Endoscopic administration of Coca-Cola for medical management of a wedged intestinal trichobezoar in a cat.

A 16-year-old, neutered male domestic longhair feline with gastroduodenal and jejunal trichobezoars was treated with administration of Coca-Cola through endoscopic injection catheter. Examination with a Karl Storz endoscope identified a trichobezoar causing suspected partial or early complete obstruction of the jejunum; however, the length of the scope was inadequate to retrieve the trichobezoar. Consequently, 55 mL of Coca-Cola and 5 mL of iohexol were instilled into an injection catheter to disrupt the trichobezoar. No peri- or postoperative complications were reported, and the cat recovered uneventfully. Key clinical message: This case report demonstrates a minimally invasive approach to treatment of a small intestinal trichobezoar in a cat with no intra- or postoperative complications. Coca-Cola infusion through an endoscopic injection catheter may be a viable treatment in cats when a surgical approach is not an option, although further cases are needed to determine whether these results can be generalized to the larger patient population.

Administration endoscopique de Coca-Cola pour la prise en charge médicale d'un trichobézoard intestinal coincé chez un chat. Un félin domestique à poil long mâle castré de 16 ans atteint de trichobézoards gastroduodénaux et jéjunaux a été traité par l'administration de Coca-Cola via un cathéter d'injection endoscopique. L'examen avec un endoscope Karl Storz a identifié un trichobézoard suspecté d'obstruction partielle ou complète précoce du jéjunum; cependant, la longueur de l'endoscope était insuffisante pour récupérer le trichobézoard. Par conséquent, 55 ml de Coca-Cola et 5 ml d'iohexol ont été instillés dans un cathéter d'injection pour défaire le trichobézoard. Aucune complication péri- ou postopératoire n'a été signalée et le chat s'est rétabli sans incident.Message clinique clé :Ce rapport de cas démontre une approche peu invasive du traitement d'un trichobézoard de l'intestin grêle chez un chat sans complications per- ou postopératoires. L'infusion de Coca-Cola via un cathéter d'injection endoscopique peut être un traitement viable chez les chats lorsqu'une approche chirurgicale n'est pas une option, bien que d'autres cas soient nécessaires pour déterminer si ces résultats peuvent être généralisés à une population de patients plus large.(Traduit par Dr Serge Messier).

Gastrointestinal pythiosis with concurrent presumptive gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis in a Boxer dog.

A 2-year-old female spayed Boxer dog was presented for a 1-month history of progressive hemorrhagic diarrhea with tenesmus and weight loss despite trial courses of antibiotics and diet change. Abdominal ultrasound revealed severe, focal thickening, and loss of normal architecture of the colonic wall with abdominal lymphadenomegaly. Dry-mount fecal cytology, performed on several consecutive days, consistently revealed numerous, round, 16-20 µm structures with basophilic, granular content, and a thin cell wall. Transmission electron microscopy identified these structures as fungi. Culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer, D1/D2 regions, and DNA-directed RNA polymerase II core subunit (RPB2) confirmed the presence of Basidiobolus microsporus in the feces. Biopsies collected via ileocolonoscopy revealed marked, multifocal, chronic, neutrophilic, and eosinophilic ileitis and colitis with ulceration, granulation tissue, and intralesional hyphae (identified with Gomori methenamine silver stain). A Pythium enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Pythium-specific PCR performed on the formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy specimens were positive while Basidiobolus-specific PCR was negative, thus confirming a diagnosis of pythiosis. This report describes a fatal case of colonic and intestinal pythiosis with the presence of fecal Basidiobolus sp. spores, suggestive of concurrent gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis.

Development and analytic validation of a sandwich ELISA for the measurement of α1-proteinase inhibitor concentrations in serum and feces of common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).

OBJECTIVE To develop and validate a sandwich ELISA for the measurement of α1-proteinase inhibitor (α1-PI) concentrations in serum and fecal samples obtained from common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). SAMPLE Leftover serum (n = 42) and fecal (23) samples submitted for diagnostic testing; paired serum and fecal samples obtained from 30 common marmosets at 2 research colonies. PROCEDURES A sandwich ELISA was developed and analytically validated by determining the lower limit of detection, linearity, accuracy, precision, and reproducibility. Reference intervals for α1-PI concentrations in serum and feces of common marmosets were calculated. RESULTS The standard curve was generated for concentrations between 1 and 100 ng/mL. Mean ± SD observed-to-expected ratio for serial dilutions of serum and fecal samples was 117.1 ± 5.6% (range, 112.2% to 123.0%) and 106.1 ± 19.7% (range, 82.6% to 130.2%), respectively. Mean observed-to-expected ratio for spiking recovery of serum and fecal samples was 102.9 ± 12.1% (range, 86.8% to 115.8%) and 97.9 ± 19.0% (range, 83.0% to 125.1%), respectively. Reference interval for serum concentrations of α1-PI was 1,254 to 1,813 µg/mL, for 3-day mean fecal concentrations was 11.5 to 42.2 µg/g of feces, and for 3-day maximum fecal concentrations was 13.2 to 51.2 µg/g of feces. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The ELISA was linear, accurate, precise, and reproducible for quantification of α1-PI concentrations in serum and feces of common marmosets. However, the ELISA had limited linearity and accuracy for spiking recovery of fecal samples.

Evaluation of density gradient ultracentrifugation serum lipoprotein profiles in healthy dogs and dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency.

Changes in proportions of lipoprotein classes have been described in disease states in humans. In veterinary medicine, hyperlipidemia can cause complications, such as cutaneous xanthomas, liver disease, cholelithiasis, pancreatitis, glomerular disease, lipemia retinalis, or peripheral neuropathy, but there are few reports regarding lipoproteins in diseased animals. For canine serum, we partially validated continuous lipoprotein density profiling (CLPDP), a novel density gradient ultracentrifugation technique. We examined canine lipoproteins separated by CLPDP by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). We compared lipoprotein profiles between healthy control dogs ( n = 29) and dogs with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI; n = 28) using CLPDP. Dogs with EPI included those untreated (EPI-NT; n = 6) and those treated with enzyme supplementation (EPI-T; n = 22). Our preliminary assay validation showed that CLPDP was repeatable (CV = 11.2%) and reproducible (CV = 10.6%) in canine serum. The diameters of lipoproteins analyzed by TEM were similar to those reported previously. Dogs in the EPI-NT group had more severe dyslipidemia than dogs in the EPI-T group. Dogs in the EPI-T group had lipoprotein profiles similar to healthy control dogs. CLPDP might be a useful tool for evaluating dyslipidemia in dogs.