Causes of mortality in the Florida panther (Felis concolor coryi).

Panthers necropsied at the University of Florida ranged between 2 weeks and 14 years of age; there were 38 males and 17 females in the cohort. Main categories of causes of death included trauma inflicted from either vehicular collisions (43%) or territorial fights (16%). Specific endogenous diseases involved the respiratory system in 13%, the urinary system in 4%, and the central nervous system in 2%. Ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASD) were diagnosed in 11% of the panthers necropsied. Seventeen (54%) of the 38 male panthers had either unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism. Cause of death remained undetermined in 11% of the total cohort.

The histopathologic diagnosis of subclinical Johne's disease in North American bison (Bison bison).

The morphologic changes of subclinical Johne's disease in North American Bison (Bison bison) are characterized by microgranulomas composed of epithelioid macrophages and individual multinucleate giant cells of Langhans'-type occasionally containing individual cytoplasmic acid-fast bacilli compatible with Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis. The microgranulomas are best visualized in the mesenteric lymph nodes of infected subclinical animals. Macrophages that can be confused with infection-associated epithelioid macrophages in the mesenteric lymph nodes are pigment-carrying cells from the intestinal tract. Mesenteric lymph node biopsy may be a useful diagnostic tool for detection of mild subclinical infection in individual ruminants from herds of unknown infection status. The biopsy may also be useful for Johne's disease surveillance during test-and-cull programs.

Fibrosing granulomas in the equine liver and peritoneum: a retrospective morphologic study.

Fibrosing granulomas were found in the liver and occasionally on the intestinal and diaphragmatic serosae and in the lung of 11 horses submitted for necropsy. Although these granulomas were considered incidental findings in most of the horses, they had caused liver failure in 1 horse. The granulomas typically were characterized by a dense collagenous core that frequently was mineralized. The periphery contained a rim of inflammatory cells. Only in 1 of the 11 horses was there evidence of an egg shell suggestive of schistosomes. Schistosomal eggs were not detected in the feces of the horses. The typical architecture of the granulomas combined with the occasional finding of a residual egg led to the circumstantial conclusion that the fibrosing granulomas were the result of chronic schistosomiasis of undeterminable origin.

Reproducibility of a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for bovine paratuberculosis among eight laboratories.

Interlaboratory reproducibility of an absorbed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit for detection of bovine serum antibodies to Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was evaluated. A panel of 30 bovine sera (15 positives and 15 negatives) was tested in triplicate microtiter wells on each of 2 days at 8 different laboratories. One laboratory had invalid results because of positive or negative serum control optical density (OD) readings beyond the acceptable range specified by the kit. The coefficient of variation (CV) for mean OD values was influenced by low ODs on test negative sera at 2 laboratories, thus the CVs on positive sera were considered a more representative measure of kit reproducibility. Between-well CVs averaged 6.7% +/- 2.8% (mean +/- standard deviation), and between-day CVs averaged 14.5% +/- 9.8% among the 7 laboratories with valid assays on the 15 positive sera. The OD values were converted to positive or negative classifications for each assay well, and the results were compared. Among 1,392 assays in 7 laboratories, 98.6% were in agreement. Eleven of 18 discrepant results were due to a sample that consistently gave OD values near the cutoff for a positive test. Exclusion of that serum from the analysis resulted in a 99.8% rate of agreement among laboratories. Results indicated that the absorbed ELISA kit provided reproducible results within and between laboratories.

Bacteremia and vegetative endocarditis associated with a heart murmur in a blue-and-gold macaw.

A 6-year-old male blue-and-gold macaw (Ara ararauna) was presented with severe weakness, anorexia, and weight loss of 2 weeks duration. Cardiac auscultation revealed a soft systolic murmur. Blood cultures collected both antemortem and postmortem yielded pure isolates of Enterobacter cloacae. At necropsy, vegetative endocarditis was found involving the left atrioventricular valve. Microscopically, the lesion on the valve was characterized by a mixture of necrotic material, colonies of gram-negative bacteria, fibrosis, and inflammatory infiltrate consisting primarily of heterophils.

Proliferative sparganosis in a cat.

Aberrant, proliferative sparganosis was diagnosed in a 6-yr-old male domestic long-haired cat from Gainesville, Florida. The cat spent all of its life in Florida. Postmortem examination revealed lesions and spargana in the stomach, spleen, and liver. By light and electron microscopy, unusual mononuclear cells, interpreted as host-derived monocytes, were evident in the stroma of the spargana. Retrovirus-like particles were present in the cytoplasm of some of these cells.

Susceptibility of Balb/c, C57/B6 and C57/B10 mice to infection with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.

Balb/C, C57/B10 and C57/B6 mice were examined for their susceptibility to disseminated Mycobacterium paratuberculosis infection after intraperitoneal inoculation with a suspension of organisms containing mineral oil. Animals were examined monthly by histopathology and bacterial tissue counts of liver and spleen over a 6-month period. Only Balb/c mice maintained a steady infection with an average of 4.1 x 10(5) +/- 7.8 x 10(3) and 8.1 x 10(5) +/- 2.6 x 10(4) colony forming units (cfu) per gram of liver and spleen, respectively, during the course of the study. In contrast, C57/B10 mice reduced the bacterial counts in the liver and spleen from 6.8 x 10(4) and 1.3 x 10(5) to 7.1 x 10(2) and 4.3 x 10(3), respectively during the first 120-150 days after infection. The reduction in cfu was associated with the development of caseous necrotic lesions. C57/B10 mice were of intermediate resistance, slowly reducing cfu in the liver, but not the spleen, during the 6-month period. Balb/c was found to be a suitable mouse strain for the study of chronic M. paratuberculosis infection.

An unusual univentricular heart in an Angus calf.

A 6-month-old Angus heifer was found to have a univentricular heart on postmortem examination. In addition, there was medial thickening of the pulmonary arteries. The heart lesion differed fundamentally from previously described cases of univentricular hearts in domesticated animals and probably had a different embryogenesis. The comparative aspects of univentricular heart in man and animals are discussed.

Nutritional myodegeneration associated with dorsal scapular displacement in beef heifers.

Scapular displacement due to bilateral rupture of the serratus ventralis muscles ("flying scapula") occurred in four heifers from a large beef herd. Two of the four affected animals were necropsied. Additional animals on the farm developed intermittent lameness when enclosed on certain pastures. The lameness and scapular displacement were attributed to selenium deficiency in the feed and pasture environment. This is the first account of "flying scapula" in the United States.

Amoxycillin and clavulanic acid combination in the treatment of experimentally induced bacterial cystitis in cats.

Clavulanic acid (CA) competitively inhibits beta-lactamase hydrolysis of penicillins in vitro. Treatment with amoxycillin combined with clavulanic acid (A-CA) was compared with placebo in a blind study in cats with experimental cystitis caused by Escherichia coli demonstrating in vitro resistance to amoxycillin. Bacterial cystitis was induced in 20 cats by bladder infusion of 5 ml of 0.05 per cent alcoholic salicylic acid followed after 24 hours by a brain-heart infusion broth of E coli (10(8) colony forming units ml-1) previously found to be resistant to amoxycillin in vitro (minimum inhibitory concentration over 512 micrograms ml-1). Four days after infection, cats were randomly divided into two groups of 10 and treated with amoxycillin combined with clavulanic acid or placebo for 10 days. When compared to the placebo-treated group, the A-CA treated group showed: reduced quantitative bacterial counts in urine on days 7 (P less than 0.001) and 14 (P less than 0.02); reduced culture positive urine on days 7 (P less than 0.001) and 14 (P less than 0.001); and less severe inflammation on histological examination of the bladder and urethra (P less than 0.01). It was concluded that A-CA was effective in reducing the bacterial count and reducing the histopathological changes in the bladder and urethra in an experimental model of acute bacterial cystitis in cats infected with an E coli demonstrating in vitro resistance to amoxycillin.

Congealed amniotic fluid in the alveoli of lungs of aborted foals.

The alveoli of the lungs of 2 aborted foals contained elongated, dense bodies when examined histologically and by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. By light microscopy, the bodies (10 to 40 micrometers in size) stained intensely with the Gram stain, and up to 10 were present within an alveolus. Electron microscopy determined that such bodies were not cellular in origin but appeared to be a congealed fluid product composed of layers of fibrillar-like material. From the human literature, it was concluded that these intraalveolar bodies were probably congealed amniotic fluid.

Postprandial venous ammonia concentrations in the diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease in dogs.

A postprandial ammonia tolerance test (PPATT) was performed on normal dogs and dogs with signs that suggested they may have liver disease. All dogs underwent transcolonic scintigraphy, liver biopsy, or both and were assigned to extrahepatic disease, primary hepatocellular, and congenital portosystemic vascular anomalies (PSVA) groups. Each dog was fed a chicken and rice diet providing 25% of its estimated daily metabolizable energy requirement (MER) as an ammonia challenge. This is practical in patients with liver disease because ammonium chloride administration often causes vomiting or ammonia toxicity. Venous ammonia concentrations were measured before feeding and every 2 hours after feeding for 8 hours. No difference in mean ammonia concentrations between dogs with extrahepatic disease and control dogs was found. Therefore, the specificity of the PPATT was 100%. Dogs with hepatocellular disease showed no change in mean ammonia concentration at any time point, before or after feeding, but sensitivity was greatest when venous ammonia was measured 6 hours after feeding (sensitivity before feeding, 28%, and after feeding, 36%). Among dogs with congenital PSVA, mean ammonia concentrations were higher than the reference range at all time points before and after feeding, and peak mean ammonia concentration occurred 6 hours after feeding. In this group, the sensitivity of the PPATT was 81% before feeding and 91% 6 hours after feeding. This study demonstrates that the measurement of venous ammonia concentration is a useful test to detect congenital PSVA, and the sensitivity of the test may be improved by sampling 6 hours after feeding. The PPATT has poor sensitivity in detecting primary hepatocellular disease.

Indirect immunoperoxidase test for the diagnosis of paratuberculosis.

An indirect immunoperoxidase procedure for the diagnosis of paratuberculosis was described. Formalin-fixed ileocecal tissue containing large numbers of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis organisms was used as the source of antigen. Goat anti-bovine immunoglobulin G labeled with peroxidase was used as the conjugate in the test system. The method is relatively simple to do and may prove to be valuable as a routine screening test.

Response of pony peritoneum to four peritoneal lavage solutions.

Peritoneal lavage was performed on ponies to determine the effect on peritoneal surfaces. Lavage solution (20 L) was introduced into each pony's peritoneal cavity through catheters placed in the paralumbar fossa, and the solution was removed by drainage from the ventral portion of the abdomen. Six ponies each were lavaged with sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) solution, sterile saline solution containing 5 X 10(6) U of potassium penicillin and 3 g of neomycin or povidone-iodine diluted to 3% by volume with sterile saline solution, and 3 ponies were lavaged with povidone-iodine diluted to 10% with sterile saline solution. Peritoneal lavage catheters were inserted in 3 control ponies, but lavage fluids were not administered. Peritoneal fluid specimens were collected at 6, 24, 48, and 96 hours after lavage. Nucleated cell counts, RBC counts, total protein determinations, and cytologic analysis were performed. The ponies were euthanatized at 96 hours, and representative sections of the peritoneum were examined. Lavage with saline solution and saline solution with antibiotics induced a mild, transient inflammatory response in the peritoneal fluid, with minimal or no changes observed at necropsy. Solutions containing povidone-iodine induced chemical peritonitis, which was severe in ponies lavaged with 10% povidone-iodine solution. Peritoneal lavage with povidone-iodine solutions as dilute as 3% cannot be accomplished without causing inflammation of peritoneal surfaces.

In vitro lymphocyte transformation as a herd survey method for bovine paratuberculosis.

The lymphocyte-transformation (LT) test was evaluated for its potential application as a field test for bovine paratuberculosis. Using a whole blood technique, samples from 3 consecutive collection periods were subjected to 3 mycobacterial antigens and to phytohemagglutinin. The results obtained from LT were compared with conventional serologic and cultural methods. A positive LT response to johnin purified-protein derivative (PPD) or avian PPD (or both) was noted in 40% to 60% of the animals tested. The complement-fixation test yielded 4% to 6.7% positive results, the immunodiffusion test between 1.2% and 1.4%, and the direct fecal culture between 2.4% and 6%. The mean of the stimulation indices of all positively responding animals was highest with johnin PPD. Specific stimulation to mammalian PPD occurred between 2.4% and 6% of the animals. The efficacy of the LT test for determining the incidence of infection with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is discussed.

Genital papillomatosis in sperm whale bulls.

Examination of 31 male sperm whales (Physeter catodon) caught off the western coast of Iceland revealed three cases of genital papillomatosis involving the unsheathed penis. One subadult and two sexually mature bulls were affected. Gross lesions resembled papillomas common in terrestrial mammalian species. Transmission electron microscopy of these lesions revealed nonenveloped intranuclear virus particles 28-40 nm in diameter and round to hexagonal in shape. In two cases immunoperoxidase staining was negative for group-specific papillomavirus antigen. These findings indicate that the spectrum of animal species affected with virus-associated genital papillomatosis includes at least one globally distributed species of the order Cetacea (whales, dolpins, and porpoises).

Atrial septal defects in Florida panthers.

Ostium secundum atrial septal defects (ASDs) were observed in six (3 M, 3 F) of 33 (20 M, 13 F) (18%) Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) necropsied by veterinary pathologists between 1985 and 1998. A seventh ASD was found in a female panther necropsied in the field and is included in the pathological description but not the prevalence of ASDs in Florida panthers. One panther (FP205) with severe ASD also had tricuspid valve dysplasia (TVD). Atrial septal defects and/or TVD are believed to have caused or contributed to the deaths of three (9%) Florida panthers in this study. Mean diameter +/- SD of ASDs was 9.0 +/- 4.7 mm (range 3 to 15 mm). Gross pathological changes attributed to ASDs/TVD in severely affected panthers (ASD > or = 10 mm) (n = 4) included mild right ventricular dilatation (n = 3) and hypertrophy (n = 2), mild to severe right atrial dilatation (n = 2), and acute pulmonary edema (n = 3). Panthers with mild ASDs (ASD < or = 5 mm) (n = 3) had no other detectable gross pathological changes associated with the ASDs. Histological examination of lungs of three panthers with severe ASDs revealed mild to moderate dilatation with fibrosis and smooth muscle atrophy of the tunica media of medium to large caliber arteries (n = 2), interstitial and/or pleural fibrosis (n = 2), perivascular fibrosis (n = 1), and acute to chronic edema (n = 3). Twenty-six necropsied panthers were examined one or more times while living; medical records were retrospectively evaluated. Antemortem radiographic, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic examinations were performed on two panthers with severe ASDs (FP20 and FP205). Thoracic radiographic abnormalities in both included right heart enlargement, and in FP205 (severe ASD and TVD), mild pulmonary overperfusion. Electrocardiographic examination of FP205 revealed a right ventricular hypertrophy pattern, while FP205 had a normal electrocardiogram. Echocardiographic examination of FP20 revealed marked right atrial dilatation; a bubble contrast study indicated regurgitation across the tricuspid valve. Echocardiographic abnormalities in FP20 included right atrial and ventricular lilatation, atrial septal drop-out, and severe tricuspid regurgitation; non-selective angiography revealed significant left to right shunting across the ASD. All panthers with severe ASDs ausculted (n = 3) had systolic right or left-sided grade I-V/VI murmurs loudest at the heart base. All male panthers with ASDs (n = 3) (100%) and 9 of 17 (53%) male panthers without ASDs in this study were cryptorchid.

Age and milk production data of cattle culled from a dairy herd with paratuberculosis.

Statistical assessment of age and milk production data revealed a significantly shorter life expectancy and reduced milk production of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis-infected dairy cows, when compared with non-infected herdmates. High producing cows were frequently culled after their 1st or 2nd gestation, contributing to an undetermined economic loss with regard to their potential breeding value. Cows with subclinical infection frequently had problems of infertility and of mastitis.

Tracheal resection and anastomosis in dogs.

Resection and end-to-end anastomosis of the trachea is a practical procedure for the correction of various forms of tracheal stenosis. Preplacing retention sutures facilitates manipulation of the trachea and rapid apposition of the tracheal ends. These same sutures then relieve tension on the primary suture line, assuring early epithelialization. Two dogs with tracheal stenosis were treated by use of this technique. Slight narrowing of the trachea was evident postoperatively in both dogs, but neither dyspnea nor coughing occurred during the follow-up period.

Ventricular septal defects in the horse.

Clinical, echocardiographic, and right-side cardiac catheterization data were collected in 6 horses with ventricular septal defects. The defects were confirmed by necropsy in 5 horses. On echocardiography, the cardiac dimensions were normal in 3 horses and enlarged in 2 others. A step-up in partial oxygen pressure between right atrium and right ventricle suggested a left-to-right shunt in 3 of the 4 horses catheterized. In 1 foal, a small defect without PO2 step-up was documented by angiocardiography. The oxymetry and pressure data were compared with previous cases from the reviewed literature, and the importance of pressure measurements to rule out concomitant defects was emphasized.