MUM1/IRF4 immunolabeling of neoplastic Langerhans histiocytes in a putative case of canine Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a systemic histiocytic proliferative disease with cutaneous manifestations which is well described in human medical literature and has relatively recently been reclassified as a neoplastic disorder. The diagnosis of canine Langerhans cell histiocytosis has been proposed in the veterinary literature to refer to a histiocytic proliferative disease in the dog with clinical and histopathologic features that mirror the human disease. However, reports that invoke this diagnosis are rare and often lack complete diagnostic characterization. This case report presents an extensive diagnostic investigation of a putative case of Langerhans cell histiocytosis in a 3-year-old male castrated Golden Retriever dog, including gross, cytologic, histopathologic, and immunohistochemical findings. Furthermore, we document that canine LCH may have positive immunolabeling for the transcription factor multiple myeloma oncogene 1/interferon regulatory factor 4 (MUM1/IRF4), which is classically used for the diagnosis of canine plasma cell neoplasms.

Naturally occurring canine sarcomas: Bridging the gap from mouse models to human patients through cross-disciplinary research partnerships.

Fueled by support from the National Cancer Institute's "Cancer Moonshot" program, the past few years have witnessed a renewed interest in the canine spontaneous cancer model as an invaluable resource in translational oncology research. Increasingly, there is awareness that pet dogs with cancer provide an accessible bridge to improving the efficiency of cancer drug discovery and clinical therapeutic development. Canine tumors share many biological, genetic, and histologic features with their human tumor counterparts, and most importantly, retain the complexities of naturally occurring drug resistance, metastasis, and tumor-host immune interactions, all of which are difficult to recapitulate in induced or genetically engineered murine tumor models. The utility of canine models has been particularly apparent in sarcoma research, where the increased incidence of sarcomas in dogs as compared to people has facilitated comparative research resulting in treatment advances benefitting both species. Although there is an increasing awareness of the advantages in using spontaneous canine sarcoma models for research, these models remain underutilized, in part due to a lack of more permanent institutional and cross-institutional infrastructure to support partnerships between veterinary and human clinician-scientists. In this review, we provide an updated overview of historical and current applications of spontaneously occurring canine tumor models in sarcoma research, with particular attention to knowledge gaps, limitations, and growth opportunities within these applications. Furthermore, we propose considerations for working within existing veterinary translational and comparative oncology research infrastructures to maximize the benefit of partnerships between veterinary and human biomedical researchers within and across institutions to improve the utility and application of spontaneous canine sarcomas in translational oncology research.

Microscopic detection of Leptospira bacterial organisms in urine sediment from a young dog with leptospirosis and a review of the pathobiology and diagnosis of canine leptospirosis.

Samples collected from an 11-month-old Dachshund-mix dog with a history of acute azotemia, fever, and enlarged and irregular kidneys were received at the Colorado State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (CSU VDL). The submitting veterinarians were concerned about lymphoma versus acute nephritis/pyelonephritis. The CSU clinical pathology laboratory received urine for urinalysis and kidney aspirates for cytologic evaluation. Urine had also been submitted for aerobic culture and Leptospirosis PCR, and serum was submitted for Lepto-5 microscopic agglutination testing (MAT). Upon examination of a wet mount of the urine sediment, technical staff noted "vibrating" clumps of granular-appearing material throughout the slide, which prompted the preparation of a stained sediment slide for pathologist review. Very small, faintly staining organisms were observed, and an attempt was made to picture-match these with published reports of Leptospira in dog urine, but none could be found. In addition, some references claimed that Leptospira organisms are not seen in urine with light microscopy. The suspicion that these organisms were Leptospira sp. was supported by the MAT results and later confirmed by PCR. The organisms subsequently exhibited strong positive immunolabeling for the Leptospira antigen. This case report provides a searchable record of Leptospira organisms visualized by routine light microscopy in dog urine during natural infection and a review of canine leptospirosis pathobiology and diagnosis.