Thrombi in the trachea of a dog secondary to placement of a tracheotomy tube

CASE DESCRIPTION: A 7-year-old Spaniel-crossbreed dog was evaluated for stertorous breathing and inspiratory stridor. CLINICAL FINDINGS: A temporary tracheotomy tube was placed prior to referral. Results of physical examination at our facility, including thoracic auscultation, were unremarkable. Examination of the larynx revealed a 2 x 2-cm nodular mass on the lateral aspect of the epiglottis and left arytenoid cartilage. Cytologic examination of the mass indicated septic suppurative inflammation and intracellular rod-shaped bacteria. During the procedures, decreased air movement through the temporary tracheotomy tube was detected, and the tube was replaced. A thrombus was found on the distal end of the temporary tracheotomy tube; the thrombus obstructed 90% of the tube lumen. Approximately 12 hours later, auscultation revealed decreased sounds in all lung fields. Cervical and thoracic radiography revealed an intraluminal soft tissue opacity distal to the tracheotomy tube. A thrombus that contained hair and plant material was removed from the trachea by use of an embolectomy catheter and videogastroscope. Approximately 30 hours after removal of the initial thrombus, the dog had an episode of respiratory distress. Cervical radiography revealed another intraluminal opacity. It was another thrombus, which also was removed by use of the videogastroscope. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Tracheoscopy was performed with a videogastroscope in an attempt to remove the thrombi. A Fogarty catheter was used to remove the initial intraluminal thrombus from the trachea. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Airway obstruction resulting from an intraluminal thrombus in the trachea should be considered as a secondary complication after tracheotomy tube placement.     

Hypercalcemia associated with gastric pythiosis in a dog

A 20-month-old castrated male Labrador Retriever with a 3-month history of anorexia, weight loss, and vomiting was evaluated. Plasma biochemical abnormalities included marked hyperglobulinemia and hypercalcemia. Serum levels of parathyroid hormone, parathyroid hormone-related protein, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D were either low or within reference intervals. Gastric wall thickening and abdominal lymphadenomegaly were observed with abdominal ultrasonography. Cytologic evaluation of a sample obtained via fine-needle aspiration of the gastric wall revealed pyogranulomatous inflammation and numerous poorly stained hyphae. Partial gastrectomy was performed, and a diagnosis of gastric pythiosis was made by immunohistochemical staining of infected gastric tissue, as well as by immunoblot serology. This case demonstrates that diagnostic samples for cytologic evaluation can be obtained by fine-needle aspiration of Pythium insidiosum-infected tissues and that a presumptive diagnosis can be made by examination of a Romanowsky-stained smear. Furthermore, pythiosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for hypercalcemia, especially in young dogs with inflammatory lesions that have a granulomatous component. The mechanism for the hypercalcemia in this dog was not determined; however, calcium concentrations normalized after surgical resection of the gastric lesion.     

Papillary architecture of the Leopardus pardalis tongue

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a Felidae of wide geographical distribution and food flexibility; therefore, it is essential to understand the morphology of the species. Thus, we aimed to describe its lingual morphology in order to gain information regarding the anatomy of this carnivore's digestive system. The tongues ??were removed for ex situ macroscopic and morphometric analyses, as well as for light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, of fragments of the different lingual regions. The tongue of L. pardalis had an elongated form that was subdivided into the apex, body and root, in which four papillary types were observed: filiform, fungiform, circumvallate and conical. It presented with a stratified, keratinized squamous epithelium, followed by loose and dense connective tissues, as well as a skeletal striated musculature that comprised most of the organ. In addition, in scanning electron microscopy the filiform papillae showed a complex with multiple layers of keratin with triangular shape projected caudally in oral cavity. The fungiform papillae were distributed among the filiform and showed a rounded shape with some gustatory pores, and are keratinized but in a lower intensity if compared with filiform. The vallate papillae, located in lingual root, showed an oval format, had a deep groove surrounded the papillae and some gustatory pores. The conical papillae are located in lingual root and are similar to the filiform. The tongue of L. pardalis resembles other carnivorous species, mainly among felids. However, it differed in relation to the quantity of vallate papillae and the absence of foliate papillae.     

Mating type and fungicide resistance in populations of Podosphaera xanthii in south Italy

Powdery mildew is one of the most common and severe diseases of cucurbits, causing heavy yield losses in all growing areas when not successfully controlled. Two different fungal species, Podosphaera xanthii and Golovinomyces orontii, are generally recognized as causal agents. The results of monitoring carried out in 2016 and 2018 confirmed that P. xanthii is the exclusive pathogen causing cucurbit powdery mildew (CPM) in southern Italy. P. xanthii is a bipolar heterothallic fungus; a PCR-based method for distinguishing MAT1-1 and MAT1-2 idiomorphs was applied for assessing mating type distribution in fungal populations present on cucurbits in different sites. The idiomorph MAT1-2 was prevalent over the MAT1-1 in 2016, whereas they were approximately in a 1:1 ratio in 2018; this finding corroborated the hypothesis that the MAT1-1 idiomorph was more recently introduced in the area. Cyflufenamid-resistant isolates were widespread in commercial greenhouses and field plantings even though use of this fungicide had been drastically reduced by the farmers 1 year before the monitoring due to the effectiveness losses observed in CPM control. Occurrence of cyflufenamid resistance and its impact on efficacy were evaluated in a field trial comparing different fungicide spray schedules. Cyflufenamid-resistant isolates were detected even at the first appearance of symptoms on leaves, increasing over time. Isolates resistant to cyflufenamid showed a resistance factor as high as 900. Generally, P. xanthii was better controlled when cyflufenamid was used in integrated strategies rather than in spray schedules based on the exclusive use of the fungicide.     

Incidence and timing of wild and escaped farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Norwegian rivers inferred from video surveillance monitoring

Run timing of escaped farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar vs. wild fish was compared by the use of video camera surveillance in 15 rivers over several years, covering 1600 km of the Norwegian coastline (from 58°N to 69°N). Annual runs of wild salmon varied among rivers from <200 fish to more than 10 000. During the surveillance period that for most rivers extended from late May to early October, larger‐sized salmon (fish ≥ 65 cm) generally entered the rivers earlier than small fish. The percentage of salmon identified as escaped farmed fish ranged from 0.1% to 17% across rivers with an average of 4.3%. Estimates of escapees are, however, assumed to represent minimum values because an unknown number of farmed fish passing the video cameras may have been misclassified as wild fish. By the use of a linear mixed model and generalised additive mixed models, it was found that the relationship between run timing and fish length differed significantly between farmed and wild salmon. While small‐sized farmed and wild fish (<65 cm) entered the river at about the same time, wild large salmon returned on average 1–2 weeks earlier than similarly sized escapees. The proportion of large‐sized farmed escapees also increased until late August and decreased thereafter. In contrast, there was a relatively constant and lower proportion of small‐sized escapees throughout the season. Within the surveillance period, there was no evidence of any exceptionally late runs of fish classified as escaped farmed salmon.     

Stress protein response (Hsp70) and avoidance behaviour in Eisenia fetida, Aporrectodea caliginosa and Lumbricus terrestris when exposed to imidacloprid

Purpose  

The earthworm species Eisenia fetida and Eisenia andrei are commonly used in ecotoxicological standard tests. In the present study, we compared the sensitivity of E. fetida with that of two soil-dwelling earthworm species (Aporrectodea caliginosa and Lumbricus terrestris) in order to evaluate the capacity of E. fetida to predict effects of the insecticide imidacloprid. Responses were compared using two endpoints, a biochemical (changes in heat shock protein level (hsp70)) and a behavioural (avoidance behaviour).     

Dietary effects upon biological performance and lambda-cyhalothrin susceptibility in the multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis

Considered a generalist species among the coccinellids, the multicolored Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) feeds upon small arthropods and non-prey plant products, a practice which might enhance its ability to colonize various ecosystems but carries the potential to expose it to prey quality variation and insecticide use. Thus, we examined the effect of four different diets on the development, reproduction, and response to the insecticide lambda-cyhalothrin in this species. Three groups of larvae received laboratory-reared diets: (i) eggs of Anagasta kuehniella (Zeller) (Ak); (ii) eggs of Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier) (Sc); and (iii) eggs of A. kuehniella + S. cerealella at the proportion 1:1; and one group received wild-caught cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover (Ag). Notwithstanding the generalist feeding behavior of H. axyridis, development and reproduction results were superior with diets of Ag or Ak compared with the diet combining 1:1 Ak + Sc or the diet of Sc eggs only. Furthermore, the Sc diet did not result in satisfactory development and reproduction. Despite this significant variation in biological responses, insecticide susceptibility studies using adults that had been reared on these diets showed no statistically significant differences in susceptibility to the lambda-cyhalothrin.     

Differentially-regulated defence genes in Malus domestica during phytoplasma infection and recovery

To improve knowledge about plant/phytoplasma interactions and, in particular, about the ‘recovery’ phenomenon in previously-infected plants, we investigated and compared expression levels of several defence-related genes (four pathogenesis-related proteins and three jasmonate-pathway marker enzymes) in apple plants showing different states of health: vigorous (healthy), phytoplasma-infected, and recovered. Real Time-PCR analyses demonstrated that genes are differentially expressed in apple leaf tissue according to the plants’ state of health. Malus domestica Pathogenesis-Related protein (MdPR) 1, MdPR 2 and MdPR 5 were significantly induced in leaves of diseased and symptomatic plants compared to leaves of those plants that were healthy or recovered. On the other hand, levels of all the jasmonate (JA)-pathway marker genes that we selected for this study, were up-regulated in the leaves of recovered plants compared to the diseased ones. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that two different sets of defence genes are involved in the interactions between apple plants and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma mali’ (‘Ca. P. mali’) and that these genes are differentially expressed during phytoplasma infection or recovery.