[3 cases of abomasitis in calves associated with Sarcina sp. infection]. / 3 Fälle von Abomasitis im Zusammenhang mit einer Infektion mit Sarcina sp. beim Kalb.

In this case report - to the best knowledge of the authors for the first time in the German-speaking region - 3 calves with ulcerating or emphysematous abomasitis respectively are presented, in which intralesional bacteria of the Sarcina species were identified. The unusual appearance of these bacteria is described, their etiopathogenic relevance discussed.

[Vetch poisoning in a Bavarian cattle herd - A case report from a pathological perspective]. / Wickenvergiftung in einem bayerischen Rinderbestand.

In a herd of 40 cattle of the Holstein-Friesian breed, 6 animals were euthanized for severe pruritus, fever and skin lesions. Pathomorphological examination of 3 animals revealed multisystemic granulomatous inflammation involving multinuclear giant cells. The content of vetch in the feed used and the characteristic histology led to the diagnosis of vetch poisoning.

Microcystic Cerebral Neoplasm in a Nilgai Antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus): Putative Microcystic Meningioma.

Tumours of the nervous system are rare in wild and captive mammals. In this report, we describe an intracranial, solid, space-occupying lesion originating from the meninges in a Nilgai antelope (Boselaphus tragocamelus). Histologically, the tumour had a conspicuous microcystic appearance with features similar to the histological subtype of microcystic meningioma described in humans. This is the first such tumour reported in this species.

Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 2 infections in Bavaria: an analysis of the current situation - several years after eradicating Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 1.

BACKGROUND: Bavaria, a large federal state in Germany, has been declared free from infections with Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) in 2011. To maintain this status the cattle population is monitored for antibodies against BoHV-1 regularly. Several years ago, infrequent but recurrent problems in this sero-surveillance were statistically put into correlation with the presence of antibodies against Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 2 (BoHV-2). In Europe, BoHV-2 is primarily known as the agent causing bovine herpes mammillitis. However, very little information about BoHV-2 infections in Bavaria is available so far. Therefore, the aims of this study were to determine BoHV-2 seroprevalences and to detect virus genomes in potential clinical samples. RESULTS: 6801 blood sera of healthy cattle from all over Bavaria were tested for antibodies against BoHV-2, revealing an overall seroprevalence of 5.51%. Interestingly, seroprevalences markedly varied between the North and the South of Bavaria, namely from 0.42 to 11.17%. Concurrently, the previously reported relation between the epidemiologically inexplicable sero-reactivities in BoHV-1 ELISAs and the presence of BoHV-2 infections were statistically corroborated in this study. To detect BoHV-2 genomes a fast and sensitive real time PCR was established. Using a multiple PCR strategy, tissue samples from skin lesions at relevant localizations, corresponding lymph nodes, and trigeminal ganglia from 111 animals, as well as nasal swabs from 918 bovines with respiratory symptoms were tested. However, BoHV-2 genomes were not detected in any of these samples. CONCLUSIONS: BoHV-2 antibodies were found in samples from bovines all over Bavaria, albeit with an explicit South-North-divide. BoHV-2 genomes, however, could not be detected in any of the analyzed samples, indicating that acute clinical cases as well as obvious virus reactivation are relatively rare. Consequently, the future spread of BoHV-2 infections throughout Bavaria, particularly, after eradicating BoHV-1, has to be further monitored.

Shedding of Mycobacterium caprae by wild red deer (Cervus elaphus) in the Bavarian alpine regions, Germany.

The number of natural infections with Mycobacterium caprae in wildlife and in cattle in the Bavarian and Austrian alpine regions has increased over the last decade. Red deer (Cervus elaphus) have been recognized as maintenance reservoir; however, the transmission routes of M. caprae among and from naturally infected red deer are unknown. The unexpected high prevalence in some hot spot regions might suggest an effective indirect transmission of infection. Therefore, this study was undertaken to diagnose the occurrence of M. caprae in faeces and secretions of red deer in their natural habitat. A total of 2,806 red deer hunted in this region during 2014-2016 were included in this study. After pathological examination, organs (lymph nodes, lung, heart), excretions and secretions (faeces, urine, saliva and tonsil swabs) were further investigated by qPCR specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC), M. bovis and M. caprae. Samples tested positive by qPCR were processed for culturing of mycobacteria. In total, 55 (2.0%) animals were confirmed positive for M. caprae by pathological examination, PCR and culturing of the affected organ material. With the exception of one sample, all of the secretion and excretion samples were negative for mycobacteria of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). From one red deer, M. caprae could be isolated from the heart sac as well as from the faeces. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed that both strains were clonally related. This is the first confirmation that M. caprae can be shed with the faeces of a naturally infected red deer. However, further studies focusing on a higher number of infected animals, sample standardization and coordinated multiple sampling are necessary to improve the understanding of transmission routes under natural conditions.

[Melanosis of adipose tissue in a 17-month-old German Fleckvieh bull (Bos taurus)]. / Melanose von Fettgewebe bei einem 17 Monate alten Stier der Rasse Deutsches Fleckvieh (Bos taurus).

At meat inspection of a 17-month-old bull (German Fleckvieh), patchy dark discoloration of various organs and tissue sites was noted that was most prominent in perirenal adipose tissue. Microscopic analysis revealed melanosis, that is a congenital melanocytic dystopia, as the underlying cause. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of melanosis detected in adipose tissue in cattle. We speculate that there is a possible pathogenetic link between obesity and melanosis in the animal.

Evaluating diagnostic tests for bovine tuberculosis in the southern part of Germany: A latent class analysis.

Germany has been officially free of bovine tuberculosis since 1996. However, in the last years there has been an increase of bovine tuberculosis cases, particularly in the southern part of Germany, in the Allgäu region. As a consequence a one-time tuberculosis surveillance program was revisited with different premortal and postmortal tests. The aim of this paper was to estimate diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of the different tests used within this surveillance program. In the absence of a perfect test with 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity, thus in the absence of a gold standard, a Bayesian latent class approach with two different datasets was performed. The first dataset included 389 animals, tested with single intra-dermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) test, PCR and pathology; the second dataset contained 175 animals, tested with single intra-dermal cervical tuberculin (SICT) test, Bovigam® assay, pathology and culture. Two-way conditional dependencies were considered within the models. Additionally, inter-laboratory agreement (five officially approved laboratories) of the Bovigam® assay was assessed with Cohen's kappa test (21 blood samples). The results are given in posterior means and 95% credibility intervals. The specificities of the SICT test, SICCT test, PCR and pathology ranged between 75.8% [68.8-82.2%] and 99.0% [96.8-100%]. The Bovigam® assay stood out with a very low specificity (6.9% [3.6-11.1%]), though it had the highest sensitivity (95.7% [91.3-99.2%]). The sensitivities of the SICCT test, PCR, SICT test, pathology and culture varied from 57.8% [48.0-67.6%] to 88.9% [65.5-99.7%]. The prevalences were 19.8% [14.6-26.5%] (three-test dataset) and 7.7% [4.2-12.3%] (four-test dataset). Among all pairwise comparisons the highest agreement was 0.62 [0.15-1]). In conclusion, the specificity of the Bovigam® assay and the inter-laboratory agreement were lower than expected.

[Primary malignant melanoma in the brain of a 7-month-old sheep (Ovis aries f. domestica)]. / Primäres malignes Melanom im Gehirn eines 7 Monate alten Schafs (Ovis aries f. domestica).

A case of malignant melanoma in a sheep's brain is described for the first time. In a 7-month-old sheep that had been euthanized due to ataxia, post-mortem and histopathologic examinations were performed. Both the brain and the calvarium were heavily infiltrated with neoplastic tissue. Metastases were found in the liver and kidneys. Histomorphology confirmed the gross pathologic impression of malignancy. Congenital melanosis, which is regularly present in the meninx of sheep, could have been the origin of the malignant melanoma in the present case. The young age of the animal appears to favour this supposition. This case demonstrates that even in farm animals - including sheep - a neoplasm should be considered as a differential diagnosis in diagnostically doubtful cases.

Early transcriptional events in the udder and teat after intra-mammary Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus challenge.

Intra-mammary bacterial infections can result in harmful clinical mastitis or subclinical mastitis with persistent infections. Research during the last decades closely examined the pathophysiology of inflamed udders. Initial events after pathogen perception but before the onset of mastitis have not been examined in vivo The objective of this study was to develop a mastitis model in cows by monitoring initial transcriptional pathogen-specific host response before clinical signs occur. We applied a short-term infection model to analyse transcripts encoding chemokines, cytokines and antimicrobial molecules in the teat cistern (TC) and lobulo-alveolar parenchyma (LP) up to 3 h after challenge with E and Staphylococcus aureus Both pathogens elicited an immune reaction by 1 h after challenge. Escherichia coli induced all analysed factors (CCL20, CXCL8, TNF, IL6, IL12B, IL10, LAP, S100A9); however, S. aureus failed to induce IL12B, IL10, LAP and S100A9 expression. The E. coli-induced up-regulation was 25-105 times greater than that after S. aureus challenge. Almost all the responses were restricted to the TC. The short-term mastitis model demonstrates that a divergent pathogen-specific response is generated during the first h. It confirms that the first transcripts are generated in the TC prior to a response in the LP.

[Severe purulent and necrotizing glossitis in a fallow deer (Dama dama) due to an infection with the involvement of Mannheimia granulomatis]. / Hochgradige eitrig-nekrotisierende Glossitis bei einem Damwild (Dama dama) nach Infektion unter Beteiligung von Mannheimia granulomatis.

Post mortem examination of a young fallow deer (Dama dama) revealed a severe purulent and necrotizing glossitis as well as a multifocal necrotizing and ulcerative rumenitis and typhlitis. The animal was cachectic. Mannheimia (M.) sp. was isolated from the tongue lesions and identified as M. granulomatis by MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA sequencing. Mycosis and BVDV infection were excluded. Few publications are dealing with similar macroscopic findings associated with the isolation of M. granulomatis in cattle and roe deer. Therefore, M. granulomatis should also be taken into consideration when such lesions occur in other ruminants. Based on our findings in case of gross pathological lesions of the tongue of ruminants a Mannheimia granulomatis-infection should be investigated as well as the possible role of Fusobacterium necrophorum, Actinobacillus lignieresii or Actinomyces bovis.

[Amyloidosis in turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo f. domestica)--a case report]. / Amyloidose beim Truthuhn (Meleagris gallopavo f. domestica)--ein Fallbericht.

High prevalence of leg disorders in fattening meat turkey farm was observed. Four birds as well as tracheal and joint swabs were submitted to the Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority in Oberschleissheim and to the Institute of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Free University of Berlin. At the post-mortem, all birds showed an inflammation of the hock joints (intertarsal joint). The histopatholical investigations revealed a chronic inflammation of the joint and amyloid deposits in the joints in two cases as well as in different tissues (liver, spleen and kidneys) in another two cases. Using polymerase chain reaction, Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale-DNA could be detected in the examined tracheal and joint swabs. On the other hand, Mycoplasma gallisepticum- and Mycoplasma synoviae-DNA could not be detected. A causal correlation between the detected infectious agent and amyloidosis in relation to the leg disorders were discussed.

Lipopolysaccharide pretreatment of the udder protects against experimental Escherichia coli mastitis.

Exposure to pathogen-associated molecular patterns such as LPS can cause an immune refractory state in mammals known as endotoxin tolerance (ET), resulting in a decreased inflammatory response after pathogen contact. This ET concept was used to reduce the severity of an experimentally-induced clinical mastitis. Cows were pretreated with 1 µg LPS per udder quarter and challenged 72 h (group L72EC) or 240 h (group L240EC) later with 500 CFU Escherichia coli. Pretreated animals showed no leukopenia after challenge, no (L72EC), or only slightly (L240EC), elevated body temperature and significantly reduced systemic and local clinical scores compared with cows that were not pretreated. Whereas an increase of milk somatic cell count after the E. coli challenge was abrogated in L72EC animals, it was significantly delayed in the L240EC group. In both pretreated groups the bacterial load in milk was markedly reduced. Based on the expression of inflammation-related genes in lobulo-alveolar mammary tissue, the tolerizing effect of LPS pretreatment is based on the inhibited up-regulation of inflammatory (TNF-α, IL-6, CXCL8, CCL20) and anti-inflammatory genes (IL-10, IRAK-M). These findings indicate that the concept of ET may be usefully applied as mastitis prophylaxis facilitating a rapid response to microbial infection and avoiding dysregulated inflammation.

Ingestion of colostrum from specific cows induces Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP) in some calves.

BACKGROUND: Since 2006, cases of haemorrhagic diathesis in young calves have been observed with a much higher incidence than previously known. The syndrome, now uniformly called Bovine Neonatal Pancytopenia (BNP), is characterized by multiple (external and internal) haemorrhages, thrombocytopenia, leukocytopenia, and bone marrow depletion. Although various infectious and toxicological causes of bleeding disorders in calves have been ruled out, the aetiology of BNP remains unknown. However, field observations have led to the hypothesis that the aetiological principle may be transmitted to calves via colostrum.The objective of the present study was to verify whether ingestion of colostrum from dams of known BNP calves can elicit signs of BNP and typical haematological findings in conveniently selected neonatal calves. Six such calves received one feeding of colostrum (or a mixture of colostrum batches) from dams of known BNP calves. As controls, another six conveniently selected calves from herds which had never had a BNP case received one feeding of colostrum from their own dams. Haematological and clinical parameters were monitored. RESULTS: One of the six experimental calves never showed any haematological, clinical or pathological evidence of BNP. In the other five calves, thrombocyte and leukocyte counts dropped within a few hours following ingestion of colostrum. Of those, three calves developed clinical signs of BNP, their post-mortem examination revealed bone marrow depletion. Of the remaining two calves, a pair of mixed twins, marked thrombocytopenia and recurrent leukocytopenia was evident in one, in which only slight changes in the bone marrow were detected, while in the other thrombocyte counts dropped, but rebounded later, and no bone marrow changes were noted. Thrombocyte counts of the experimental calves were statistically significantly lower than those of the control calves at 2 hours post ingestion of colostrum and at every sampling point between 9 hours and 8 days postcolostral. Leucocyte counts of the experimental calves were statistically significantly lower than those of control calves at 2 hours post ingestion of colostrum and 3-7 days postcolostral. CONCLUSIONS: BNP can be induced in some calves by ingestion of colostrum from cows that have given birth to BNP calves.

Emergence of canine distemper in Bavarian wildlife associated with a specific amino acid exchange in the haemagglutinin protein.

A widespread, severe outbreak of canine distemper encephalitis was observed in wildlife in Southern Bavaria in the spring and summer of 2008. The haemagglutinin (HA) genes of six representative canine distemper virus (CDV) samples originating from five red foxes and one badger during this outbreak had a Y549H amino acid substitution in the HA protein compared to sequences from two captive domesticated ferrets which succumbed to CDV in the same area 2 years earlier. As this specific substitution at the receptor-binding site has been hypothesised to contribute to the emergence of CDV and its spread to novel hosts, the outbreak in wildlife in Southern Bavaria might, directly or indirectly, be associated with a Y549H amino acid exchange.

Severe course of rat bite-associated Weil's disease in a patient diagnosed with a new Leptospira-specific real-time quantitative LUX-PCR.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease with global distribution, caused by spirochaetes of the genus Leptospira. Transmission of Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae, the causative agent of Weil's disease, to humans usually results from exposure to the urine of infected, but mostly asymptomatic, rodents, either by direct contact or indirectly through contaminated soil or water. Although regarded as a re-emerging infectious disease, human leptospirosis is probably underdiagnosed due to its often unspecific clinical appearance and difficulties in culturing leptospires. Therefore, more rapid and specific diagnostic procedures are needed. Here we describe a novel real-time quantitative PCR system developed for the accurate and fast diagnosis of pathogenic Leptospira spp. Its usefulness in the management of a patient with rat bite-associated multiorgan failure is demonstrated.

Expression of porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) in melanomas of Munich miniature swine (MMS) Troll.

Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) are integrated in the genome of all pig breeds. Since some of them are able to infect human cells, they might represent a risk for xenotransplantation using pig cells or organs. However, the expression and biological role of PERVs in healthy pigs as well as in porcine tumours is largely unknown. Since we and others have recently shown overexpression of a human endogenous retrovirus, HERV-K, in human melanomas, we studied the expression of PERVs in melanomas of selectively bred Munich miniature swine (MMS) Troll. This breeding herd of MMS Troll is characterised by a high prevalence of melanomas, which histologically resemble various types of cutaneous melanomas in humans. Several genetic factors have been defined when studying inheritance of melanomas and melanocytic nevi in MMS Troll. Here we show that the polytropic PERV-A and PERV-B as well as the ecotropic PERV-C are present in the genome of all melanoma bearing MMS Troll investigated. Most interestingly, in the spleen, but not in other organs, recombinant PERV-A/C proviruses were found. PERV expression was found elevated in melanomas when compared to normal skin and viral proteins were expressed in melanomas and pulmonary metastasis-derived melanoma cell cultures. During passaging of these cells in vitro the expression of PERV mRNA and protein increased and virus particles were released as shown by RT activity in the supernatant and by electron microscopy. Genomic RNA of PERV-A, -B and -C were found in pelleted virus particles. Although PERV expression was elevated in melanomas and pulmonary metastasis-derived cell cultures, the function of the virus in tumour development is still unclear.

Genetic evidence for multi-event imports of avian influenza virus A (H5N1) into Bavaria, Germany.

The almost simultaneous initial detections of avian influenza A H5N1 viruses in central Europe in February 2006, at a time devoid of migratory bird activity, raised the question of the origin of these viruses. This report presents molecular data from Europe providing evidence for multiple and spatially overlapping H5N1 introductions into Bavaria, Germany.