Pinpointing the candidate region for muscular dystrophy in chickens with an abnormal muscle gene

Muscular dystrophies, a group of inherited diseases with the progressive weakness and degeneration of skeletal muscle, contain genetically variable diseases. Though chicken muscular dystrophy with abnormal muscle (AM) has long been known, the gene responsible has not yet been identified. In this study, a resource family for AM was established with 487 F2 individuals and 22 gene markers, including microsatellite and insertion–deletion markers, were developed. The haplotypes were analyzed with these markers for the candidate region of GGA2q described in a previous study. The candidate region was successfully narrowed down to approximately 1Mbp. The region included seven functional genes predicted as the most likely AM candidates.     

Contraceptive effect of a gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine on a captive female African Lion (Panthera leo): a case study

Lions (Panthera leo) breed well under captivity, so contraception has been commonly conducted for population management, leading to a demand for a less invasive and reversible contraceptive approach in lions. In this study, we examined the efficacy of a commercial gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccine as a method of suppressing reproductive activity in a sexually matured female lion. Under behavioral restraint, the vaccine was injected twice (days 0 and 109). After the initial vaccination, ovarian activity is still observed. After the second vaccination, contraceptive effect was confirmed for 246 days until restart of estrous cycles. We confirmed only a slight swelling around the injection site after the second vaccination. This study may suggest an alternative option for a contraceptive method in lions.     

Efficacy of chemotherapy and palliative hypofractionated radiotherapy for cats with nasal lymphoma

Nasal lymphoma (NL) is the most common nasal tumor in cats, and radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of these treatments have been described as the treatment for this disease. However, the previous studies included various machines and protocols of radiotherapy. Therefore, we aimed to retrospectively compare the prognosis among cases treated with palliative hypofractionated radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and a combination of them with united machine and protocol of radiotherapy. When compared overall survival and progression free survival, there was no significant difference among these three groups. The data of this study suggested that similar efficacy could be achieved by palliative hypofractionated radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or a combination of them.     

Relationships of survival time, productivity and cause of death with telomere lengths of cows produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer

The reproductive ability, milk-producing capacity, survival time and relationships of these parameters with telomere length were investigated in 4 groups of cows produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Each group was produced using the same donor cells (6 Holstein (1H), 3 Holstein (2H), 4 Jersey (1J) and 5 Japanese Black (1B) cows). As controls, 47 Holstein cows produced by artificial insemination were used. The SCNT cows were artificially inseminated, and multiple deliveries were performed after successive rounds of breeding and conception. No correlation was observed between the telomere length and survival time in the SCNT cows. Causes of death of SCNT cows included accidents, accident-associated infections, inappropriate management, acute mastitis and hypocalcemia. The lifetime productivity of SCNT cows was superior to those of the controls and cell donor cows. All SCNT beef cows with a relatively light burden of lactation remained alive and showed significantly prolonged survival time compared with the cows in the SCNT dairy breeds. These results suggest that the lifetime productivity of SCNT cows was favorable, and their survival time was more strongly influenced by environmental burdens, such as pregnancy, delivery, lactation and feeding management, than by the telomere length.     

Cutaneous lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma with systemic metastasis in a cat

A lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma was diagnosed in a 12- year-old domestic cat that had a primary cutaneous mass involving the stomach, liver, kidneys, heart, abdominal wall, diaphragm, bone marrow and several lymph nodes. Histopathologically, the most characteristic feature of this tumor was the heterogeneity of cell components, such as small lymphocytes, well-differentiated plasma cells and plasmacytoid transformed lymphocytes. Amyloid was deposited in the skin, stomach, and several lymph nodes. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic small lymphocytes were positive for CD20, and well-differentiated plasma cells and plasmacytoid transformed lymphocytes were positive for λ-Ig light chains and MUM1/IRF-4. These results emphasize the importance of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma as a differential diagnosis of extramedullary cutaneous plasmacytoma in cats.     

Mycobacterium ulcerans infection in an Indian flap-shelled turtle (Lissemys punctata punctata)

We report an atypical mycobacterial infection in an Indian flap-shelled turtle, Lissemys punctata punctata, that died in an aquarium in Japan. At necropsy, the turtle showed multiple white nodules on the capsular surface and parenchyma of various organs such as the liver, spleen, intestine, and lung. Histologically, granulomatous inflammation surrounding a central zone of necrosis was observed. Sections stained by the Ziehl-Neelsen method revealed numerous acid-fast bacilli in the cytoplasm of macrophages and in the central area of necrosis. The organisms were identified as a mycobacterial species by PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis and revealed 98-100% homology to M. ulcerans. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of mycobacteriosis due to M. ulcerans in a turtle.     

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy coincided with the cardiac fibrosis in the inner muscle layer of the left ventricular wall in a boxer dog

A 7-year-old female boxer dog died suddenly without any clinical signs. It was suspected that the dog had arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) due to ventricular premature complexes and ventricular tachycardia at 3 years of age. The final diagnosis of ARVC was confirmed by histological characteristics, such as loss of cardiocytes and fibrofatty replacement, occurring in the right and left ventricular walls. In the cardiocytes, non-lipid vacuoles were observed. Cardiac fibrosis and intimal thickening of the small arteries occurred without fatty replacement in the inner muscle layer including the papillary muscles of the left ventricular wall. This paper describes the pathomorphological details of an ARVC case with coincidental cardiac fibrosis in the inner muscle layer of the left ventricular wall.