A DSG1 Frameshift Variant in a Rottweiler Dog with Footpad Hyperkeratosis.

A single male Rottweiler dog with severe footpad hyperkeratosis starting at an age of eight weeks was investigated. The hyperkeratosis was initially restricted to the footpads. The footpad lesions caused severe discomfort to the dog and had to be trimmed under anesthesia every 8-10 weeks. Histologically, the epidermis showed papillated villous projections of dense keratin in the stratum corneum. Starting at eight months of age, the patient additionally developed signs consistent with atopic dermatitis and recurrent bacterial skin and ear infections. Crusted hyperkeratotic plaques developed at sites of infection. We sequenced the genome of the affected dog and compared the data to 655 control genomes. A search for variants in 32 candidate genes associated with human palmoplantar keratoderma (PPK) revealed a single private protein-changing variant in the affected dog. This was located in the DSG1 gene encoding desmoglein 1. Heterozygous monoallelic DSG1 variants have been reported in human patients with striate palmoplantar keratoderma I (SPPK1), while biallelic DSG1 loss of function variants in humans lead to a more pronounced condition termed severe dermatitis, multiple allergies, and metabolic wasting (SAM) syndrome. The identified canine variant, DSG1:c.2541_2545delGGGCT, leads to a frameshift and truncates about 20% of the coding sequence. The affected dog was homozygous for the mutant allele. The comparative data on desmoglein 1 function in humans suggest that the identified DSG1 variant may have caused the footpad hyperkeratosis and predisposition for allergies and skin infections in the affected dog.

Canine ischaemic dermatopathy: a retrospective study of 177 cases (2005-2016).

BACKGROUND: Ischaemic dermatopathy encompasses a poorly understood subset of canine diseases that share similar clinical and histological features. Very little information is currently available regarding population characteristics, progression and outcome. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to describe the clinical features and therapeutic outcomes of ischaemia dermatopathy, excluding familial dermatomyositis, using cases diagnosed by histopathological analysis. ANIMALS: One hundred and seventy-seven cases submitted for histopathological analysis between 2005 and 2016 met inclusion criteria, of which 93 had complete medical records available. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Both records and pointed surveys were used to retrieve information. Scoring systems were created to subjectively evaluate clinical outcomes and likelihood of a vaccine association. RESULTS: Of 177 cases, toy and miniature poodles, Chihuahuas, Maltese, Yorkshire terriers and Jack Russell terriers were significantly over-represented (P < 0.001). Of the 93 cases for which historical data were obtained, median age at skin biopsy was five years (0.42-13 years) and median body weight was 7.3 kg (range 1.32-50.3 kg). The condition in 45 dogs (48.3%) was found likely to be associated with vaccination. Younger ages (P = 0.011) and higher body weights (P = 0.003) were positively correlated with greater likelihood of vaccination. Body weight <10 kg (P = 0.0045) and older ages (P = 0.0048) were significantly associated with worse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This study provides support for breed predispositions and identifies potential prognostic factors. Importantly, over half of the cases were considered unlikely to be vaccine-associated, demonstrating the need to investigate other underlying causes of this condition.

Skin as a marker of general feline health: Cutaneous manifestations of infectious disease.

Practical relevance: Infectious disease in feline patients often presents a diagnostic challenge. This article reviews the most relevant viral, bacterial and protozoal diseases and their cutaneous manifestations. Many of the diseases discussed have overlapping presentations or may mimic more common noninfectious disease processes. The purpose of the article is to reinforce knowledge of common and uncommon infectious diseases, help practitioners identify possible infectious dermatoses, create a comprehensive and prioritized differential list, and provide guidance for the diagnosis of these diseases. A working knowledge of these clinical syndromes is important if what is thought to be a case of a common disease does not respond to conventional management. AUDIENCE: This review is aimed at veterinarians who treat cats and especially those with an interest in feline dermatology. Tables are included to allow the reader to formulate a concise list of differential diagnoses for clinically similar presentations. The diagnostic approach to a case of ulcerative facial dermatitis is reviewed in a Case Notes quiz. Evidence base: This article includes up-to-date information regarding dermatologic manifestations of less commonly encountered feline cutaneous infectious diseases. Information has been drawn from the published, peer-reviewed literature and the most recent textbook chapters with a particular aim of describing and differentiating clinical lesions and the diagnostic approach to cutaneous disease, especially in unusual cases.

Sustainable smallholder poultry interventions to promote food security and social, agricultural, and ecological resilience in the Luangwa Valley, Zambia.

In Zambia's Luangwa Valley, highly variable rainfall and lack of education, agricultural inputs, and market access constrain agricultural productivity, trapping smallholder farmers in chronic poverty and food insecurity. Human and animal disease (e.g. HIV and Newcastle Disease, respectively), further threaten the resilience of poor families. To cope with various shocks and stressors, many farmers employ short-term coping strategies that threaten ecosystem resilience. Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) utilizes an agribusiness model to alleviate poverty and food insecurity through conservation farming, market development and value-added food production. COMACO promotes household, agricultural and ecological resilience along two strategic lines: improving recovery from shocks (mitigation) and reducing the risk of shock occurrence. Here we focus on two of COMACO's poultry interventions and present data showing that addressing health and management constraints within the existing village poultry system resulted in significantly improved productivity and profitability. However, once reliable productivity was achieved, farmers preferred to sell chickens rather than eat either the birds or their eggs. Sales of live birds were largely outside the community to avoid price suppression; in contrast, the sale of eggs from community-operated, semi-intensive egg production facilities was invariably within the communities. These facilities resulted in significant increases in both producer income and community consumption of eggs. This intervention therefore has the potential to improve not only producers' economic resilience, but also resilience tied to the food security and physical health of the entire community.