Molecular prevalence of Bartonella, Babesia, and hemotropic Mycoplasma species in dogs with hemangiosarcoma from across the United States.

Hemangiosarcoma (HSA), a locally invasive and highly metastatic endothelial cell neoplasm, accounts for two-thirds of all cardiac and splenic neoplasms in dogs. Bartonella spp. infection has been reported in association with neoplastic and non-neoplastic vasoproliferative lesions in animals and humans. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Bartonella spp. in conjunction with two other hemotropic pathogens, Babesia spp. and hemotropic Mycoplasma spp., in tissues and blood samples from 110 dogs with histopathologically diagnosed HSA from throughout the United States. This was a retrospective, observational study using clinical specimens from 110 dogs with HSA banked by the biospecimen repository of the Canine Comparative Oncology and Genomics Consortium. Samples provided for this study from each dog included: fresh frozen HSA tumor tissue (available from n = 100 of the 110 dogs), fresh frozen non-tumor tissue (n = 104), and whole blood and serum samples (n = 108 and 107 respectively). Blood and tissues were tested by qPCR for Bartonella, hemotropic Mycoplasma, and Babesia spp. DNA; serum was tested for Bartonella spp. antibodies. Bartonella spp. DNA was amplified and sequenced from 73% of dogs with HSA (80/110). In contrast, hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. DNA was amplified from a significantly smaller proportion (5%, p<0.0001) and Babesia spp. DNA was not amplified from any dog. Of the 100 HSA tumor samples submitted, 34% were Bartonella PCR positive (32% of splenic tumors, 57% of cardiac tumors, and 17% of other tumor locations). Of 104 non-tumor tissues, 63% were Bartonella PCR positive (56% of spleen samples, 93% of cardiac samples, and 63% of skin/subcutaneous samples). Of dogs with Bartonella positive HSA tumor, 76% were also positive in non-tumor tissue. Bartonella spp. DNA was not PCR amplified from whole blood. This study documented a high prevalence of Bartonella spp. DNA in dogs with HSA from geographically diverse regions of the United States. While 73% of all tissue samples from these dogs were PCR positive for Bartonella DNA, none of the blood samples were, indicating that whole blood samples do not reflect tissue presence of this pathogen. Future studies are needed to further investigate the role of Bartonella spp. in the development of HSA.

Primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of right hip joint: A case report and literature review.

RATIONALE: Epithelioid angiosarcoma (EA) is a rare, highly invasive tumor. The histopathological features of EA are not distinct and less reported in the literature, and most of the medical records are incomplete. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 61-year-old woman who came to the hospital because of pain in her right hip. This patient had had surgery for right hip tuberculosis 30 years ago. DIAGNOSES: The present study reports a case of primary EA of bone with aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) that was diagnosed by 3 experienced pathologists. INTERVENTIONS: The patients had undergone 2 surgeries; however, an early recurrence of the tumor was caused the death of the patient. OUTCOMES: Ten EA cases from other literature were reviewed in this article; all the symptoms were found in different parts of bone, and the case data were relatively complete. The primary clinical features and nonspecific histopathological morphology of the disease were summarized from the 11 cases mentioned in the literature, and the main immunohistochemistry characteristics and diagnostic traps of EA were reviewed. LESSONS: Because the tumor has no characteristic diagnostic index in imaging and laboratory examination, the histopathologic features are not typical, especially in the case of obvious secondary lesions. It is easy to miss and misdiagnose. If possible, the diagnosis should be combined with immunohistochemical results.

Lymphangiosarcoma arising after 33 years within a background of chronic filariasis: a case report with review of literature.

Cutaneous angiosarcoma or lymphangiosarcoma represents an uncommon aggressive tumor known to arise on a background of chronic lymphedema secondary to various etiologies, principally following surgery or irradiation. There have been rarely reported cases of angiosarcoma following infective conditions that eventuate with lymphatic stasis. We report a case of angiosarcoma arising after 33 years within a background of filariasis. Awareness of this association can lead to early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of this potentially fatal malignant tumor.