Histologic findings of Massospora cicadina infection in periodical cicadas (Magicicada septendecim).

Massospora cicadina, an obligate fungal pathogen in the subphylum Entomophthoromycotina (Zoopagomycota), infects periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) during their adult emergence and modifies their sexual behavior to maximize fungal spore dissemination. In this study, 7 periodical cicadas from the Brood X emergence in 2021 infected by M. cicadina were histologically examined. In 7 of 7 cicadas, fungal masses replaced the posterior portion of the abdominal cavity, effacing portions of the body wall, reproductive organs, alimentary tract, and fat bodies. No appreciable inflammation was noted at the intersections of the fungal masses and host tissues. Fungal organisms were present in multiple morphologies including protoplasts, hyphal bodies, conidiophores, and mature conidia. Conidia were clustered into eosinophilic membrane-bound packets. These findings help uncover the pathogenesis of M. cicadina by suggesting there is evasion of the host immune response and by providing a more in-depth description of its relationship with Magicicada septendecim than previously documented.

RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW OF HISTOLOGIC FINDINGS IN CAPTIVE GILA MONSTERS (HELODERMA SUSPECTUM) AND BEADED LIZARDS (HELODERMA HORRIDUM).

A retrospective study was performed by reviewing all Heloderma spp. submissions to Northwest ZooPath from 1996 to 2019. Necropsy and biopsy specimens from 106 captive Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) and 49 captive beaded lizards (Heloderma horridum) were reviewed. Inflammatory diseases were the most frequently diagnosed condition in Heloderma spp., and were diagnosed in 72% of all animals examined, including 76% of Gila monsters and 63% of beaded lizards. The most common cause of inflammation was bacterial infection, which was present in 52% of all Heloderma spp. with inflammation. Enterocolitis was common in Gila monsters (20%) and beaded lizards (14%), but the underlying causes were different for each species. Cryptosporidium spp. was the most common cause of enterocolitis in Gila monsters (36%) but was not identified in beaded lizards. Amoebiasis was a common cause of enterocolitis in Gila monsters (27%) and was the most common cause of enterocolitis in beaded lizards (57%). Deposition diseases were diagnosed in 34% of all Heloderma spp. The most frequently diagnosed deposition disease in beaded lizards was urolithiasis-nephrolithiasis (12%). This disease was not diagnosed in Gila monsters. Deposition diseases that were common in Gila monsters and beaded lizards included hepatic lipidosis and renal gout. Neoplasia was diagnosed in 17% of all Heloderma spp., including 17% of Gila monsters and 18% of beaded lizards. The most common neoplasm of Heloderma spp. was renal adenocarcinoma, which was equally common in Gila monsters and beaded lizards. Less common diagnoses included degenerative diseases, trauma, nutritional disease, nonneoplastic proliferative disease, nondegenerative cardiovascular disease, and congenital malformation.

Uterine Tumors Resembling Ovarian Sex Cord Tumors in Four Baboons ( Papio spp.).

Uterine tumors resembling ovarian sex cord tumors (UTROSCTs) are rare uterine neoplasms that exhibit prominent sex cord-like differentiation. The authors describe 4 cases of UTROSCTs that were identified as incidental lesions in female baboons. All baboons were in good body condition. One animal had a 2-mm-diameter yellow-tan mass in the uterine body along the attachment of the left broad ligament; the other 3 did not have any gross lesions in the uterus. Histologically, the myometrium contained multifocal well-demarcated neoplasms composed of cuboidal to columnar cells arranged in variable arrangements of sheets, nests, cords, trabecular, and retiform patterns that occasionally formed Call-Exner-like bodies. In all cases, the neoplastic cells were diffusely positive for WT-1 and negative for calretinin, CD99, and desmin. One case was positive for inhibin and CD10. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of UTROSCTs in nonhuman primates and in the veterinary literature.