Whole-genome sequences of Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni isolates from rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) with and without intestinal disease.

Campylobacter jejuni or Campylobacter coli infection can lead to post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome in humans and may produce a similar syndrome in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). We report the complete genomes of 8 C. jejuni isolates and 103 C. coli isolates obtained from rhesus macaques with and without intestinal disease.

Analysis of cell populations in the normal rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) lower intestinal tract and diagnostic thresholds for chronic enterocolitis.

Rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are used extensively in biomedical research, often with a focus on the gastrointestinal tract, and yet a full characterization of their normal resident intestinal cell populations has not been published. In addition, chronic enterocolitis (CE), also known as idiopathic chronic diarrhea, affects up to 25% of colony-housed rhesus macaques, often requiring euthanasia for welfare concerns and severely limiting their value as a breeding animal or research subject. We aimed to characterize subjective and objective variables in sections of the ileum, cecum, colon, and rectum in 16 healthy rhesus macaques and compare these results with a cohort of 37 animals euthanized for CE to produce relevant diagnostic thresholds and to improve case definitions for future studies. We found neutrophils to be an infrequent but expected component of the large intestinal leukocyte population. Animals with CE had significantly increased total leukocyte populations between crypts in the cecum, colon, and rectum; variable increases in specific cell populations across all levels of the distal intestinal tract; and significantly increased intraepithelial CD3+ T cells in the colon and rectum. Concentrations of enteroendocrine cells, enterochromaffin cells, and intestinal mast cells were not significantly different between healthy and affected individuals. This study characterizes individual leukocyte populations in the rhesus macaque lower intestinal tract, is the first to evaluate rhesus macaque intestinal mast cells, and provides key diagnostic thresholds for evaluating animals with potential CE.

Talaromyces spp. infections in dogs from the Southern United States.

Talaromyces spp. are soil-dwelling fungi sporadically reported to cause disease in humans and dogs. This study summarized the clinical presentations, histologic findings, and Talaromyces sp. involved in 5 dogs diagnosed through the panfungal polymerase chain reaction service (PCR) at Texas A&M University, with a review of previously reported cases. Of the 5 cases, 3 were Labrador Retrievers, 2 were male, and 3 were female. Three of 5 involved the musculoskeletal or lymphatic systems, and 2 of 5 dogs presented with meningoencephalitis. Talaromyces helicus, Talaromyces aurantiacus, and Talaromyces boninensis were identified based on panfungal PCR, showing 99% to 100% sequence matches in combination with morphologic features. Three of 5 dogs had static disease at the time of publication, 1 was euthanized, and 1 was lost to follow-up. This study describes Talaromyces spp. as a cause of meningoencephalitis in dogs, identifies 2 novel Talaromyces spp. involved in infections, and adds to the existing knowledge of clinical presentations and outcomes.

Angioinvasive lymphoma (lymphomatoid granulomatosis) in a cat, with cutaneous and ocular metastasis.

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis (LYG) is a rare variant of an angioinvasive T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder that primarily affects the lungs, with common sites of metastasis including the skin and subcutis. In humans, it is a B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder associated with Epstein-Barr virus infection. Our case is a 7-y-old, spayed female, domestic longhair cat that decompensated and was euthanized following an initial diagnosis of angioinvasive lymphoma from a skin biopsy. Autopsy revealed nodules in the lungs and subcutis, and corneal thickening and cloudiness. Histologic examination of cutaneous nodules, lungs, and eye showed similar angioinvasive cellular infiltrates and pattern to that of the original skin biopsy, consistent with a diagnosis of LYG. The neoplastic cells displayed CD3-positive immunoreactivity in the skin, eye, and lung, and PCR for antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) showed T-cell clonality in all tissues tested. This is the third case of LYG to be reported in cats and is the only case in which PARR analysis and immunophenotyping immunohistochemical staining was performed. LYG with ocular involvement has not been reported previously in cats, to our knowledge. Our case demonstrates the necessity for considering LYG when presented with a cat with respiratory signs in conjunction with subcutaneous nodules and ocular lesions.

Helicobacter Species Identified in Captive Sooty Mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) with Metastatic Gastric Adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Of all human cancers, gastric carcinoma is the one of the leading causes of death. Helicobacter pylori is considered a major etiologic agent of this disease. Spontaneously occurring gastric carcinoma is a rare diagnosis in nonhuman primates. A 2011 case report documented a high incidence of gastric adenocarcinoma in a closed colony of captive sooty mangabeys (Cercebus atys). However, H. pylori infection was not detected in these animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, using archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded stomach sections of these animals alternative methodologies were used to identify H. pylori and other non-H. pylori Helicobacter species. In addition, two additional cases of sooty mangabeys with metastatic gastric carcinoma are characterized. RESULTS: Using fluorescent in situ hybridization, we identified gastric H. suis in 75% of archived and new gastric carcinoma cases. In the two newly reported cases, H. suis and a novel Helicobacter species were detected via PCR and sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. H. pylori was not identified in any of the gastric carcinoma cases via FISH and/or PCR and sequence analysis of Helicobacter spp. in DNA from of available tissues. CONCLUSIONS: This report is the first to characterize Helicobacter species infection in spontaneous gastric carcinoma with metastatic potential in nonhuman primates.