Fatal suppurative meningoencephalitis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in two calves.

One calf died (No. 1) and another was euthanized following astasia (No. 2). Histopathological examination revealed suppurative meningoencephalitis in these calves. Klebsiella pneumoniae antigens were detected in lesions. Thymocytes were decreased in the thymus cortex in both cases. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the No. 1 isolate and bacterial extracts from formalin fixed paraffin embedded sections of No. 2 revealed that both samples were K. pneumoniae. The No. 1 isolate showed multidrug resistance against penicillin antibiotics, fosfomycin, streptomycin, macrolide antibiotics, tetracycline antibiotics, and clindamycin. Immunosuppression is a significant septicemic K. pneumoniae infection risk factor. Our study provides new aspects regarding K. pneumoniae infections in cattle, bacterial meningoencephalitis differentiation, and K. pneumoniae and bacterial meningoencephalitis treatments.

Aberrant EphB/ephrin-B expression in experimental gastric lesions and tumor cells.

AIM: To determine whether the expression profiles of EphB receptor and ephrin-B ligand can be used as markers for dysplastic/oncogenic transformation in gastric mucosa. METHODS: The protein expression and localization of EphB and ephrin-B in normal, ulcerated regenerating, and dysplastic gastric mucosa were examined in a rat experimental model by immunolabeling, and mRNA expression was assessed in four human gastric carcinoma cell lines by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Ephrin-B- and EphB-expressing regions were divided along the pit-gland axis in normal gastric units. EphB2 was transiently upregulated in the experimental ulcer, and its expression domain extended to gastric pits and/or the luminal surface where ephrin-B-expressing pit cells reside. EphB2, B3, and B4 and ephrin-B1 were coexpressed in the experimental gastric dysplasia, and more than one ligand-receptor pair was highly expressed in each of the gastric carcinoma cell lines. CONCLUSION: Robust and stable coexpression of EphB and ephrin-B is a feature common to experimentally induced gastric dysplasia and human gastric carcinoma cell lines as compared to normal gastric and ulcerated regenerating epithelia. Thus, EphB/ephrin-B may be a useful marker combination for dysplastic/oncogenic transformation in gastric cancer.