GM1 gangliosidosis in a Japanese domestic cat: a new variant identified in Hokkaido,Japan

A male Japanese domestic cat with retarded growth in Hokkaido, Japan, showed progressive motor dysfunction, such as ataxia starting at 3 months of age and tremors, visual disorder and seizure after 4 months of age. Finally, the cat died of neurological deterioration at 9 months of age. Approximately half of the peripheral blood lymphocytes had multiple abnormal vacuoles. Magnetic resonance imaging showed bisymmetrical hyperintensity in the white matter of the parietal and occipital lobes in the forebrain on T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images, and mild encephalatrophy of the olfactory bulbs and temporal lobes. The activity of lysosomal acid β-galactosidase in leukocytes was negligible, resulting in the biochemical diagnosis of GM1 gangliosidosis. Histologically, swollen neurons characterized by accumulation of pale, slightly granular cytoplasmic materials were observed throughout the central nervous system. Dysmyelination or demyelination and gemistocytic astrocytosis were observed in the white matter. Ultrastructually, membranous cytoplasmic bodies were detected in the lysosomes of neurons. However, genetic analysis did not identify the c.1448G>C mutation, which is the single known mutation of feline GM1 gangliosidosis, suggesting that the cat was affected with a new variant of the feline disease.     

Sensitivity of Tru-cut and fine needle aspiration biopsies of liver and kidney for diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis

BACKGROUND: The detection of typical lesions and feline coronavirus (FCoV) antigen in tissues is the only conclusive method for making a diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). A positive result using Tru-cut biopsy (TCB) and fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) has high diagnostic specificity, but information about the capacity of these techniques to correctly identify cats with FIP lesions is not available. OBJECTIVES: The diagnostic sensitivity of TCB and FNAB for detecting liver and kidney histologic lesions caused by FIP was evaluated. METHODS: TCB and FNAB specimens collected mainly at necropsy from 25 cats with FIP were analyzed. Diagnostic sensitivity was calculated on the basis of the number of false-negative and true-positive specimens, compared with the number of organs bearing histologic lesions of FIP. RESULTS: Diagnostic sensitivity was higher for hepatic TCB (64%) and FNAB (82%) than for renal (39% and 42%, respectively) procedures. A high percentage of renal cytologic and TCB specimens were inadequate. Combined analysis of TCB and FNAB specimens collected from the same organ increased the diagnostic sensitivity for liver (86%) and kidney (48%). The sensitivity of immunohistochemical/cytochemical analysis was low (11-38% depending on the technique), probably due to variable distribution of feline coronavirus in the lesions. CONCLUSION: Biopsy of liver and kidney can correctly identify FIP lesions. However, false-negative results or inadequate samples occur with moderate frequency, especially for immunochemical analysis. Diagnostic sensitivity may be increased when both TCB and FNAB specimens from the same organ are examined.     

IN VITRO EVALUATION OF FELINE LEUKOCYTES RADIOLABELED IN WHOLE BLOOD WITH 99MTC STANNOUS COLLOID

Technetium-99m stannous colloid (^99mTcSnC) has been used to radiolabel human leukocytes to investigate various inflammatory disorders. We investigated the in vitro behavior of feline leukocytes labeled in whole blood with ^99mTcSnC. Heparinized blood samples were collected from healthy cats and divided into control and test aliquots. The latter were labeled with ^99mTcSnC using a standard procedure. Leukocyte viability was determined for each sample using a trypan blue exclusion test. Labeling efficiency was determined for test aliquots. Test aliquots were layered onto Histopaque-1077^® and centrifuged before measurement of radioactivity of the blood components. Leukocytes from radiolabeled and control samples were washed and incubated with opsonized zymosan particles to allow assessment of phagocytic function. Aliquots were taken from radiolabeled feline leukocyte samples at 1, 3, 4, and 7 h postlabelling. After centrifugation of each aliquot, radioactivity of the supernatant and pellet was measured and the labeling retention determined. Leukocyte viability in both radiolabeled and control samples was >98%. The labeling efficiency was 95.2±0.14%. The distribution of radioactivity in feline blood was found to be 3.4±0.18% in plasma, 39.0±0.37% in erythrocytes, and 57.6±0.38% in leukocytes. Labeled feline leukocytes had phagocytic activity of 90.9±0.18% (control 91.3±0.15%). The radiolabeled leukocytes retained 93.4±0.19% of the radioactivity up to 7 h postlabeling. ^99mTcSnC efficiently labeled feline leukocytes with no effect on viability and minimal effect on phagocytic function. The percentage retention of radioactivity by the leukocytes was still high at 7 h postlabeling.     

猫白介素-18基因的克隆、序列分析及其表达

用猫白介素18(interleukin,IL-18)基因特异性引物对刀豆蛋白(ConA)刺激后猫外周血单核细胞(PBMCf)总RNA进行了RT-PCR扩增,并将扩增产物纯化后克隆入pMD18-T中进行核苷酸序列测定。结果该基因全长579bp,编码192个氨基酸(GenBank登录号:DQ100372)。在推导的猫IL-18氨基酸序列中,无信号肽序列和潜在的N-联糖基化位点,但存在4个Cys残基。与不同物种IL-18相比,猫IL-18与犬、羊、牛和猪IL-18核苷酸序列有较高的同源性,分别为89.8%、88.6%、88.4%和88.1%,但与小鼠和鸡IL-18有明显的种属差异。将目的基因片段进一步亚克隆到大肠杆菌(Escherichia coli)表达载体pET28a中构建了重组质粒pETIL-18,转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3),并用IPTG诱导。结果重组菌菌体裂解物经SDS-PAGE电泳可检测到分子量为27.5kD的重组目的蛋白。经凝胶薄层扫描,目的蛋白表达量可占菌体蛋白的13.6%。     

1株猫杯状病毒的分离鉴定及其ORF2序列的遗传演化分析

为了解猫杯状病毒形态特征及遗传演化情况,采用F81细胞从患病宠物猫的鼻拭子样品中分离获得1株猫杯状病毒(feline calicivirus,FCV),命名为SH1.经电镜观察,病毒粒子呈球形,无囊膜,符合FCV的形态特征.采用RT-PCR方法扩增了该毒株的全基因组,并进行了序列测定和衣壳蛋白基因(ORF2)序列的分析...     

猫泛白细胞减少症病毒的分离与鉴定

应用猫肾传代细胞(FK),采用同步接毒的方法,从8份狮、虎、豹病料中分得6株病毒,经与标准病毒作交叉免疫电镜等系统鉴定,证明与猫泛白细胞减少症病毒的特性基本相符,从而首次证实在我国动物园狮、虎、豹等猫科动物中存在猫泛白细胞减少症。     

USE OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY AND RADIOLABELED LEUKOCYTES IN A CAT WITH PANCREATITIS

The normal feline pancreas has been evaluated using radiolabeled leukocytes (99mTc-HMPAO) and computed tomography. The purpose of this report is to describe a clinical case where both modalities were utilized to assess the inflamed feline pancreas. A nine year old female cat presented with anorexia, depression and some vomiting. Blood values were unremarkable. Radiographs and ultrasound were suggestive of pancreatitis. The cat's leukocytes were separated and labeled according to an established protocol. Whole body images were acquired immediately, at 5 and 30 min, and at 1, 2, 4, and 17 hours post injection. Approximately 48 h later, the animal was anesthetized and computed tomography of the abdomen was preformed both pre and post contrast. Surgical biopsies were taken. The distribution of the WBCs was similar to that documented in normal animals, however, at 2 h there was faint uptake seen in the region of the pancreas. This uptake became more intense at 4 h and persisted at 17 h. Computed tomography showed irregular margination of the pancreas, it was larger than normal and inhomogeneous. Contrast enhancement was inhomogeneous and its peak enhancement was not reached until 10 min post injection; normal feline pancreas enhances homogeneously and peaks immediately. Histopathology confirmed pancreatitis with lymphocytic, plasmacytic, neutrophilic and eosinophilic inflammation and fibrosis. Radiolabeled leukocytes can be used to document pancreatic inflammation and this is best seen 4 h after injection. Computed tomography allows superior visualization of the pancreas. Both the appearance and contrast enhancement pattern of the inflamed pancreas differ from normal.