First Report of Massive Myocardial Calcifications in a Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus).

A 13-years-old male vervet monkey that was kept in a primates breeding and research facility at Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Karaj, Iran (RVSRI) died suddenly. Massively scattered grayish-yellow mottling on both ventricles were the most significant gross necropsy findings. There was a gritty feeling on palpation and sectioning of the yellow areas. Microscopically, the lesions demonstrated scattered degeneration and necrosis of myocardial cells. Inside the affected areas, large calcium deposit plaques were detected using the Von kossa staining method. The development of myocardial calcification in the present case can be attributed to the dystrophic calcification following spontaneous myocardial necrosis or an undetected infection/inflammatory process. Persistent anxiety might trigger spontaneous biventricular necrosis in vervet monkeys. In conclusion, due to similarities between the clinical and histological presentation of the current case with sudden death syndrome associated with myocardial calcification in humans, it was suggested that vervet monkeys might be a relevant animal model for research on the pathophysiological processes of this complication.

Plasma Paraoxonase, Sphingosine-1-phosphate, Total Sialic Acid, and Heat Shock Protein-27 in the Liver of the Sheep Naturally Infected with Cysticercus Tenuicollis: Evidence on Pathological Changes.

The present study aimed to investigate whether sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P), paraoxonase (PON), total sialic acid (TSA), and heat shock protein-27 (HSP27) are altered in the sheep during infection of the liver with Cysticercus tenuicollis. This study was conducted on40 healthy sheep and40 sheep with Cysticercus tenuicollis infection. The infected and non-infected animals were selected based on the observation of severe Cysticercus tenuicollis infection in the liver and absence of any hepatic cysts, respectively. All parameters were measured in serum and plasma. The results revealed a significant decrease (P<0.01) in PON, TSA, and albumin (Alb) in the infected group, compared with those in the healthy one. Furthermore, the infected sheep had a significant increase (P<0.01) in S1P, HSP-27, malondialdehyde (MDA), total bilirubin, and unconjugated bilirubin as compared with those in their non-infected counterparts. Moreover, no significant change was observed in total plasma protein level in the infected animals in comparison to that in the healthy ones. The low levels of TSA and Alb revealed liver damage in the infected sheep. Moreover, the PON reduction might have resulted from hepatic steatosis and MDA enhancement. Meanwhile, S1P elevation could be attributed to the activation of platelets. In addition, HSP-27 increase was ascribed to the disease-induced stress conditions.