Vulvar squamous cell carcinoma in a captive female chimpanzee: A case report.

A necropsy was performed on a 43-year-old female zoo chimpanzee, with cancer in the vulvar and perivulvar region. She was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, the presence of this tumor in domestic animals and non-human primates is very rare in the vulvar region and there were no previous reports found on it in chimpanzee, due to which this report contributes to the knowledge on chimpanzee pathologies.

First detection of spring viraemia of carp virus in common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) affected by a septicaemic disease in Mexico.

Spring viraemia of carp (SVC) is an infectious disease responsible for severe economic losses for various cyprinid species, particularly common carp (Cyprinus carpio carpio). The causative agent is the SVC virus (SVCV), a member of the Sprivivirus genus, Rhabdoviridae family, and a List 1 pathogen notifiable by the World Organization for Animal Health. This study describes the diagnosis of an SVCV pathogen isolated in October 2015 from wild common carp inhabiting a natural lagoon in central Mexico. While neither an epidemic nor fish mortalities were reported, the collected killed specimens exhibited clinical signs of disease (e.g., exopthalmia, moderate abdominal distension and haemorrhaging, as well as internal haemorrhages and adhesions). Histological results of injuries were consistent with the pathology caused by SVCV. This finding was supported by the isolation of a virus in EPC and BF-2 cells and subsequent RT-PCR confirmation of SVCV. The phylogenetic analyses of partial SVCV glycoprotein gene sequences classified the isolates into the Ia genogroup. These findings make this the first report of SVCV detection in Mexico, extending the southern geographical range of SVCV within North America. However, since this pathogen was detected in fish inhabiting a natural body of water without tributaries or effluents, it is difficult to estimate the risk of SVCV for other wild/feral cohabitating cyprinid species in the lagoon. The status of this virus is also unknown for other bodies of water within this region.

Origin and genetic diversity of canine parvovirus 2c circulating in Mexico.

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) emerged in the late 1970 s as a pathogen that is capable of causing high rates of morbidity and mortality in dogs. Currently, three genetic variants circulate worldwide (CPV 2a, 2b, and 2c); however, epidemiological studies have not been conducted in all countries to identify its variants. The objectives of this work were to determine which genotypes of CPV-2 circulate in Mexico and to identify the genetic relationships between CPV-2 sequences from Mexico and those from other parts of the world. Samples from five geographical regions of Mexico were analysed by PCR for identification of CPV-2. Here, 1638 bp of the VP2 gene were amplified and sequenced from 50 CPV-2-positive samples, and a phylogenetic network was assembled using these 50 sequences and 150 others obtained from GenBank, representing different countries around the world. The network showed that the most common genotype circulating in the geographic zones of Mexico was CPV-2c. In the network, the 50 samples were organised into two clusters: cluster I, derived from a group of samples of European origin, which belong to genotype 2c, and cluster II, derived from samples belonging to genotype 2b from the USA. Our data suggest that the CPV-2 strains circulating in Mexico originated from two possible virus introduction events. In addition, high genetic diversity was observed among the CPV-2c-derived sequences, which correspond exclusively to the presence of Mexican CPV-2c haplotypes.

Isolation characterization, virulence potential of Weissella ceti responsible for weissellosis outbreak in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cultured in Mexico.

Weissella ceti, a Gram-positive nonmotile bacterium, is currently an emerging pathogen within rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) farms in China, Brazil, the United States, and Japan. This study is the first to isolate, identify, and characterize W. ceti isolates from rainbow trout farmed in Mexico. In late 2015, a severe disease outbreak caused a 60% mortality rate among 20,000 fish. The diseased rainbow trout (100-300 g average) exhibited severe cachexia, body darkening, abdominal distension, exophthalmia, haemorrhages, and corneal opacity. Internally, diseased fish had pale gills; multifocal, disseminated whitish spots on the liver; haemorrhages in the swim bladder, ovary, and on the parietal surface of the muscle; and hearts with pseudo-membrane formation. Histologically, lesions were characterized by corneal oedema, degenerative and necrotic hepatitis, and meningitis. A brain (W-1) and kidney (W-2) isolate were identified as W. ceti through polyphasic taxonomy, which included phenotypic characterization and 16S rRNA sequencing. RAPD and ERIC-PCR analyses demonstrated genetic homogeneity among the Mexican isolates. Virulence tests in rainbow trout through intraperitoneal W. ceti injections at concentrations of 1 × 104 , 1 × 105 , and 1 × 106 CFU per fish resulted in cumulative mortality rates of 25%, 62.5%, and 87.5%, respectively, as well as the same clinical signs of hemorrhagic septicaemia as were recorded for the natural outbreak. The present report is the first to confirm the presence of W. ceti in Mexico, thus extending the known geographical distribution of this pathogen across the Americas.

Reliability of clinical diagnosis and laboratory testing techniques currently used for identification of canine parvovirus enteritis in clinical settings.

Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2) is the main etiological agent of viral enteritis in dogs. Actually in literature, CPV-2 has been reported with clinical signs that vary from the classical disease, and immunochromatography test and PCR technique have been introduced to veterinary hospitals to confirm CPV-2 diagnosis and other infections. However, the reliability of these techniques has been poorly analyzed. In this study, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of veterinary clinical diagnosis, immunochromatography test and PCR technique. Our data indicate that variations in the clinical signs of CPV-2 complicate the gathering of an appropriate diagnosis; and immunochromatography test and PCR technique do not have adequate sensitivity to diagnose positive cases.

First identification of Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis causing mortality in Mexican tilapia Oreochromis spp.

Francisellosis, an emerging disease in tilapia Oreochromis spp., is caused by the facultative, intracellular bacterium Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis, which is present in various countries where tilapia farming is commercially important. We confirmed the presence of francisellosis in Mexican tilapia cultures in association with an outbreak during the second semester of 2012. Broodstock fish presented a mortality rate of approximately 40%, and disease was characterized by histologically classified granulomas, or whitish nodules, in different organs, mainly the spleen and kidney. Through DNA obtained from infected tissue and pure cultures in a cysteine heart medium supplemented with hemoglobin, F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis was initially confirmed through the amplification and analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer region. Phylogenetic analysis of these genes demonstrated close similarity with previously reported F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis sequences obtained from infected tilapia from various countries. The identification of this subspecies as the causative agent of the outbreak was confirmed using the iglC gene as a target sequence, which showed 99.5% identity to 2 F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis strains (Ethime-1 and Toba04). These findings represent the first documented occurrence of francisellosis in Mexican tilapia cultures, which highlights the importance of establishing preventative measures to minimize the spread of this disease within the Mexican aquaculture industry.

Identification of a new genotype of canine distemper virus circulating in America.

Canine Distemper is a highly contagious viral systemic disease that affects a wide variety of terrestrial carnivores. Canine Distemper virus (CDV) appears genetically heterogeneous, markedly in the hemagglutinin protein (H), showing geographic patterns of diversification that are useful to monitor CDV molecular epidemiology. In Mexico the activity of canine distemper remains high in dogs, likely because vaccine prophylaxis coverage in canine population is under the levels required to control effectively the disease. By phylogenetic analysis based on the nucleoprotein (N) and on the H genes, Mexican CDV strains collected between 2007 and 2010 were distinguished into several genovariants, all which constituted a unique group, clearly distinct from field and vaccine strains circulating worldwide, but resembling a CDV strain, 19876, identified in Missouri, USA, 2004, that was genetically unrelated to other North-American CDV strains. Gathering information on the genetic heterogeneity of CDV on a global scale appears pivotal in order to investigate the origin and modalities of introduction of unusual/novel CDV strains, as well as to understand if vaccine breakthroughs or disease epidemics may be somewhat related to genetic/antigenic or biological differences between field and vaccine strains.

TP53 Polymorphisms allow for genetic sub-grouping of the canine transmissible venereal tumor.

The canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) is found mainly in dogs' sexual organs. Currently, it is widely accepted that all samples of CTVT show similar histopathological characteristics and share common genetic alterations. Despite the common genetic origin of CTVT, mutations in the P53 gene have been reported. In this study, we proposed that tumor samples can be genetically grouped using this gene. The presence of different subgroups of CTVT was determined in Mexican dogs using the TP53 gene sequence in CTVT samples. Four new polymorphisms were found and therefore, the CTVT samples were classified in five subgroups.

Trematode Centrocestus formosanus infection and distribution in ornamental fishes in Mexico.

The aim of this study was to determine the ornamental fish species affected by the metacercariae of the digenean trematode Centrocestus formosanus and its distribution in 48 fish farms in Morelos, central Mexico. The parasite was found to form various numbers of branchial cysts in 11 of the 25 species analyzed. Goldfish Carassius auratus was the most commonly affected species; 20 of 30 farms were positive for this parasite, the fish showing severe clinical signs and having a high mortality rate. For the first time in the region, koi (a variant of common carp Cyprinus carpio), zebrafish Danio rerio, suckermouth catfish Hypostomus plecostomus and blue gourami Trichogaster trichopterus (also known as the threespot gourami) were positive; meanwhile, Mexican tetra Astyanax mexicanus, which had previously been reported positive in other studies in this region, was found to be negative. The parasite was observed in fish from 27 of the 48 farms studied. Ten of 15 municipalities had farms that were positive for the parasite. These results suggest that the distribution of C. formosanus is closely related to the use of water that had been contaminated with the parasite and to the presence of a snail, the red-rimmed melania Melanoides tuberculata.

Histopathologic study of long-bone growth plates confirms the basset hound as an osteochondrodysplastic breed.

Osteochondrodysplasias are caused by abnormal development and growth of cartilage and bone. These abnormalities have been reported in both humans and animals with dwarfism. The basset hound is considered a breed with a disproportionate prevalence of dwarfism, the cause of which is unknown. To determine the type of osteochondrodysplasia in this breed, we analyzed histologically the growth plates from the long bones of a basset hound and a Doberman pinscher, both 2 mo old. Tissue was fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin, sectioned at 5 microm, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and analyzed by light microscopy. Our results suggest that by this method the basset hound can be defined only as a breed having osteochondrodysplasia due to a primary cartilage problem in the growth plate.

Endocarditis infecciosa complicada. Insuficiencia mitral, oclusión arterial de miembro inferior, absceso esplénico / Complicated infective endocarditis. Mitral valve insufficiency, arterial occlusion of low limb, splenic abscess

Se presentaun caso clínico de encarditis infecciosa en el que se desarrollan concomitantemente tres complicaciones mayores: una cárdiaca (insuficiencia mitral severa) y dos extracadíacas, actualmente muy poco frecuentes: oclusión arterial aguda embóllica de miembro inferior y absceso esplénico. Realizamos asimismo una somera discusión referente a la actualización de la terapéutica de dichas complicaciones.