Retrobulbar Sinus Injection of Doxorubicin is More Efficient Than Lateral Tail Vein Injection at Inducing Experimental Nephrotic Syndrome in Mice: A Pilot Study.

Doxorubicin-induced nephropathy in mice is a model for studying experimental nephrotic syndrome. It corresponds to puromycin aminonucleoside nephrosis in rats. In this model, susceptible 129 S1/SvImJ mice are administered a rapid intravenous injection that can be accomplished via either the lateral tail vein or the retrobulbar sinus. Because doxorubicin is a highly toxic substance, extravasation must be avoided during the administration of the intravenous injection to prevent the development of large necrotizing lesions and exacerbation of the animals' stress. In the present study, we compared the safety and stress of these two injection routes by using histopathological analyses of the animals' orbital cavities or tails, respectively. The injection of 14.5 µg/g body weight doxorubicin into the mice's lateral tail veins (n = 9) or retrobulbar sinuses (n = 19) caused no clinically detectable stress or impairment. Histopathologies of the specimens five days after doxorubicin injection revealed inflammatory lesions at the injection sites in both groups. In the orbital sinus specimens from the retrobulbar-injected group, fibrosis was evident 25 days after injection. Moreover, while all of the retrobulbar-injected mice (100%) developed nephrotic syndrome, tail vein-injected mice had a significantly lower response rate (66%, p = 0.047, Fisher's exact test) and exhibited only attenuated features of nephrotic syndrome. It was therefore concluded that doxorubicin administration via either lateral tail vein or retrobulbar sinus injections led to a similar induction of histopathological changes with no effects on the clinical well-being of the mice. However, retrobulbar sinus injections were more efficient for inducing experimental nephrotic syndrome.

Genome Sequence of Galleria mellonella (Greater Wax Moth).

The larvae of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, are pests of active beehives. In infection biology, these larvae are playing a more and more attractive role as an invertebrate host model. Here, we report on the first genome sequence of Galleria mellonella.

Non-invasive detection and successful treatment of a Helicobacter pylori infection in a captive rhesus macaque.

Gastritis is a commonly diagnosed condition in non-human primates used in biomedical research. As in humans, Helicobacter pylori infection may cause gastritis. The following report presents a method of non-invasive detection and a successful treatment protocol for this common pathogen.

[Treatment of Tritrichomonas foetus in a cat colony with delayed release ronidazole tablets in the small intestine]. / Behandlung einer an Tritrichomonas foetus erkrankten Katzen-Kolonie mittels Ronidazoltabletten unter verzögerter Wirkstofffreisetzung im Dünndarm.

Seven abyssinian cats (two male, five female) showed intermittent green-yellow mucous diarrhoea, sometimes an inflammation of the anal region and faecal incontinence even after long-time treatment with fenbendazole against Giardia. During necropsy of one of the cats, which had to be euthanized due to another disease, the gut wall of small and large intestine appeared macroscopically thickened. Histological examination indicated flagellates in the lumen of the intestine (initiating at the jejunum) and in the crypts. However Giardia could be excluded. in this case. By PCR of the faeces Tritrichomonas (T) foetus was diagnosed in five of six cats of this colony. Five remaining animals (another cat had to be euthanized) were treated with about 30 mg per kg BW ronidazole p. o. (rededication; Ridzol 10% Bt®, Dr. Hesse Tierpharma GmbH & Co. KG, Germany) daily over 14 days. The special gastro-resistant processing of the ronidazole should ensure a targeted effects. Animals were treated consecutively, isolated from the other cats and were daily examined clinically and neurologically. Neurotoxic adverse effects appeared slightly, therefore--as a precaution--the treatment of two cats was paused for one day. After treatment of all cats, T. foetus wasn't diagnosed by PCR over the period of 345 to > 800 days in any cat. One animal had dubious findings in the ninth week after treatment. Hence it was still kept isolated from the group and PCR showed a negative result at all times afterwards. The treatment protocol shows that elimination of problematic protozoal infections is possible in cat colonies.