ULTRASONOGRAPHY OF ALIMENTARY LYMPHOSARCOMA IN THE CAT

Clinical, radiological and ultrasonographic findings from 22 cats with gastrointestinal lymphosarcoma were reviewed. The most common clinical findings were anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, lethargy, depression, fever, anemia and a palpable abdominal mass. Abdominal radiographs of 12 cats revealed a mass associated with the gastrointestinal tract and/or mesentery, and decreased serosal detail, suggestive of peritoneal effusion. The most common ultrasonographic finding was transmural gastric or intestinal thickening associated with loss of normal wall layering, reduced wall echogenicity and localized hypomotility. As is noted in people, other patterns such as transmural-segmental, transmural-nodular, transmural-bulky and mucosal infiltration were represented. In 3 cats, mesenteric lymph-adenopathy was responsible for most of the mass-effect. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy, automated microcore biopsy, endoscopic biopsy or necropsy confirmed the diagnosis of lymphosarcoma in all cats. Chemotherapy was instituted in 19 cats. Only 6 cats had a complete response to treatment. The results of this study indicate that ultrasonography is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of feline alimentary lymphosarcoma and that biopsies can be obtained under ultrasonographic guidance.     

Changes in the blood lactate dehydrogenase measurements in canines and felines following the international standardization of the assay method

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in blood is measured using the Japanese Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC) method in Japan and the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC) method in other countries. In human clinical practice, the IFCC method replaced the JSCC method due to international standardization. Moreover, veterinary LDH measurement will also eventually shift to the IFCC method. However, the relationship between the IFCC and JSCC methods for LDH in various animals and whether they can be equated or not have not yet been investigated. This study aimed to present the changes in measurements in canines and felines after switching to the IFCC method. The plasma LDH activity of canines (N=177) and felines (N=115), who visited a secondary care veterinary clinic, was measured using the JSCC and IFCC methods. The IFCC/JSCC ratio was <1.0 in 85% of canines and 88% of felines, indicating that the IFCC method tended to show lower values than the JSCC method, presumably because LDH5 is dominant among the LDH isozymes in canines and felines. The increase in the systematic errors of both assays was in the high value range, with some samples exceeding the error tolerance from near the upper end of the reference range. When switching to the IFCC method for LDH measurement in canines and felines, each institution should consider whether the reference range and clinical diagnostic values established by the JSCC method are appropriate for continued use.     

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...     

Ocular metastasis of a vaccine-associated fibrosarcoma in a cat

A 6‐year‐old, neutered male domestic shorthair cat was evaluated for a recurrent vaccine‐associated fibrosarcoma. The cat had three excisions of the tumour prior to presentation and was referred for radiation therapy. Ten months following treatment with radiation therapy, the cat was presented again for a cloudy appearance to the eye. An exenteration was performed, and biopsy revealed fibrosarcoma. At the same time, two discrete pulmonary nodules were identified on thoracic radiographs. Two doses of doxorubicin (20 mg/m²) and cyclophosphamide (100 mg/m²) were administered intravenously 3 weeks apart. Despite treatment, the pulmonary nodule doubled in size. This case represents the first antemortem report of ocular metastasis of a vaccine‐associated sarcoma and supports the highly aggressive nature of these tumours.     

ULTRASONOGRAPHIC EXAMINATION OF THE THYROID GLAND OF HYPERTHYROID CATS: COMPARISON TO 99mTcO−4 SCINTIGRAPHY

High-resolution ultrasonography was evaluated as an alternative to ^99mTcO^-₄ scintigraphy for examining size and appearance of thyroid glands in hyperthyroid cats. Thyroid ultrasound examinations were performed on 6 normal cats and 14 cats with hyperthyroidism. Thyroid lobe volume was estimated from ultrasound images using the equation for a prolate ellipsoid, π/6 (length * height * width). Total thyroid volume was estimated by adding the volume estimations of the left and right lobes. Thyroid lobes of hyperthyroid cats were considered abnormal if estimated volume exceeded the 99% confidence interval for normal thyroid volume determined from the control group. Scintigraphic examinations performed on hyperthyroid cats were evaluated for unilateral versus bilateral disease and for the presence of ectopic activity. Mean thyroid lobe volume and total thyroid volume for normal cats was 85 and 169 mm³, respectively. Mean thyroid lobe volume and total thyroid volume for hyperthyroid cats was 578 and 889 mm³. There was a significant difference in mean estimated total thyroid volume of normal and hyperthyroid cats. Thyroid lobes with greater than normal TcO^-₄ uptake on scintigraphy were larger and had variable homogeneity, echogenicity, and margination on ultrasound examination. There also was an 85.7% agreement of scintigraphy and ultrasonography in differentiating normal from abnormal thyroid lobes. A fair correlation between estimated total thyroid volume of hyperthyroid cats and most recent pretherapy serum thyroxine values were also found. This preliminary study indicates that thyroid ultrasound examination may provide information that is useful for diagnosis and treatment of feline hyperthyroidism. Although ultrasound provides accurate evaluation of the thyroid glands, it cannot replace ^99mTcO^-₄ scintigraphy for screening of metastatic lesions and ectopic glands.     

Effects of oral orbifloxacin on fecal coliforms in healthy cats: a pilot study

The study objective was to determine the effect of oral orbifloxacin (ORB) onantimicrobial susceptibility and composition of fecal coliforms in cats. Nine cats wererandomized to two groups administered a daily oral dose of 2.5 and 5.0 mg ORB/kg for 7days and a control group (three cats per group). Coliforms were isolated from stoolsamples and were tested for susceptibilities to ORB and 5 other drugs. ORB concentrationin feces was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The coliformswere undetectable after 2 days of ORB administration, and their number increased in mostcats after termination of the administration. Furthermore, only isolates ofEscherichia coli were detected in all cats before administration, andthose of Citrobacter freundii were detected after termination of theadministration. E. coli isolates exhibited high ORB susceptibility[Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), ≤0.125 µg/ml]or relatively low susceptibility (MIC, 1−2 µg/ml) with asingle gyrA mutation. C. freundii isolates largelyexhibited intermediate ORB susceptibility (MIC, 4µg/ml), in addition to resistance to ampicillin andcefazolin, and harbored qnrB, but not a gyrA mutation.HPLC revealed that the peaks of mean concentration were 61.3 and 141.0µg/g in groups receiving 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg, respectively. Our findingssuggest that oral ORB may alter the total counts and composition of fecal coliform, but isunlikely to yield highly fluoroquinolone-resistant mutants of E. coli andC. freundii in cats, possibly because of the high drug concentration infeces.     

猫泛白细胞减少症病毒北京株NS1基因克隆与生物信息学分析

为分析猫泛白细胞减少症病毒（FPV）北京株（FPV-BJ 05株）NS1基因的分子特征及其编码蛋白的生物学功能,本研究对FPV-BJ 05株NS1基因进行PCR扩增、克隆及序列测定。应用生物信息学软件分析FPV-BJ 05株与GenBank上登录的11株FPV参考株NS1基因的同源性,并预测NS1蛋白理化性质、信号肽、跨膜结构、B细胞抗原表位、磷酸化位点、亚细胞定位及蛋白结构与功能、高级结构等。结果显示,NS1基因全长2 007 bp,编码668个氨基酸,且与其他FPV分离株NS1基因核苷酸序列同源性为98.8%~99.3%,氨基酸序列同源性为97.9%~98.8%。系统进化树分析结果显示,FPV-BJ 05株NS1蛋白与GenBank上登录的3株FPV参考株处于同一大分支,但由于氨基酸的突变导致其属于独立的一小分支。NS1蛋白既无信号肽也无跨膜结构域,属于非分泌型的疏水性蛋白。B细胞抗原表位预测结果显示,NS1蛋白柔韧性较好,抗原性及表面可及性较高,预测该蛋白含有13个优势抗原位点。修饰结构预测表明,NS1蛋白含有62个潜在磷酸化位点,27个O-糖基化位点和2个N-糖基化位点。亚细胞定位结果显示,NS1蛋白在细胞质和细胞核的概率较高,分别为69.6%和17.4%。NS1蛋白二级结构中α-螺旋、延伸链、无规则卷曲和β-转角分别占39.37%、15.42%、39.37%和5.84%。应用在线软件SWISS-Modle对NS1蛋白进行建模,预测其三级结构,结果发现NS1蛋白主要以α-螺旋为主。本试验结果将为北京地区FPV免疫诊断及核酸疫苗研究提供理论依据。     

猫传染性腹膜炎研究进展

猫传染性腹膜炎是一种全身性、致死性的病毒性疾病,为幼猫和青年猫死亡的主要原因之一。近年来,该病在世界各地广泛流行,并呈一定的上升趋势。越来越多的学者对其进行了研究与探索,但其致病与免疫机制仍未完全清楚。本文从病原学、发病机制、流行病学、临床症状、诊断与治疗以及免疫与预防等方面对猫传染性腹膜炎进行全面的阐述,为该病的科学诊治与防控提供参考和指导。     

The thermal antinociceptive effects of a high-concentration formulation of buprenorphine alone or followed by hydromorphone in conscious cats

ObjectiveTo evaluate the thermal antinociceptive effects of a high-concentration formulation of buprenorphine alone or followed by hydromorphone in conscious cats.Study designRandomized, blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study design.AnimalsA total of six purpose-bred, adult female ovariohysterectomized Domestic Short Hair cats.MethodsCats were allocated into three treatments each consisting of two injections, subcutaneous then intravenous (IV) administration, 2 hours apart: treatment SS, two injections of 0.9% saline; treatment BS, buprenorphine (0.24 mg kg^–1, 1.8 mg mL^–1) and saline; and treatment BH, buprenorphine (0.24 mg kg^–1) and hydromorphone (0.1 mg kg^–1). Skin temperature (ST) and thermal threshold (TT) were recorded before (baseline) and for 24 hours following first injection. TT data were analyzed using mixed linear models and a Benjamini–Hochberg sequential adjustment procedure (p < 0.05).ResultsThere were no significant differences among treatments for baseline ST and TT values, treatment SS over time and between treatments BS and BH. Compared with baseline, TT was significantly increased at all time points in treatments BH and BS except at 2 hours in treatment BS. TT was significantly higher than SS at 3–18 hours and 4–12 hours for treatments BS and BH, respectively. Maximal increases in TT were 47.5 °C at 2 hours, 53.9 °C at 3 hours and 52.4 °C at 6 hours in treatments SS, BS and BH, respectively.Conclusions and clinical relevanceAdministration of IV hydromorphone following high-concentration buprenorphine provided no additional antinociception and decreased the duration of effect when compared with high-concentration buprenorphine alone. Alternative analgesics should be considered if additional analgesia is required after administration of high-concentration buprenorphine.