Confirmed case of Pneumocystis pneumonia in a Maltese Terrier × Papillon dog being treated with toceranib phosphate.

CASE REPORT: A 7-year-old female-neutered Maltese Terrier × Papillon dog was presented with tachypnoea and weight loss following 12 months of therapy with toceranib phosphate for a metastatic, histologically-low-grade mast cell tumour. The dog was diagnosed with Pneumocystis canis based on PCR with supportive clinical, radiographic and cytological findings. No other clinical evidence of immunocompromise was identified through assessment of haematology and immunoglobulin quantification. Clinical signs completely resolved with a short course of potentiated sulfonamides and discontinuation of the toceranib. CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge this represents the first case of Pneumocystis in a dog secondary to immunomodulatory drug therapy. It is also the first case of opportunist infection secondary to a tyrosine kinase inhibitor in dogs.

Comparison of direct in-house cerebrospinal fluid cytology with commercial pathology results in dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the correspondence between in-house direct cytological assessment of cerebrospinal fluid and results from a commercial veterinary pathology laboratory. METHODS: Prospective inclusion of samples from dogs that were presented for investigation of suspected neurological disease and had cerebrospinal fluid samples submitted to a commercial pathology laboratory for analysis. A board-certified veterinary pathologist assessed all cerebrospinal fluid samples, and a line smear was assessed in-house by two observers. Nucleated cell count, red blood cell count and differential cell counts were recorded and compared. RESULTS: In-clinic and commercial pathology nucleated cell counts and red blood cell counts were strongly correlated. In-house line smear results were compared with the gold standard of a defined dichotomous rating of 'increased nucleated cell count' provided by the external pathology service. Sensitivity was 93% and specificity 80% for samples with at least two cells per linear field. CLINICAL APPLICATION: Although not a replacement for the assessment of cerebrospinal fluid samples by specialist veterinary pathologists, this method can provide rapid and clinically meaningful information before externally processed sample results are available.

Primary immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and immune-mediated neutropenia suspected in a 21-week-old Maine Coon cat.

CASE REPORT: A 21-week-old Maine Coon cat presented with an acute-onset coagulopathy. Severe concurrent thrombocytopenia and neutropenia were identified on peripheral blood smears and bone marrow cytology supported a peripheral consumptive process. Other than mild superficial haemorrhage, the cat was clinically well and screening for retroviral diseases, abdominal ultrasound examination, thoracic radiography, haematology and biochemistry panels did not identify an underlying disease. There was no historical pharmaceutical or toxicological trigger noted and the cat was from an area without endemic Ehrlichia spp. There was a rapid resolution of both cytopenias following treatment with immunosuppressive doses of prednisolone, though a mild relapse occurred during gradual prednisolone withdrawal and was responsive to a dose increase. CONCLUSIONS: This report describes this combination of diseases for the first time in a cat and presents a younger patient than previously described with feline primary immune-mediated haematological disease.

IgG but not IgM anti-phospholipid antibody binding is temperature dependent.

We examined the effect of temperature on the measurement of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-defined human polyclonal antiphospholipid antibody. Both IgG and IgM antibodies were easily demonstrable when sera were incubated on phospholipid-coated ELISA plates at 4-22 degrees C. When incubations were done at 37-45 degrees C IgG antibody binding markedly decreased but IgM antibody binding did not. Warming the phospholipid-coated ELISA plate alone, the serum alone, the buffer alone, or the blocking reagent alone had no effect. When the antigen content of the wells was increased fourfold the effect of warming still occurred. The effect of warmth was reversible and was seen with affinity-purified antibody as well as with whole serum. Phospholipid vesicles in suspension, however, absorbed antibody in a dose-dependent fashion at 4, 22, and 42 degrees C. These results indicate that antibody binding to phospholipid is temperature dependent when phospholipid is adherent to the solid phase. Whether the change in IgG-phospholipid interaction results from a change in antigen or in antibody remains unknown.