Amputation for histiocytic sarcoma in a cat

A 9-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat presented with a skin lesion of the left tarsus. The lesion was biopsied and, based on the microscopic appearance and immunohistochemical characteristics, histiocytic sarcoma was diagnosed. Amputation was performed with improved demeanor seen postoperatively. However, between 44 and 60 days following the surgery, relapse of skin lesions appeared in multiple locations, including at the previous amputation site, and euthanasia was elected. This is the first report of a histiocytic sarcoma treated with amputation in a cat.     

Segmentation of the Pathophysiological Stages of Diabetic Changes in the db/db Mouse

The db/db mouse is one of the diabetes mellitus animal models and if the pathophysiological stages of diabetic changes in the mouse model could simulate the stages in human diabetes, the db/db mouse could be used to better evaluate drug candidates. Blood insulin, HbA1c levels and morphological features of pancreatic islets in db/db mice were evaluated to determine the pathophysiological stage. At 6 weeks of age, db/db mice showed the highest level of plasma insulin and lowest level of HbA1c, and histopathological examination revealed enlarged islets with a circular shape and hypertrophic islet cells. By 9 and 12 weeks of age, the plasma insulin levels had decreased to mid levels and HbA1c had increased to mid to high levels; histopathological examination at this time revealed two types of islets coexisting, enlarged circular islets and small irregular-shaped islets. By 15 and 22 weeks of age, plasma insulin had decreased further to low levels and HbA1c was at its highest level; the histopathological examination at this time revealed an increase in irregular-shaped and small islets. Based on blood insulin levels, HbA1c levels and histopathology findings in the db/db mice in this study, the clinical staging of diabetic changes were recognized. The pathophysiological stages of diabetes mellitus in this animal model were similar to the stages in humans.     

Characterization of interactions between barley and various host-specific subgroups of Magnaporthe oryzae and M. grisea

The Magnaporthe oryzae–M. grisea species complex is composed of several host-specific subgroups, but does not contain a barley-specific subgroup. To characterize the relationship between barley and these subgroups, we inoculated 24 barley cultivars separately with each of 18 isolates from various hosts. The interactions between these cultivars and isolates included various reactions from nonhost-like immune responses to typical host responses. Evenly closely related isolates of the blast fungi caused such contrasting reactions. The immune responses of barley cultivars against a Setaria isolate, Si-1J, were examined in detail. An infection assay with near-isogenic fungal strains suggested that PWT1, which was first identified as a major gene conditioning the avirulence of Si-1J on wheat, was involved in the avirulence on two-thirds of the barley cultivars. At the cytological level, the immune responses were associated with both papilla formation and hypersensitive reaction (HR). Of these two, however, HR played a more critical role than papilla formation. Studying the interactions of barley with M. oryzae and M. grisea may reveal various steps in the process of host specialization of a parasite species and the concomitant evolution of host resistance.     

Cerebrospinal fluid S-100B concentrations in normal and diseased cattle

We measured the concentrations of S-100B, a marker protein used in humans to detect brain damage, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of clinically normal cattle (n=15, mean age +/- SD: 31.8 +/- 37.5 months) and of cattle with various inflammatory disorders (n=43, 70.6 +/- 31.9 months). The mean +/- SD CSF S-100B level was 2.9 +/- 1.6 ng/ml in the normal group and 7.0 +/- 7.4 ng/ml in the diseased group. Thirteen diseased cattle that had developed no obvious neurological signs showed abnormally high S-100B concentrations (> 8.0 ng/ml), whereas the two cattle with neurological disorders did not. No particular disease could be related to the S-100B rise. Therefore, it remains inconclusive whether measurement of CSF S-100B concentration is useful in veterinary neurological diagnosis.     

Japanese black cattle with ateliosis showed lower insulin responses during glucose tolerance test

In order to determine insulin secretability and glucose utilization, a glucose tolerance test was performed in ateliotic cattle of 2 paternal strains; MHO and HSK cattle. MHO and HSK cattle showed different endocrine patterns in our previous study. Area under the insulin concentration curves (insulin-AUC) in the ateliotic cattle were significantly lower (122.3 +/- 59.4 ng.min/ml and 99.2 +/- 24.8 ng.min/ml for MHO and HSK cattle, respectively) than the control cattle (420.2 +/- 175.2 ng.min/ml). These low insulin responses to GTT may have an influence on growth retardation in MHO and HSK cattle.     

Cloning and expression of canine interferon-alpha genes in Escherichia coli

We cloned five new subtypes of cDNA encoding canine interferon-alpha (CaIFN-alpha) from a canine epithelial cell line. CaIFN-alphas were divided into two groups by amino acid sequences and a molecular phylogenic tree. Two subtypes of them were expressed in Escherichia coli, and IFN proteins were purified. Recombinant CaIFN-alphas were highly species-specific and showed antiviral activity against Vesicular stomatitis New Jersey virus and canine adenovirus-1 , but not against canine herpesvirus-1.     

Dirofilaria immitis infection of a snow leopard (Uncia uncia) in a Japanese zoo with mitochondrial DNA analysis

Three dog heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) were detected in the lumen of the right cardiac ventriculus and of the pulmonary artery of a captive female snow leopard (Uncia uncia) that died of pancreatic carcinoma at a zoo in Japan. Neither clinical respiratory nor circulatory symptoms caused by the heartworm infection were observed. The filarial worms were identified as D. immitis from the morphologic characteristics of the esophagus, the presence of faint longitudinal ridges on the cuticular surface, the situation of vulva posterior to the esophagus, and the measurements of the body. The heartworms from the snow leopard were identical to that of D. immitis from dogs in the sequence of the cytochrome oxidase I region in the mitochondrial DNA. This host record is the first of D. immitis in U. uncia.     

Redescription of Pterygodermatites (Mesopectines) nycticebi (Mönnig, 1920) (Nematoda: Rictulariidae), a parasite of slow loris Nycticebus coucang (Mammalia: Primates)

Pterygodermaties (Mesopectines) nycticebi (M?nnig, 1920) (Nematoda: Spirurida: Rictulariidae) is redescribed based on immature and mature adults collected from the stomach and small intestine at autopsy of a slow loris, Nycticebus coucang (Boddaert, 1785) (Mammalia: Primates), in a zoological garden in Japan. It is first demonstrated that male possesses a minute telamon and a left lateral pore in the preanal part of body. The cause of death of the slow loris is strongly surmised to be related to the nematode infection, which was apparently acquired under captivity in the zoological garden.     

Prevalence of blood parasites in Japanese wild birds

The prevalence of blood parasites was investigated in 701 Japanese wild birds for 13 years from January, 1988 to March, 2001. Most of the injured or sick birds were caught in the suburbs of Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture and brought to the zoo for clinical care. Among all the birds examined, 10.6% were infected with hematozoa belonging to three genera as Plasmodium (1.7% of the samples), Haemoproteus (5.1% of the samples) and Leucocytozoon (4.6% of the samples), and two birds (0.29% of the samples), a Japanese grosbeak (Coccothraustes personatus) and a dusky thrush (Turdus naumanni), were infected with microfilariae. Mixed infection with Leucocytozoon sp. and Haemoproteus sp. was observed in 6 individuals of 4 species and that with Leucocytozoon sp. and microfilariae was observed in 2 individuals of 2 species of bird. Relatively high positive rates were 75%(3/4) in the scops owl (Otus scops), 71.4% (10/14) in the ural owl (Strix uralensis), 57.7% (15/26) in the jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchos), 57.1% (4/7) in the black-tailed gull (Larus crassirostris), 55.6% (5/9) in the brown hawk owl (Ninox scutulata), 41% (16/39) in the carrion crow (Corvus corone) and 24.1% (7/29) in the night heron (Nycticorax nicticorax).