New sequence type ST3756 of Staphylococcus aureus subspecies anaerobius as the causative agent of abscessing lymphadenitis in sheep.

Morel's disease is a form of abscessing lymphadenitis of sheep and goats caused by Staphylococcus aureus subspecies anaerobius. In Europe and Africa, the disease is linked to S. aureus of multilocus sequence type 1464. In an outbreak recorded in 2015 in a flock of 530 animals in the district of Nymburk, Czech Republic, Europe, the causative agent was cultured and subsequently confirmed by Maldi-TOF. Neither antibiotic therapy nor surgical interventions met any success, although the strain isolated was found to be sensitive to antibiotics used. Vaccination and revaccination with inactivated autogenous vaccine administered subcutaneously was relatively successful. Subsequent multilocus sequence typing revealed the presence of new S. aureus sequence type 3756, different from 1464 in three out of seven genes typed. The isolate thus represents a new sequence type of Staphylococcus aureus ssp. anaerobius which should be considered as a causative agent of Morel's disease.

SUSPECTED HYPOVITAMINOSIS A-ASSOCIATED SALT GLAND ADENITIS IN NORTHERN ROCKHOPPER PENGUINS ( EUDYPTES MOSELEYI).

Supraorbital salt-excreting glands are present in at least 10 avian orders and are largest in marine species, including penguins. Diseases of the avian salt gland have been described infrequently. From September 2015, five captive northern rockhopper penguins ( Eudyptes moseleyi) were presented over a 6-wk period for unilateral or bilateral supraorbital swellings. In September 2016, two cases recurred and two additional cases were identified. Histopathology demonstrated salt gland adenitis with extensive squamous metaplasia. Blood plasma testing demonstrated marked vitamin A and E deficiencies within the colony. Prolonged frozen storage of feed-fish was implicated as a cause of vitamin depletion; reducing storage times and addition of dietary supplementation prevented recurrence.

Sebaceous adenitis and mural folliculitis in a cat responsive to topical fatty acid supplementation.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of feline sebaceous adenitis and mural folliculitis, and its successful treatment with topical fatty acids. ANIMAL: A 5-year-old, male castrated Norwegian Forest cat was presented with a progressive seborrhoeic dermatitis. METHODS: Clinical examination and histopathological examination of skin biopsies. RESULTS: There was severe, multifocal, lymphocytic mural folliculitis and perifollicular dermatitis, moderate hyperkeratosis and sebaceous adenitis on histopathology. Sebaceous glands were either absent or almost completely effaced by a dense lymphocytic infiltrate. Clinical signs began in spring on the face and neck and progressed over an 18 month period to involve the legs. Initially, topical and systemic antibacterial therapy for a mild bacterial overgrowth resulted in partial clinical response. There was no improvement with oral omega 6 fatty acids and surface cleaning. Treatment with a spot-on product containing essential oils, smoothing agents and vitamin E as the sole therapy was associated with a good--but incomplete--clinical response over a 6 month period, with hair regrowth and a marked decrease in seborrhoeic dermatitis. This improvement was sustained until 12 months later when a severe deep pyoderma with associated anorexia and depression occurred. This was symptomatically treated and the cat remained clinically stable for a further 18 months. Periocular and perinasal seborrhoea was a persistent feature. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Topical essential fatty acid therapy may offer a viable alternative to ciclosporin, which has been reported for the successful treatment of this rare disease in cats.

Oral vitamin A as an adjunct treatment for canine sebaceous adenitis.

Medical records of dogs with sebaceous adenitis diagnosed by histopathology over an 18-year period were reviewed. From a total of 40 cases, 24 were treated with oral vitamin A. Dogs ranged from 9 months to 12 years of age at the time of disease onset. Purebred as well as mixed-breed dogs were affected. Akitas represented approximately one-third of the affected population. No sex predilections were observed. Vitamin A was administered for a minimum of 1 month. Doses varied from 380 to 2667 IU/kg/day, with a mean of 1037 IU/kg/day. Two dogs received oral vitamin A exclusively. Concurrent treatments included systemic antibiotics, systemic antifungal medications, fatty acid supplementation and various topical treatments. Of 24 dogs treated with vitamin A, three were lost to follow-up. Twelve owners were satisfied with the overall appearance of their dogs, reporting ≥25% improvement in clinical signs, including level of pruritus, amount of scale, alopecia and overall coat quality, compared with pretreatment appearance. Three owners observed adequate initial improvement, with regression to pretreatment state within 6 months of starting treatment. Two owners reported 25-50% improvement in clinical signs while on oral vitamin A supplementation; however, changes were attributed to concurrent topical treatment. Six owners reported no improvement and discontinued oral administration of vitamin A within 7 months. No correlations could be made between vitamin A dosage and response to treatment; prognoses could not be made based on clinical and histopathological findings.

Sebaceous adenitis in Havanese dogs: a retrospective study of the clinical presentation and incidence.

Sebaceous adenitis is a suspected immune-mediated disease that targets and destroys sebaceous glands. This retrospective study evaluated the clinical presentation and incidence of sebaceous adenitis in Havanese dogs. Sebaceous adenitis was diagnosed in 35% (12 of 34) of Havanese dogs presented over a 5-year period. Onset of clinical signs occurred during young adulthood. Follicular casts were present in 92% (11 of 12) of affected dogs. Other common clinical signs included alopecia and hypotrichosis. The trunk, head and ears were commonly affected, with 67% (8 of 12) of cases having pinnal and/or external ear canal involvement. Secondary pyoderma was seen in 42% (5 of 12) of dogs. Histopathology revealed absent sebaceous glands in 83% (10 of 12) and a lymphoplasmacytic periadnexal infiltrate in 92% (11 of 12) of samples. Treatment included multiple modalities. Cyclosporin was prescribed in 83% (10 of 12) of cases. Other systemic therapies included vitamin A and fatty acid supplementation. Topical therapies included antiseborrhoeic shampoos and sprays, and oil soaks. Follow-up ranging from 2 months to 3 years was obtained in 67% (8 of 12) of dogs. Improvement ranged from minimal to marked, with better clinical response associated with longer duration of treatment. Owners with follow-up of more than 1 year commonly reported occasional flares of the clinical signs. This study found that sebaceous adenitis was a common diagnosis in Havanese dogs, that the ears were commonly affected and that a lymphoplasmacytic periadnexal infiltrate associated with absent sebaceous glands was frequently seen on dermatohistopathological examination.

Vaccination confers significant protection of sheep against infection with a virulent United Kingdom strain of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.

Using a virulent United Kingdom Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis isolate, an ovine experimental model of caseous lymphadenitis was developed, in which the manifestation of disease was equivalent to the naturally observed infection in this country. Subsequently, the capacity of several experimental vaccines to protect against experimental challenge was determined. Sheep were immunised with a recombinant derivative of phospholipase D, deriving from the virulent UK isolate, a formalin-killed bacterin of the same strain, or a bacterin supplemented with recombinant phospholipase D. Following homologous experimental challenge, the phospholipase D and bacterin vaccines were observed to confer statistically significant protection against infection, and appeared to restrict dissemination of challenge bacteria beyond the inoculation site in the majority of animals. More importantly, the combined vaccine succeeded in providing absolute protection against infection, whereby challenge bacteria were eradicated from all vaccinates. In addition to the experimental vaccines, a commercially available CLA vaccine, unlicensed for use in the European Union, was assessed for its capacity to protect against heterologous challenge. The vaccine conferred significant protection, although the dissemination of infection beyond the inoculation site was not restricted as it had been with the previous vaccines. However, no animals immunised with this vaccine manifested infection within the lungs; thus, a potentially important route of disease transmission was eliminated. The results of this study provide information pertinent to the development of an effective caseous lymphadenitis vaccination strategy in the UK.

Infection with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in five alpacas.

Among the population of an alpaca breeding farm, 5 alpacas (22 days to 14 months old) developed focal swellings in the subcutaneous tissues of the head or neck. Infection with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis was confirmed on the basis of results of microbial culture of abscess material and a serum hemolysis inhibition assay to detect C. pseudotuberculosis toxin. The dams of the affected alpacas were seronegative for C. pseudotuberculosis toxin. The affected alpacas underwent surgical excision of the abscesses and were isolated from herdmates for 90 days; treatment was successful, and no other alpacas in the herd became infected. Common risk factors for sources of infection in the affected alpacas included housing in a maternity barn and a pasture. Also, the infection potentially originated from new alpacas introduced into the herd during the preceding 3 months. Infection with C. pseudotuberculosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis for camelids with peripheral lymphadenopathy or abscesses in subcutaneous tissues.

Susceptibility of colostrum-deprived swine of various ages to streptococcic lymphadenitis.

The effect of age on susceptibility of young pigs to streptococcic lymphadenitis was investigated. Twenty-nine cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs were allotted to 7 groups exposed to type IV group E Streptococcus (GES) at 5, 14, 28, 35, 56, 70, and 84 days of age. Four cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs were maintained as nonexposed controls. Six naturally farrowed, susceptible controls were exposed to GES at 63 to 84 days of age. All exposed pigs were killed and necropsied 28 days after exposure. Lesions of streptococcic lymphadenitis were not observed in pigs exposed at 5 or 14 days of age, except for 1 microabscess in a mandibular lymph node in a pig exposed at 14 days, but GES was recovered from 11% of lymph nodes examined from pigs of those age groups. Lesions and GES-positive lymph nodes were frequent in cesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pigs exposed at 28 days and older and in susceptible controls. Serologic response to exposure, as determined by microtitration agglutination test and bactericidal test, was observed only in pigs exposed at 14 days and older. The absence of abscess development in pigs exposed at 5 or 14 days of age was not caused by antibody or failure of infecting organisms to reach the target organs.