid leukosis. AF115-4 was initially identified as an ALV-J isolate based on PCR analysis of the long terminal repeat (LTR). However, further characterization of the viral envelope indicated that the virus is recombinant with subgroups B envelope and J LTR. Here we further characterize this recombinant virus at both the molecular and biological levels. We show that the AF115-4 isolate expresses a recombinant envelope glycoprotein encoded by a subgroup B gp85 region and a subgroup E gp37 region. The host range ofAF115-4 was analyzed using cells resistant to infection by subgroups A/B, J, or E; this shows that no ALV-J was present in the isolates obtained from the affected chickens. Additional antigenic characterization of AF115-4 using chicken sera specific for subgroups B or J indicated that no ALV-J was present in the samples examined. Inoculation of AF 115-4 into ALV-susceptible 1515 X 71 chickens resulted in the induction of lymphoid leukosis but not the expected myeloid leukosis affecting the commercial chickens. These results suggest that differences in the genetic makeup of the chickens from which AF115-4 was isolated and the line 1515 X 71 used in the present experiments may be responsible for the observed differences in pathogenicity. In addition, the results suggest that ALV-J continues to evolve by recombination, generating new viruses with different pathological properties.