Characterization of the oral and faecal microbiota associated with atopic dermatitis in dogs selected from a purebred Shiba Inu colony.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and relapsing multifactorial inflammatory skin disease that also affects dogs. The oral and gut microbiota are associated with many disorders, including allergy. Few studies have addressed the oral and gut microbiota in dogs, although the skin microbiota has been studied relatively well in these animals. Here, we studied the AD-associated oral and gut microbiota in 16 healthy and 9 AD dogs from a purebred Shiba Inu colony. We found that the diversity of the oral microbiota was significantly different among the dogs, whereas no significant difference was observed in the gut microbiota. Moreover, a differential abundance analysis detected the Family_XIII_AD3011_group (Anaerovoracaceae) in the gut microbiota of AD dogs; however, no bacterial taxa were detected in the oral microbiota. Third, the comparison of the microbial co-occurrence patterns between AD and healthy dogs identified differential networks in which the bacteria in the oral microbiota that were most strongly associated with AD were related to human periodontitis, whereas those in the gut microbiota were related to dysbiosis and gut inflammation. These results suggest that AD can alter the oral and gut microbiota in dogs.

Fatal Salmonellosis in Captive Maras (Dolichotis patagonum) Caused by Salmonella Enteritidis.

We report epidemic occurrences of fatal salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Enteritidis in captive maras (Dolichotis patagonum) in a zoological garden in Japan. The deaths were sudden or followed a peracute course within a few hours of the first observations of clinical abnormalities. Gross lesions included haemorrhages in the subcutis and skeletal muscles, liver, spleen, lung, heart and gastrointestinal tract. Microscopically, there were haemorrhagic and necrotizing lesions with gram-negative bacilli in the liver, spleen, small intestine and Peyer's patches. These bacilli showed strong immunolabelling for Salmonella O9 antigen and S. Enteritidis was isolated from the lesions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of salmonellosis in maras.

Peracute Bacterial Meningitis due to Infection with Klebsiella pneumoniae in Captive-bred Ruffed Lemurs (Varecia variegate).

We describe the development of neurological signs in four juvenile black-and-white ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegate), housed at a petting zoo in Japan. The clinical course was severe, with three lemurs dying within 1 day of the appearance of clinical signs. The other lemur was treated and survived. Pathological analyses demonstrated meningitis and the presence of gram-negative bacilli in the cerebrum, cerebellum, palatine tonsil and liver. Klebsiella pneumoniae was isolated from the brain of all of the dead lemurs. Multilocus sequence typing analysis showed that all the isolates were sequence type 86 (ST86). To our knowledge, this is the first determination of K. pneumoniae infection in ruffed lemurs of this genus. K. pneumoniae infection may represent a risk to lemurs and people who come into contact with infected animals.

Prevalence of Baylisascaris Roundworm in Captive Kinkajous in Japan.

Baylisascaris potosis causes larva migrans in animals. The present study evaluated the prevalence of B. potosis in captive kinkajous ( Potos flavus ) and the ability of milbemycin to treat natural infections of B. potosis in 2 female wild-caught kinkajous. In 2012, fecal samples were collected from 16 kinkajous in 6 zoological gardens and 29 imported captive kinkajous from 4 pet traders in Japan. Although all samples from zoological gardens were negative, 8 kinkajous from traders were positive for Baylisascaris eggs, at least 4 of which were wild caught in the Republic of Guyana. No associated human illness was reported from any of the facilities. The 2 infected kinkajous received a single oral administration of Milbemycin® A Tablets, which delivers 0.69-0.89 mg/kg milbemycin oxime. Fecal examinations on days 14 and 30 were negative for Baylisascaris eggs. These results demonstrated that milbemycin oxime has possible anthelmintic efficacy against Baylisascaris roundworms in captive kinkajous. We conclude that Baylisascaris infections are highly prevalent in wild-caught kinkajous in Japan and that most of the infected kinkajous were imported from the Republic of Guyana.

Experimental infection of Mongolian gerbils with Baylisascaris potosis.

The present study evaluated the pathogenicity of Baylisascaris potosis, a newly described ascarid nematode, in Mongolian gerbils. Gerbils were infected with varying doses of either B. potosis or Baylisascaris transfuga embryonated eggs (100, 1,000, and 4,000) for 30 days postinfection (pi). Baylisascaris potosis-infected gerbils showed no clinical signs of disease; however, gerbils exposed to 1,000 and 4,000 B. transfuga eggs showed severe neurologic signs at 22-29 days and 14-15 days pi, respectively. Histopathologic examination revealed larvae and lesions in the intestine, lung, liver, and muscles of B. potosis-infected gerbils, but not in the brain, whereas B. transfuga larvae were found only in the brain and muscle. These results indicate that B. potosis larvae migrate through numerous organs and are associated with visceral larva migrans in gerbils, but less frequently migrate to the nervous system in gerbils than does B. transfuga .

Aberrant forms of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis as spheroplasts and filaments in yersiniosis in squirrel monkeys.

This report describes atypical cases of yersiniosis in squirrel monkeys in which aberrant forms of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis were seen. There were 2 outbreaks due to yersiniosis in squirrel monkeys in Japan. The monkeys had systemic necrotizing and hemorrhagic lesions with Gram-negative rod-shaped bacilli and microthromboembolism in the kidneys. Some lesions contained filaments, globular bodies, and other pleomorphic forms of bacteria. All forms were usually seen in the same lesions, and those with pleomorphic morphology appeared to be an intermediate form between the rod-shaped bacteria and the filaments or globular bodies. In addition, they had strong immunolabeling for Y. pseudotuberculosis, as did the rod-shaped bacteria. Therefore, the globular bodies, filaments, and others are strongly suspected to be shape-changed bacilli of Y. pseudotuberculosis. These morphologically altered bacteria could cause errors in diagnosis since they resemble fungi or protozoa, and special staining techniques, including immunohistochemistry, can be helpful in establishing the correct diagnosis.

Correlative multi-scale characterization of a fine grained Nd-Fe-B sintered magnet.

The Nd-rich phases in pressless processed fine grained Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and three dimensional atom probe tomography (3DAP). The combination of the backscattered electron (BSE) and in-lens secondary electron (IL-SE) images in SEM led to an unambiguous identification of four types of Nd-rich phases, NdOx, Ia3 type phase, which is isostructural to Nd2O3, dhcp-Nd and Nd1Fe4B4. In addition, the 3DAP analysis of thin Nd-rich grain boundary layer indicate that the coercivity has a close correlation with the chemistry of the grain boundary phase.

Small Indian mongooses and masked palm civets serve as new reservoirs of Bartonella henselae and potential sources of infection for humans.

The prevalence and genetic properties of Bartonella species were investigated in small Indian mongooses and masked palm civets in Japan. Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of cat-scratch disease (CSD) was isolated from 15.9% (10/63) of the mongooses and 2.0% (1/50) of the masked palm civets, respectively. The bacteraemic level ranged from 3.0 × 10(1) to 8.9 × 10(3) CFU/mL in mongooses and was 7.0 × 10(3) CFU/mL in the masked palm civet. Multispacer typing (MST) analysis based on nine intergenic spacers resulted in the detection of five MST genotypes (MSTs 8, 14, 37, 58 and 59) for the isolates, which grouped in lineage 1 with MST genotypes of isolates from all CSD patients and most of the cats in Japan. It was also found that MST14 from the mongoose strains was the predominant genotype of cat and human strains. This is the first report on the isolation of B. henselae from small Indian mongooses and masked palm civets. The data obtained in the present study suggest that these animals serve as new reservoirs for B. henselae, and may play a role as potential sources of human infection.

Outbreak of yersiniosis in Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) caused by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serotype 4b.

This report describes an outbreak of yersiniosis in Egyptian rousette bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) caused by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis serotype 4b. Twelve of 61 bats died between November and December 2008 or in May 2009. The bats often displayed multiple yellow-white nodules in the spleen and liver. Microscopically, these consisted of focal necrosis accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration and colonies of gram-negative bacilli. The bacterial colonies were identified immunohistochemically as Y. pseudotuberculosis O4 and Y. pseudotuberculosis serotype 4b was identified by bacteriological examination. Polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that the isolate harboured the virulence genes virF, inv and ypmA. YPMa is as a superantigenic toxin that is associated with acute systemic infection in man and may contribute to the virulence of Y. pseudotuberculosis in bats.

Genetic variation of Gongylonema pulchrum from wild animals and cattle in Japan based on ribosomal RNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I genes.

The gullet worm (Gongylonema pulchrum) has been recorded from a variety of mammals worldwide, including monkeys and humans. Due to its wide host range, it has been suggested that the worm may be transmitted locally to any mammalian host by chance. To investigate this notion, the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA), mainly regions of the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) 1 and 2, and a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region of mitochondrial DNA of G. pulchrum were characterized using parasites from the following hosts located in Japan: cattle, sika deer, wild boars, Japanese macaques, a feral Reeves's muntjac and captive squirrel monkeys. The rDNA nucleotide sequences of G. pulchrum were generally well conserved regardless of their host origin. However, a few insertions/deletions of nucleotides along with a few base substitutions in the ITS1 and ITS2 regions were observed in G. pulchrum from sika deer, wild boars and Japanese macaques, and those differed from G. pulchrum in cattle, the feral Reeves's muntjac and captive squirrel monkeys. The COI sequences of G. pulchrum were further divided into multiple haplotypes and two groups of haplotypes, i.e. those from a majority of sika deer, wild boars and Japanese macaques and those from cattle and zoo animals, were clearly differentiated. Our findings indicate that domestic and sylvatic transmission cycles of the gullet worm are currently present, at least in Japan.

Purulent meningoventriculitis caused by Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus in a snow leopard (Panthera uncia).

Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus (SEZ) is a zoonotic pathogen that causes respiratory tract infections in man and animals. SEZ infections are very rare in felids. This report describes purulent meningoventriculitis caused by SEZ in an approximately 16-year-old male snow leopard (Panthera uncia). The animal exhibited neurological signs and died 1 month after their onset. On necropsy examination, the surface blood vessels of the brain were swollen and there was an increased volume and turbidity of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Microscopically, suppurative inflammation accompanied by gram-positive cocci was observed in the meninges and near the ventricles. SEZ was isolated from the brain tissue and CSF. This is the first report of infection with SEZ in a felid other than a domestic cat. This animal had not had direct contact with horses, but it had been fed horse flesh that may have been the source of infection.

Beta amyloid deposition and neurofibrillary tangles spontaneously occur in the brains of captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus).

Alzheimer disease is a dementing disorder characterized pathologically by Aß deposition, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuronal loss. Although aged animals of many species spontaneously develop Aß deposits, only 2 species (chimpanzee and wolverine) have been reported to develop Aß deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in the same individual. Here, the authors demonstrate the spontaneous occurrence of Aß deposits and neurofibrillary tangles in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). Among 22 cheetahs examined in this study, Aß deposits were observed in 13. Immunostaining (AT8) revealed abnormal intracellular tau immunoreactivity in 10 of the cheetahs with Aß deposits, and they were mainly distributed in the parahippocampal cortex and CA1 in a fashion similar to that in human patients with Alzheimer disease. Ultrastructurally, bundles of straight filaments filled the neuronal somata and axons, consistent with tangles. Interestingly, 2 of the cheetahs with the most severe abnormal tau immunoreactivity showed clinical cognitive dysfunction. The authors conclude that cheetahs spontaneously develop age-related neurodegenerative disease with pathologic changes similar to Alzheimer disease.

Cardiac angioleiomyoma in 44 cattle in Japan (1982-2009).

A retrospective study was performed on primary cardiac tumors found in 44 cattle during meat inspection in Japan, using histology, immunohistochemistry, and electron microscopy. The age of affected cattle ranged from 10 to 129 months; 82% were less than 3 years old. In 38 hearts, the tumor was solitary; the remaining 6 hearts had multiple masses. All tumors were subendocardial and involved the papillary muscles and/or cardiac valves. Two histologic patterns were recognized; both included giant cells. Pattern 1 was characterized by interlacing fascicles of spindle-shaped cells; pattern 2 resembled cavernous hemangioma. The 2 patterns coexisted and were linked by transitional zones. Given the immunohistochemical reactivity and ultrastructure, the spindle-shaped cells were identified as smooth muscle cells and the giant cells as endothelial cells. Single cell and multicellular angiogenesis by giant cells was observed. The tumors were classified as cardiac angioleiomyoma. Subendocardial multipotential mesenchymal cells, persistent tissue of the endocardial cushion, or valvular interstitial cells were suspected as the origin.

Pathological changes in captive monkeys with spontaneous yersiniosis due to infection by Yersinia enterocolitica serovar O8.

An outbreak of fatal yersiniosis due to infection with Yersinia enterocolitica serovar O8 is documented in two species of captive monkey. Five of 50 squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and one of two agile gibbons (Hylobates agilis) died following several days of diarrhoea. Necropsy examination revealed necrotizing enterocolitis and multifocal necrosis or abscesses in various organs. Microscopically, these lesions comprised multifocal necrosis with bacterial colonies, neutrophils and accumulation of nuclear debris. Occasional lesions included macrophages and abscess formation. Immunohistochemically, the bacteria were identified as Y. enterocolitica O8. In addition, Y. enterocolitica serotype O8 was isolated from animal organs in pure culture. This is the first report of fatal cases of infection with Y. enterocolitica serovar O8 in animals.

Contact dermatitis in dairy cattle caused by calcium cyanamide.

Nine of 250 cows on a dairy farm initially developed severe dermatitis on parts of their bodies that touched the floor, and it then spread over their entire body. The cause was suspected to be calcium cyanamide, which had been added to the material spread on the floor to prevent environmental mastitis. Experimental exposure of the skin of a cow to calcium cyanamide induced the same type of contact dermatitis, and histopathological investigations showed that it caused irritant and allergic reactions. To identify the cause of the dermatitis, a patch test with calcium cyanamide and its breakdown products, cyanamide, urea and ammonium bicarbonate, was carried out on four cows. Three of them had a positive reaction to calcium cyanamide and cyanamide; delayed and amplified reactions suggesting an allergic response were observed.

The immunohistochemical evaluation of estrogen receptor-alpha and progesterone receptors of normal, hyperplastic, and neoplastic endometrium in 88 pet rabbits.

The expression of estrogen receptor-alpha (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in normal, hyperplastic, and neoplastic endometrium in rabbits was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The tissues evaluated were 27 normal uteri, 19 cases with endometrial hyperplasia, and 42 adenocarcinomas. Sixteen of 27 cases of normal uteri (59.3%) and 13 out of 19 hyperplasias (68.4%) stained positive with both ER-alpha and PR. Adenocarcinomas were further subdivided into 26 papillary and 16 tubular/solid adenocarcinomas. Papillary adenocarcinoma infiltrated the myometrium late in the disease and caused attenuation of the myometrium. In contrast, tubular/solid adenocarcinoma invaded into the deep myometrium early in the disease without thinning of the myometrium. Twenty-one cases out of 26 (80.8%) cases of papillary adenocarcinoma were both ER-alpha and PR negative, whereas 15 out of 16 (93.8%) of the tubular/solid adenocarcinomas were positive for ER-alpha, PR, or both. The total immunoreactive scores of ER-alpha, PR, and mode of myometrial invasion were significantly different between histopathologic types. This suggests that there may be 2 different developmental pathways for uterine adenocarcinomas in the rabbit.

Induction of murine AA amyloidosis by various homogeneous amyloid fibrils and amyloid-like synthetic peptides.

We investigated amyloid-enhancing factor (AEF) activity of amyloid fibrils extracted from amyloid-laden livers of mice, cow, cheetah, cat and swan. All amyloid fibrils were confirmed to be amyloid protein A (AA) by an immunohistochemical analysis. We found that these fibrils accelerated the deposition of amyloid in an experimental mouse model of AA amyloidosis. Furthermore, the degree of deposition was dependent on the concentration of fibrils. When we compared the minimal concentration of amyloid fibrils needed to induce deposition, we found that these fibrils showed different efficiencies. Murine amyloid fibril induced amyloid deposition more efficiently than cow, cat, cheetah or swan amyloid fibrils. These data suggest that amyloid deposition is preferentially induced by amyloid fibrils with the same primary sequence as the endogenous amyloid protein. We then analysed the AEF activity of synthetic peptides, synthesized corresponding to amino acids 1-15 of mouse SAA (mSAA), 2-15 of cow SAA (bSAA), 1-15 of cat SAA (cSAA), which was the same as cheetah, and the common amino acids 33-45 of these four SAA (aSAA). We found that mSAA, bSAA and cSAA formed amyloid-like fibrils in morphology and showed similar AEF properties to those of native amyloid fibrils. Although aSAA also formed highly ordered amyloid-like fibrils, it showed weaker AEF activity than the other synthetic fibrils. Our results indicate that amyloidosis is transmissible between species under certain conditions; however, the efficiency of amyloid deposition is species-specific and appears to be related to the primary amino acid sequence, especially the N-terminal segment of the amyloid protein.

Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) kuseli sp. n. (Protozoa: Kinetoplastida) in Siberian flying squirrels (Pteromys volans).

All trypanosome species classified in the subgenus Herpetosoma in sciurid hosts have been recorded from ground and tree squirrels to date, but not from any flying squirrels. We describe in this paper a novel trypanosome species, Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) kuseli sp. n., from Siberian flying squirrels (Pteromys volans) imported from China, and compare it with T. (H.) otospermophili in Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) and Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus) from the USA. Due to a short free flagellum, the new species appeared stumpy compared with T. otospermophili (length of free flagellum 7.0 +/- 0.8 microm, total length 32.1 +/- 0.8 microm, n = 13 and length of free flagellum 15.5 +/- 1.6 microm, total length 35.9 +/- 1.0 microm, n = 13, respectively). Another conspicuous morphological feature of the new species was an anteriorly positioned kinetoplast, found approximately at the midpoint between the nucleus and the posterior end. These characters have not been recorded from any squirrel Herpetosoma trypanosome species. Comparison of the nucleotide sequences of the small and large subunit rRNA genes indicated that T. kuseli sp. n. was more homologous to T. otospermophili than murid Herpetosoma species, such as T. grosi, T. lewisi, T. musculi, T. microti and T. evotomys.

Malignant mixed mullerian tumor in a rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus): case report with immunohistochemistry.

A rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) with a homologous malignant mixed müllerian tumor (MMMT) of the uterus with decidualization in the sarcomatous components is described. On histologic examination, the neoplasm was characterized by a carcinomatous and a sarcomatous component with invasion of the myometrium. The epithelial component was a well-differentiated carcinoma, and the nonepithelial component contained large amounts of intracytoplasmic glycogen. The changes in stromal cells were morphologically similar to changes usually found in decidual cells in the pregnant uterus or in deciduosarcomas in rabbits. Results of immunohistochemical analysis indicated that the epithelial components stained positive with cytokeratin (CK7, AE1/3) and the decidual-stromal cells stained positive for vimentin, but did not stain with alpha-SMA, actin, and desmin. This case fulfills all the criteria of an MMMT in having a carcinomatous and a sarcomatous component, but differs from cases of MMMT in women in that the sarcomatous component had decidualized. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a malignant mixed müllerian tumor in rabbits.