Obstructive renal cyst in a dog: ultrasonography-guided treatment using puncture aspiration and injection with 95% ethanol

A 12-year-old, intact male, mixed-breed dog was evaluated after surgical removal of a mast cell tumor from the shoulder. Results of laboratory tests were within the reference ranges, but examination of urinary sediment identified epithelial cells of the upper urinary tract and microscopic hematuria. Abdominal ultrasound examination performed after a 12-hour fast identified a simple cyst in the left kidney. The cyst was approximately 26 mm in diameter, was anechoic, and had a thin, slightly hyperechoic wall with distal acoustic enhancement accompanied by dilatation of the caudal papillary duct and renal pelvis (Fig 1). Excretory urography with iopamidol^a contrast (800 mg/kg IV) confirmed the presence of dilatation of the left renal pelvis and collecting system (Fig 2).     

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) for the serodiagnosis of canine dermatophytosis caused by Microsporum canis

Abstract In dogs, dermatophytosis should be considered in any case of alopecic, papular or pustular lesion. The aim of this study was to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) as an aid in the diagnosis of canine dermatophytosis. The antigen used was a whole fungal extract obtained from an isolate of Microsporum canis cultured on a liquid medium from the parasitized hair of a cat with patches of alopecia. To assess the ELISA performances, sera from 18 dogs with dermatophytosis caused by M. canis (group A, n = 18), 20 dogs with skin diseases other than dermatophytosis and 22 healthy dogs (group B, n = 42) were tested. Four further animals were tested: three with dermatophytosis caused by M. gypseum and one by T. mentagrophytes. A significant difference (P < 0.01, Wilcoxon's test, w = 364) was found between IgG-specific levels of sera of recently M. canis-infected dogs (infection < 15 days) and controls (although three dogs had negative titres at this stage). A highly significant difference (P < 0.001, w = 462) was noted between controls and dogs with infection of longer duration (> 30 days). All dogs had positive titres at this stage. A highly significant correlation (P < 0.001, Spearman's test, rho = 0.86) between duration of infection and IgG concentration was noted. The test has good sensitivity (83.3%) and high specificity (95.2%) but some dogs retained positive titres after elimination of infection. The sensitivity is higher than that of direct microscopic hair examination and similar to that of fungal culture with DTM (dermatophyte test medium).     

Primary hyperaldosteronism in the cat: a series of 13 cases

Thirteen cases of feline primary hyperaldosteronism were diagnosed based on clinical signs, serum biochemistry, plasma aldosterone concentration, adrenal imaging and histopathology of adrenal tissue. Two cases presented with blindness caused by systemic hypertension, whilst the remaining 11 cases showed weakness resulting from hypokalaemic polymyopathy. Elevated concentrations of plasma aldosterone and adrenocortical neoplasia were documented in all cases. Seven cases had adrenal adenomas (unilateral in five and bilateral in two) and six had unilateral adrenal carcinomas. Three cases underwent medical treatment only with amlodipine, spironolactone and potassium gluconate; two cases survived for 304 and 984 days until they were euthanased because of chronic renal failure, whilst the third case was euthanased at 50 days following failure of the owner to medicate the cat. Ten cases underwent surgical adrenalectomy following a successful stabilisation period on medical management. Five cases remain alive at the time of writing with follow-up periods of between 240 and 1803 days. Three cases were euthanased during or immediately following surgery because of surgical-induced haemorrhage. One cat was euthanased 14 days after surgery because of generalised sepsis, whilst the remaining cat was euthanased 1045 days after surgery because of anorexia and the development of a cranial abdominal mass. It is recommended that primary hyperaldosteronism should be considered as a differential diagnosis in middle-aged and older cats with hypokalaemic polymyopathy and/or systemic hypertension and should no longer be considered a rare condition.     

Sphaerospora dicentrarchi and S. testicularis (Myxozoa: Sphaerosporidae) in farmed European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) from Italy

The distribution of Sphaerospora dicentrarchi Sitjà-Bobadilla et Alvarez-Pellitero, 1992 and S. testicularis Sitjà-Bobadilla et Alvarez-Pellitero, 1990, myxozoan parasites of European seabass Dicentrarchus labrax (L.), was investigated in different farming systems in Italy. In total, 1406 fish were examined. High S. dicentrarchi prevalence was observed in all the farming systems involved in this survey (extensive farms: 51.5%; intensive farms: inland 59.6%, inshore floating cages 76.2%, offshore floating cages 41.6%) except for submersible cages (7.4%). S. testicularis was detected only in nine male fish from two intensive farms. The epidemiology and pathological effects of the parasites are discussed.     

Proliferative renal myxosporidiosis in spawning coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in British Columbia and Washington

An unidentified myxosporean parasite (CKX) is described from the kidney of approximately 80% of spawning coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum) in British Columbia, Canada and Washington, United States of America. Morphological features were described using light and electron microscopy. Sequencing of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified 18S ribosomal RNA gene and in situ hybridisation were used to further characterise CKX. The parasite occurred with a focal distribution within tubule epithelial cells, the tubule lumen and the interstitium as primary cells containing from one to at least 16 secondary cells. Luminal stages were degenerate and sporogony was not observed. In situ hybridisation using a digoxygenin-labelled DNA probe confirmed CKX to be the source of DNA used in PCR analyses. CKX 18S rDNA sequences were most similar (97%) to those of Sphaerospora oncorhynchi. Phylogenetic analysis revealed similarities among the 18S rDNA sequences of CKX, S. oncorhynchi and Myxidium lieberkuehni. CKX is hypothesised to be the abortive extrasporogonic development of a Sphaerospora sp. or Myxidium sp. occurring in immune-incompetent spawning and senescent salmon.     

Spatial risk assessment of herd sero-status of Aujeszky's disease in a county in Hungary

A Geographic Information System (VetEpiGIS) was used to analyze the ADV (Aujeszky's disease virus) sero-status in large-scale pig units regarding certain geographical features in a county of southern Hungary. The ADV sero-statuses were collected from all swine units in Csongrád county in 1998-2000. The units' coordinates were combined with a vector graphical digital map of the county, with a resolution of 1:100,000. Logistic regression tested the associations between sero-status of large-scale units and presence of topographical features, other units and villages in the neighborhood. "Neighborhood" was defined by circular zones with radius 1-10km around the unit (in 1km increments; one logistic regression for each radius). The following topographical features showed significant positive association with the ADV seropositivity: lake (3km OR: 5.7; 5km OR: 7.5; 6km OR: 6.1; 10km OR: 5.4) and highway (5km OR: 4.2; 6km OR: 5.3). Other features had negative association with ADV seropositivity: forest (3km OR: 0.13; 4km OR: 0.15; 5km OR: 0.15; 6km OR: 0.10; 7km OR: 0.10; 8km OR: 0.23) and uninfected large-scale unit (4km OR: 0.07; 5km OR: 0.27; 6km OR: 0.32; 7km OR: 0.31).     

Analysis of differential protein expression in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae by Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption Ionisation--ProteinChip (SELDI) technology

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) is the aetiological agent of porcine pleuropneumonia. An increased understanding of its molecular basis of pathogenicity and vaccine development will be facilitated by the availability of sequence data from a complete genome which, by analogy to other bacteria, is predicted to encode many proteins in the molecular mass range 3-20kDa. However, conventional techniques to study bacterial protein expression, such as SDS-PAGE and 2-dimensional electrophoresis, typically focus on the 15-200kDa range. In this study we have evaluated Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption Ionisation-ProteinChip (SELDI) technology for the analysis of protein expression, in particular those of <20kDa, of APP grown under different environmental conditions. Cytoplasmic/periplasmic and outer membrane protein fractions were obtained from the APP wildtype serotype 1 strain 4074 grown in Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth (+different concentrations of NAD), BHI containing pig serum or defined medium. Optimum conditions for SELDI profiles included a sample size of 1 microg and the use of sinapinic acid as the energy absorbing matrix. In the <20kDa range, the SELDI profiles obtained from wild-type bacteria grown in rich medium plus 33-66% pig serum were most similar to those grown in defined medium. The SELDI profiles of extracts of the wild-type and of an rpoE mutant were similar although there were clear differences. The results suggest that SELDI is a useful complementary approach to conventional proteomic analytical methods with APP, and presumably other bacterial pathogens, being particularly suited for analysis of proteins in the <20kDa mass range.     

Selection of enterococci for potential canine probiotic additives

Enterococci are important inhabitants of animal intestine and are widely used in probiotic products. A potentially successful probiotic strain is expected to have several desirable properties in order to be able to exert its beneficial effects. Forty enterococcal isolates from dog faeces were tested for characters believed to be important for probiotic strains; bacteriocin production, resistance or tolerance to antibiotics, low pH, bile tolerance and adhesive activity. The total count of enterococci was found to be 3.3-7.3log(10)CFU/g of faeces. Most identified strains were Enterococcus faecium. All strains were sensitive to vancomycin, ampicillin, penicillin and chloramphenicol. Thirty-three percentage of strains were resistant to erythromycin and 28% to tetracycline. Among 40 isolates, 75% showed a broad inhibitory spectrum only against Gram-positive indicator bacteria. Seven strains with broad bacteriocin activity were selected for further assays. In the presence of 1% bile, the survival rate of selected strains ranged between 72 and 98%. Survival of strains at pH 3.0 was found in the range between 76 and 87% after 3h. The adhesion of the tested strains to intestinal mucus ranged from 4 to 11% for canine mucus and from 5 to 8% for human mucus. E. faecalis EE4 and E. faecium EF01 showed the best probiotic properties. It indicates that they could be used as new candidate probiotic strains after in vivo testing.