Two Clinical Cases of Feline Hemoplasmosis in Korea.

Feline hemotropic mycoplasmosis (hemoplasmosis) is an infection of the red blood cells caused by the Mycoplasma haemofelis (Mhf), Candidatus Mycoplasma haemominutum (CMhm), and Candidatus Mycoplasma turicensis (CMt). The existence of Mhf, CMhm, and CMt has been demonstrated in feral cats in Korea using molecular methods, but no clinical cases have yet been reported. This study reports 2 clinical cases of hemotropic mycoplasmosis caused by CMhm and CMt in 2 anemic cats. The first case was a client-owned intact female domestic shorthair cat that presented with fever, pale mucous membranes, and normocytic normochromic non-regenerative anemia. Prior to referral, an immunosuppressive prednisolone dose was administered at the local veterinary clinic for 1 month. The cat was diagnosed with high-grade alimentary lymphoma. Organisms were found on the surface of the red blood cells on blood smear examination. The second case was of a rescued cat that presented with dehydration and fever. The cat had normocytic normochromic non-regenerative anemia. Necropsy revealed concurrent feline infectious peritonitis. Polymerase chain reaction assay targeting 16S rRNA revealed CMhm infection in case 1 and dual infection of CMhm and CMt in case 2. Normocytic normochromic non-regenerative anemia was observed in both cats before and during the management of the systemic inflammation. This is the first clinical case report in Korea to demonstrate CMhm and CMt infections in symptomatic cats.

Sterile Neutrophilic Dermatosis (Sweet's Syndrome) Associated With Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome in a Maltese Dog: A Case Report.

We report a rare case of sterile neutrophilic dermatosis (Sweet's syndrome) accompanied by systemic inflammatory response syndrome. A 5-year-old, neutered male Maltese dog presented with extensive crusts on the whole-body surface and multifocal erosions and plaques on the four limbs. The lesions had been present for two months and did not respond to antibiotics before the presentation. In addition, the dog was lethargic, anorexic, and febrile, with joint swelling. A clinicopathologic analysis revealed neutrophilic leukocytosis with left shift and increased C-reactive protein level. Furthermore, a histopathological examination showed moderate to severe inflammatory infiltrates consisting predominantly of neutrophils from the superficial to the deep dermis. There was no evidence of bacterial or fungal infections, and autoimmune diseases, such as pemphigus, systemic lupus erythematosus, and erythema multiforme, were excluded. Sweet's syndrome, a rare skin disorder, associated with systemic inflammation was diagnosed, and the cutaneous lesions and systemic inflammation disappeared after prolonged steroid administration.

Cell-Free DNA as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker in Dogs With Tumors.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is derived from apoptosis/necrosis, active cellular secretion, and lysis of circulating cancer cells or micrometastases. In humans, cfDNA is widely used in cancer diagnosis, but veterinary research has yet to be actively conducted to establish it as a cancer biomarker. This retrospective study analyzed cfDNA levels in samples collected from dogs with neoplastic disease (n = 38), clinically ill dogs without neoplasia (n = 47), and healthy dogs (n = 35). cfDNA levels and clinical data were compared among groups, and prognostic analyses were performed within the neoplastic group. Furthermore, continual cfDNA measurements were performed during the chemotherapy of six dogs with lymphoma. Dogs with neoplasia showed significantly higher cfDNA concentrations than dogs without neoplasm, and the cfDNA oncentration in the lymphoid neoplasia group was significantly elevated among all neoplastic groups. Dogs with neoplasia and a plasma cfDNA concentration above 1,247.5 µg/L had shorter survival rates than those with levels below this threshold (26.5 vs. 86.1%, respectively, P < 0.05). In cases with complete remission in response to chemotherapy, the cfDNA concentration was significantly decreased compared with the first visit, whereas the cfDNA concentration was increased in cases with disease progression or death. Interestingly, a significant correlation was found between lymph node diameter and cfDNA concentration in dogs with multicentric lymphoma (R 2 = 0.26, P < 0.01). These data suggest that changes in cfDNA concentration could be used as a diagnostic biomarker for canine neoplasia. Furthermore, increased plasma DNA levels might be associated with shorter survival time, and cfDNA concentrations may reflect the response to chemotherapy.