Pulmonary Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in an African Lion: A Rare Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Feline pulmonary Langerhans cells histiocytosis (PLCH) is a rare disorder that results in progressive respiratory failure secondary to pulmonary parenchymal infiltration with Langerhans cells (LCs). A diagnosis of PLCH is proposed based on the clinical features and pathological findings and confirmed based on the infiltrating histiocytic cells. There are few documented cases of feline PLCH, and this case report of PLCH in an African Lion could present new information and aspects of this feline histiocytic disease. CASE PRESENTATION: An African lion at Hohhot Zoo showing severe hyporexia and dyspnea with subsequent mental depression and emaciation died of exhaustion after a 35-day course of illness. Empirical treatment did not have a significant effect. An autopsy revealed that the lungs were enlarged and hardened due to infiltrative lesions, with many yellowish-white foci in all the lobes and sections. Furthermore, the kidneys were atrophied and had scattered grayish-white lesions on the surface. At the same time, congestion was widely distributed in various locations, including the liver, subcutaneous loose connective tissues, serosal surface and other tissues and organs. Histologically, proliferative histiocytic cells (PHCs) were scattered in the alveolar cavities, bronchioles and submucosa of bronchioles, with evident cellular and nuclear pleomorphism, and thus the alveolar septa were obliterated. The histopathological changes in other organs included chronic sclerosing glomerulonephritis, proliferated Kupffer cells in the liver, adrenal edema and interstitial connective tissue hyperplasia, as well as atrophy of the small intestines and spleen. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis results were strongly positive for CD1a, vimentin, S100 and E-cadherin in the membrane or cytoplasm of PHCs, supporting an LC phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we present a rare pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis case in an African lion.

Draft Genome of the European Mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon).

Mouflon (Ovis orientalis) with its huge and beautiful horns is considered as one of the ancestors of domesticated sheep. The European mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon) is in the Asiatic mouflon (O. orientalis) clade. In order to provide novel genome information for mouflon, moreover promote genetic analysis of genus Ovis both domestic and wild, we propose to sequence the mouflon genome. We assembled the highly heterozygous mouflon genome based on Illumina HiSeq platform using the next-generation sequencing technology. Finally, the draft genome we accessed approximately 2.69 Gb (42.15% GC), while N50 sizes of contig and scaffold are 110.1 kb and 10.4 Mb, respectively. The contiguity of this assembly is obviously better than earlier versions. Further analyses predicted 20,814 protein-coding genes in the mouflon genome and 12,390 shared gene families among bovine species. It is estimated that the divergence time between O. orientalis musimon and Ovis aries was 7.6 million years ago. The draft mouflon genome assembly will provide data support and theoretical basis for various investigations of the genus Ovis species in future.