Expression and basic biochemical characteristics of recombinant surfactant protein D of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiopstruncatus).

We previously identified surfactant protein D (SP-D) in the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus as a unique evolutionary factor of the cetacean pulmonary immune system. In this short report, recombinant SP-D of bottlenose dolphin (dSP-D) was synthesized in mammalian cells, and its properties were analyzed in vitro. The recombinant proteins were purified using Ni-carrier or Co-carrier. Sodium dodecyl sulfate poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blotting revealed a 50 kDa major band with minor secondary bands. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-like methods revealed that recombinant dSP-D bonded to gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial walls. Our findings suggest the clinical usefulness of dSP-D for cetacean pneumonia.

An evolutionary medicine perspective on the cetacean pulmonary immune system - The first identification of SP-D and LBP in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).

Evolutionary medicine expresses the present status of biomolecules affected by past evolutionary events. To clarify the whole picture of cetacean pneumonia, which is a major threat to cetaceans, their pulmonary immune system should be studied from the perspective of evolutionary medicine. In this in silico study, we focused on cetacean surfactant protein D (SP-D) and lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) as two representative molecules of the cetacean pulmonary immune system. Sequencing and analyzing SP-D and LBP in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) lung and liver tissue collected post-mortem elucidated not only basic physicochemical properties but also their evolutionary background. This is the first study to report the sequences and expression of SP-D and LBP in the bottlenose dolphin. Besides, our findings also suggest the direction of an evolutionary arms race in the cetacean pulmonary immune system. These results have important positive implications for cetacean clinical medicine.

Rhabdomyolysis, myoglobinuric nephrosis, and crystalline nephropathy in a captive bottlenose dolphin.

A 5-y-old female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) from an aquarium in Japan had clinical signs of anorexia, vomiting, and bradykinesia. Enrofloxacin and lactated Ringer solution were administered for treatment of bacterial infection and for rehydration. Elevations of creatine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase activities were detected on day 4 of treatment, indicating that rhabdomyolysis had developed on day 3. On day 5, serum creatinine and urea concentrations increased and remained high throughout the remaining treatment; the dolphin died on day 16. Postmortem examination revealed massive necrosis of the longissimus dorsi muscles. Histologic examination revealed extensive necrosis of skeletal myofibers, multifocal renal tubular necrosis with intratubular casts and crystals, and suppurative bronchopneumonia. The renal casts labeled positively with anti-myoglobin antibody; expression of aquaporin-1 was decreased in renal tubules compared to normal kidney tissue. To our knowledge, this description of clinicopathologic findings of rhabdomyolysis leading to acute kidney injury with concomitant crystalline nephropathy has not been reported previously in a bottlenose dolphin.

Squamous cell carcinoma in a capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris).

A 4-year and 2-month-old male capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma on the buttocks after chronic recurrent dermatosis. The capybara was euthanized, examined by computed tomography and necropsied; the tumor was examined histologically. Computed tomography showed a dense soft tissue mass with indistinct borders at the buttocks. Histological examination of the tumor revealed islands of invasive squamous epithelial tumor cells with a severe desmoplastic reaction. Based on the pathological findings, the mass was diagnosed as a squamous cell carcinoma. This is the first study to report squamous cell carcinoma in a capybara.