5q- syndrome in a child.

A boy aged 8 years, 10 months presented with refractory anemia. Bone marrow investigation revealed monolobular megakaryocytes. Cytogenetic analysis showed a clonal abnormality: 46, XY, del(5)(q14q32). This is the youngest individual ever reported with this disorder. A year after diagnosis, while on treatment with human recombinant erythropoietin, the bone marrow showed an excess of blasts. No bone marrow donor could be found. Transformation to acute myelomonocytic leukemia occurred 3 months later. In spite of intensive chemotherapy, the child died of progressive disease with massive splenomegaly and jaundice. The case illustrates that the 5q- syndrome can occur de novo in children. The outcome in this child was poor, which may reflect a difference from the adult 5q- syndrome or may possibly be related to the erythropoietin the child received.

Streptococcus bovis infections in pigeons: virulence of different serotypes.

In a first experiment, the relative virulence for pigeons of 5 strains of S. bovis was assessed by experimental inoculations. Two S. bovis serotype 1 strains, one serotype 2 strain and two serotype 3 strains were examined. One of the serotype 1 strains and the serotype 2 strain were isolated from pigeons that died from septicaemia. The other strains were isolated from cloaca samples of healthy pigeons. For each strain, 10-20 pigeons were intravenously inoculated with 1 x 10(9) CFU. Morbidity after infection with the serotype 1 and 2 strains varied between 75% and 90%. Disease signs included inability to fly, lameness, emaciation, production of slimy, green droppings, polyuria and sudden death. In groups of pigeons inoculated with the serotype 3 strains, morbidity was 0% and 6%, respectively. Results demonstrate that serotype 3 strains are less virulent for pigeons than serotype 1 and 2 strains. In a second experiment, bacteriological and histological examinations were performed on organs of pigeons serially killed between 1 and 10 days after experimental inoculation with an S. bovis serotype 3 strain of low virulence. Results were compared with results of studies carried out with a highly virulent serotype 1 strain. Notwithstanding bacterial spread and replication in various organs of inoculated pigeons, clinical disease was not observed and histological lesions were scarce and of limited extent.

An unusual outbreak of Streptococcus bovis septicaemia in racing pigeons (Columba livia).

In December 1991, an outbreak of Streptococcus bovis septicaemia occurred in a Belgian pigeon loft where 25 male and 25 female racing pigeons were housed. The main clinical signs included inability to fly and poor breeding results. None of the female pigeons and only one male pigeon was able to fly. Nine affected pigeons were necropsied. Histologically a tenosynovitis of the tendon of the deep pectoral muscle was observed in most of them and S bovis was isolated from the canalis triosseus or the shoulder joints of five of the nine pigeons. The pigeons were successfully treated with ampicillin administered in the drinking water for seven days.

Antibiotic treatment of Streptococcus bovis infections in pigeons.

The antibiotic susceptibility pattern of 5. bovis strains isolated from pigeons was studied. In vitro, S. bovis strains were sensitive to penicillins, macrolides, lincomycin, tetracyclines, chloramphenicol and nitrofurans. However, the prevalence of acquired resistance against tetracyclines was approximately 40%. Sulphonamides and trimethoprim had little in vitro activity against 5. bovis while activity of the quinolone enrofloxacin and the aminoglycoside antibiotics, neomycin and gentamicin, were in or near to the intermediate range. The comparative efficacy of 5 antimicrobials administered via the drinking water for the treatment of experimental S. bovis infection in pigeons was also tested. Morbidity after intravenous inoculation of S. bovis in groups of pigeons treated with ampicillin, erythromycin, doxycycline, enrofloxacin and trimethoprim was 20%, 30%, 20%, 70% and 90%, respectively. Morbidity in an untreated control group was 90%.