Pathological and microbiological characterization of mastitis in dairy cows.

Mastitis may be caused by a wide range of microorganisms able to induce distinct lesions in mammary tissues. This study aims to characterize the gross and microscopic features of mastitis in dairy cows and to correlate them with the pathogens involved. The udders of slaughtered dairy cows were inspected and milk samples from each mammary quarter or fragments of the parenchyma were sent for microbiological analysis, and tissue collected for histopathological evaluation. A total of 148 cows and 592 mammary quarters were collected. From these, 432 quarters (73%) had mastitis and in 160 (27%), no changes were observed. Mastitis was classified into seven patterns based on the histopathological findings, of which mixed, lymphoplasmacytic, and suppurative mastitides were the most prevalent with 35.9% (155/432), 27.1% (117/432), and 14.3% (62/432) of the cases, respectively. These patterns were associated with the same set of pathogens: Streptococcus spp., coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS), Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, and Corynebacterium bovis. The pyogranulomatous pattern represented 7.2% (31/432) of the cases with distinct distribution based on the agent involved, mostly S. aureus and Nocardia sp. Abscedative mastitis accounted for 6.0% (26/432) of the cases; it was characterized by multiple abscesses in the parenchyma and was mainly caused by Trueperella pyogenes. Necrosuppurative mastitis represented 5.8% (25/432) of the cases which were characterized by severe parenchyma necrosis and were caused by bacteria such as CNS and Escherichia coli. The granulomatous pattern represented 3.7% (16/432) of the cases and was occasionally associated with Mycobacterium sp.

Granulomatous Necrotizing Myositis in Swine Affected by Porcine Circovirus Disease.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is associated with multiple clinical syndromes in pigs, known as porcine circovirus diseases. This work describes an outbreak of porcine circovirus diseases with severe lesions affecting the skeletal muscle. Ninety-two pigs had apathy, weight loss, and diarrhea over a clinical course of 7 to 10 days. Approximately 30 of the pigs had stiff gait, muscle weakness, hind limb paresis, and recumbency. Twelve of the 92 pigs were necropsied, and 4 had pale discoloration of skeletal muscles with microscopic lesions of granulomatous necrotizing myositis. Immunohistochemistry of skeletal muscle showed that PCV2 antigen was located primarily in the cytoplasm and nuclei of macrophages, lymphocytes, and multinucleated giant cells, with a lower amount in the cytoplasm of endothelial cells, necrotic fibers, and satellite cells. Affected muscle samples were polymerase chain reaction-positive for PCV2 and the amplicon exhibited 99% identity with sequences belonging to the PCV2b genotype. Locomotor clinical signs and granulomatous necrotizing myositis should be considered as another expression of PCV2 infection in pigs.

Stem cells from human-exfoliated deciduous teeth reduce tissue-infiltrating inflammatory cells improving clinical signs in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) have great therapeutic potential and here, by the first time, we evaluated their immunomodulatory effect on experimental model of autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Specifically, we investigated the effect of SHED administration on clinical signs and cellular patterns in EAE model using Foxp3 GFP + transgenic mice (C57Bl/6-Foxp3GFP). The results showed that SHED infusion ameliorated EAE clinical score with reduced number of infiltrating IFN-γ+CD8+, IL-4+CD8+, IFN-γ+CD4+ and IL-4+CD4+ T cells into the central nervous system (CNS). In addition, we observed that SHED promoted a significant increase in CD4+FOXP3+ T cells population in the spleen of EAE-affected animals. Taken together, our results provide strong evidence that SHED can modulate peripherally the CD4+ T cell responses suggesting that SHED would be explored as part of cellular therapy in autoimmune diseases associated with CNS.

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of children hospitalized with severe rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis in Salvador, BA, Brazil.

Little is known about the epidemiology of severe rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis in Brazil. Given the morbidity associated with this condition and the importance of having detailed knowledge about the impact of rotavirus infection on the epidemiology of acute diarrhea in children, especially those with the most severe diarrheal conditions, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all pediatric patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Salvador, Brazil, due to rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis during one year. It was observed that rotavirus was responsible for 15.6% of the hospitalizations caused by diarrhea and/or vomiting during the period of the study and that 87 of 218 (39.1%) patients seen at the emergency room with rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis needed to be hospitalized, comprising the population of our study. Most patients presented signs of dehydration, and 41% of them had metabolic acidosis. Most patients (79%) were between six months and four years of age and 72% of the cases occurred in June and July. Gastrointestinal symptoms were rarely present at the beginning of the clinical presentation, and they normally did not last for more than one week.

Crotamine toxicity and efficacy in mouse models of melanoma.

OBJECTIVES: Selective anticancer cell activity for both cell-penetrating and cationic antimicrobial peptides has previously been reported. As crotamine possesses activities similar to both of these, this study investigates crotamine's anticancer toxicity in vitro and in vivo. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In vitro cancer cell viability was evaluated after treatment with 1 and 5 µg/ml of crotamine. In vivo crotamine cytotoxic effects in C57Bl/6J mice bearing B16-F10 primary cutaneous melanoma were tested, with two groups each containing 35 mice. The crotamine-treated group received 1 µg/day of crotamine per animal, subcutaneously which was well tolerated; the untreated group received a placebo. RESULTS: Crotamine at 5 µg/ml was lethal to B16-F10, Mia PaCa-2 and SK-Mel-28 cells and inoffensive to normal cells. In vivo crotamine treatment over 21 days significantly delayed tumor implantation, inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the lifespan of the mice. Mice in the crotamine-treated group survived at significantly higher rates (n = 30/35) than those in the untreated group (n = 7/35) (significance calculated with the Kaplan-Meier estimator). The average tumor weight in the untreated group was 4.60 g but was only about 0.27 g in the crotamine-treated mice, if detectable. CONCLUSIONS: These data warrant further exploration of crotamine as a tumor inhibition compound.

Clinical and epidemiological aspects of children hospitalized with severe rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis in Salvador, BA, Brazil

Little is known about the epidemiology of severe rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis in Brazil. Given the morbidity associated with this condition and the importance of having detailed knowledge about the impact of rotavirus infection on the epidemiology of acute diarrhea in children, especially those with the most severe diarrheal conditions, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all pediatric patients admitted to a tertiary hospital in Salvador, Brazil, due to rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis during one year. It was observed that rotavirus was responsible for 15.6 percent of the hospitalizations caused by diarrhea and/or vomiting during the period of the study and that 87 of 218 (39.1 percent) patients seen at the emergency room with rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis needed to be hospitalized, comprising the population of our study. Most patients presented signs of dehydration, and 41 percent of them had metabolic acidosis. Most patients (79 percent) were between six months and four years of age and 72 percent of the cases occurred in June and July. Gastrointestinal symptoms were rarely present at the beginning of the clinical presentation, and they normally did not last for more than one week.