Detection of Feline leukemia virus in the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus).

Feline retroviruses are rarely reported in lynx species. Twenty-one Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) blood and tissue samples collected from Do?ana National Park and Los Villares (Sierra Morena) in southern Spain during 1993-2003 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction to amplify nucleic acids from feline retroviruses. Six samples were positive for Feline leukemia virus (FeLV), but no samples tested positive for Feline immunodeficiency virus. The BLAST analysis indicated that 5 of the 6 sequences were closely related to FeLV strain Rickard subgroup A, whereas 1 sequence was identical to FeLV. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of FeLV in the endangered Iberian lynx.     

Delayed primary surgical treatment in a dog with a persistent right aortic arch

A 5-year-old, 1.36-kg, neutered male Yorkshire terrier was referred for evaluation of a persistent right aortic arch with concurrent megaesophagus. The dog was 3 months old when clinical signs were first noted, 2 years of age when diagnosed with megaesophagus, and 4 years of age when diagnosed with vascular ring anomaly (VRA). Surgical correction of the VRA was performed when the dog was 5 years of age, after gastrostomy tube feeding for 1 year to maintain nutritional requirements and mitigate the degree and duration of the esophageal distention. Thirteen months after surgery, the dog was eating soft dog food with no vomiting or regurgitation.     

Sedative effects of intramuscular alfaxalone in pet guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus)

Objective

To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of alfaxalone administered intramuscularly (IM) as a sedative agent in guinea pigs undergoing survey radiographs.

Detection and phylogenetic characterization of astroviruses in insectivorous bats from Central‐Southern Italy

In recent years, bats have been found to harbour many viruses, raising several questions about their role as reservoirs and potential disseminators of zoonotic viruses. We investigated the presence of six virus families in bats in three regions of Central‐Southern Italy. Astroviruses were identified in seven of 13 bat species. Sequence analysis revealed marked genetic heterogeneity among the astroviruses identified, with nucleotide identity ranging between 60.26% and 87.62%. Astrovirus diversity was not associated with the bat species, the geographic areas or the bat colony, suggesting the circulation of several astrovirus strains in Italian ecosystems. Genetic diversification and interspecies transmission appear common in bat astroviruses and could provide, potentially, the bases for transmission to humans and other mammals. Yet overemphasizing this risk might have detrimental consequences for bat conservation and preservation of the important ecosystem services bats provide.     

Metastasising Granulosa Cell Tumour of the Testis: A Case Report in the Dog

Veterinary Research Communications -     

Equine Testicular Lesions Related to Invasion by Nematodes

Nematodes of the genuses Strongylus and Setaria are able to erratically migrate to the equine testis and provoke characteristic inflammatory changes. Moreover, the presence of living parasites in scrotal testes is a scarce finding in which only the tracts and related lesions may be observed. In a 20-year experience of equine testes observed in abattoirs, 13 cases of atypical inflammatory lesions in scrotal testes were collected. On opening of the vaginal cavity, hydrocele was consistantly observed, and the Morgagni's appendix was enlarged, prominent, and reddish. Large, elongated, or irregular prominent red to yellow areas were visible on the testicular or epididymal serosa. Edematous enlargement of the epididymal head or tail was occasionally observed. In two cases, the described lesions were detected together with nematodes of the species Setaria equina, free and viable or encapsulated in the visceral and parietal layers of the tunica vaginalis, confirming the hypothesized cause. Histologically, the serosal lesions were interpreted as parasitic tracts, characterized by hemorrhage and leukocyte infiltrates in recent lesions or by granulation tissue with numerous macrophages in elderly ones. In the latter, areas of squamous metaplasia could be observed in the appendix testis and in the epididymal duct. Associated microscopic lesions included diffuse periorchitis, lymphocytic interstitial orchitis with mild to severe degeneration of seminiferous tubules, and vasculitis, epididymitis, and sperm granuloma.