Unilateral seminoma in a dromedary camel.

A 10-year-old, clinically healthy, male dromedary camel had presented a history of progressive unilateral testicular enlargement over the past 5 years. The animal had mated with 32 females during that period; all had conceived. The sex ratio of his offspring was one male to 31 females. Ultrasound examination of the right testicle revealed a diffusely heterogeneous parenchyma with no identifiable normal testicular tissue. The enlarged testicle was surgically removed. Macroscopically, the testicle had a glistening pink surface and contained multiple soft, bulging nodules. Histopathologically, a well-differentiated, diffuse seminoma was diagnosed. In conclusion, this study describes the fertility, sex ratio, clinical findings and ultrasonographic imaging in a male dromedary camel affected with unilateral testicular seminoma.

Clinical and ultrasonographic findings of some ocular conditions in sheep and goats.

This study was carried out to describe the ultrasonographic findings in relation to the clinical symptoms of some common ocular conditions in sheep and goats. Fifty animals (32 goats and 18 sheep) with different ocular problems were examined. Ultrasonographic examination was performed using a B-mode ocular ultrasound unit, and the structure of the globe was evaluated at a depth of 4-6 cm. Early cases (n=35, 70%) showed varying ocular conditions; hypopyon, (n=8, 16%), stromal abscesses, (n=4, 8%), and anterior uveitis (n=23, 46%). Hypopyon appeared clinically as a white or yellowish material in the anterior chamber, and ultrasonographically as a hyperechoic mass in the anterior chamber. Severe iridocyclitis was noticed in acute cases of infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) accompanied by blepharospasm, photophobia, excessive tearing and eyelid margin crust formation. Ultrasonographically, the pupil appeared constricted with increased hyperechoic thickening of the ciliary body. In chronic cases of IKC, corneal pigmentation (n=5, 10%) and cataract (n=10, 20%) were seen. Ultrasonographically the type and degree of cataract were diagnosed. The present study provides an inside view of the inner ocular structures during the course of certain eye diseases where ophthalmoscopic examination is not possible. Our findings, although preliminary, are relevant for the more complete diagnosis of certain external ocular conditions in sheep and goat herds.

Ovarian hydrobursitis in female camels (Camelus dromedarius): clinical findings, histopathology and fertility after unilateral surgical ablation.

This study was undertaken to verify the clinical signs, incidence, location, etiology and pathology of ovarian hydrobursitis in infertile female camels and estimate the fertility after unilateral surgical ablation. Genital organs (n = 124) were examined in camels slaughtered at Makkah abattoir during Hajj of 2009. Infertile female camels (n = 142) presented for management to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, were clinically examined and ultrasound-scanned for the diagnosis of genital abnormalities. Twenty eight camels diagnosed with ovarian hydrobursitis were further investigated for the effect of unilateral surgical ablation on breeding outcomes. Surgical ablation was carried on 14 cases (treated group), the remaining 14 cases were followed as controls (control group). Both groups were observed for breeding results: 90 days non-return rate (90d NRR) and calving rate (CR). Removed bursae were sent to the laboratory for histopathological investigation. Results showed that the incidence of ovarian hydrobursitis was 6.5% in slaughtered camels and 33.8% in infertile females. Camels with hydrobursitis were concurrently affected with pyometra, uterine and vaginal adhesions or purulent endometritis. Histopathology reported degeneration and hyperplasia of the lining epithelium, mononuclear cells infiltration, focal aggregation of inflammatory cells, cystic dilatation of multi-acinal structures, tiny hemorrhages, and presence of hemosiderin-laden macrophages. The 90d NRR and CR of the surgically-treated cases were 64.3% and 50%, respectively. None of the untreated cases conceived. These results confirmed that ovarian hydrobursitis causes infertility in dromedary female camels and is associated with inflammatory genital conditions and surgical ablation in unilaterally affected animals presents a potential treatment.

Homing and efficacy of intra-articular injection of autologous mesenchymal stem cells in experimental chondral defects in dogs.

OBJECTIVES: This study was intended to verify the likelihood of homing of intra-articularily injected mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and its involvement in the healing process of experimentally induced, acute and chronic, partial chondral defects in dogs. METHODS: Partial thickness chondral defects were created on the lateral femoral condyle of stifle joint in domestic mongrel dogs. MSCs were harvested in a separate procedure, labelled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) using monster GFP vector and suspended in buffer phosphate solution for intra-articular (IA) injection. Dogs were divided into three groups. Group I, served as the control. The dogs in the two cell-treated groups received a single IA injection of MSCs one day (Group II) and one month (Group III) after creating the defect. Sacrifice was scheduled at 2 and 8 weeks post-surgery for group I, and 2 and 8 weeks post-treatment, for the cell-treated groups. Morphological, histological, and fluorescence analysis was performed. RESULTS: Recovery was significant both clinically and histologically in the two cell-treated groups (Group II and III) compared to the control (Group I), (p<0.001). In the meantime, Group-II showed better results at 8 weeks than Group III (p=0.01). Homing was confirmed by the incorporation of injected GFP-labelled MSCs within the newly formed cartilage. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results prove that the use of IA injection of autologous MSCs is a viable option for treating partial cartilage defects. Cell labelling gave evidence to the certainty of cell homing within the neocartilage of all treated cases and the participation in the reparative process.