Cutaneous plaques associated with a putative novel papillomavirus type in a horse.

CASE HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: A 6-year-old Thoroughbred mare developed multiple flat plaques, < 1 cm in diameter, on the left front fetlock. These were treated topically using 5-fluorouracil and resolved after 4 weeks. However, additional similar plaques developed on the left front pastern 5 months later. These lesions resolved within 3 months without treatment. PATHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR FINDINGS: One plaque that developed initially and one plaque that developed later were examined histologically. Both consisted of well-demarcated foci of moderate epidermal hyperplasia. Scattered throughout both plaques were cells showing evidence of papillomavirus-induced cell changes and the same papillomaviral DNA sequence was amplified from both lesions using PCR. As the novel sequence had 79.1% similarity to a partial sequence previously amplified from an equine cutaneous wart and 67.9% similarity to Equus caballus papillomavirus type 1, these results indicate detection of a putative novel papillomavirus type. DIAGNOSIS: Multiple cutaneous plaques due to infection by a novel papillomavirus type. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Unlike more typical equine cutaneous warts which generally appear as pedunculated and filiform masses, the lesions in this horse appeared as raised plaques. With the exception of aural plaques that are confined to the ears, localised clusters of papillomaviral plaques have not been previously described in horses. The lesions contained subtle histological evidence of papillomavirus infection and careful examination is required to differentiate these plaques from pre-neoplastic lesions. The plaques contained a putative novel papillomavirus type. These results increase the spectrum of papillomavirus-induced skin disease in horses.

Clinical haematology and biochemistry profiles of cattle naturally infected with Theileria orientalis Ikeda type in New Zealand.

AIMS: To present the haematology and biochemistry profiles for cattle in New Zealand naturally infected with Theileria orientalis Ikeda type and investigate if the results differed between adult dairy cattle and calves aged <6 months. METHODS: Haematology and biochemistry results were obtained from blood samples from cattle which tested positive for T. orientalis Ikeda type by PCR, that were submitted to veterinary laboratories in New Zealand between October 2012 and November 2014. Data sets for haematology and biochemistry results were prepared for adult dairy cattle (n=62 and 28, respectively) and calves aged <6 months (n=62 and 28, respectively), which were matched on the basis of individual haematocrit (HCT). Results were compared between age groups when categorised by HCT. Selected variables were plotted against individual HCT, and locally weighted scatterplot smoothing (Loess) curves were fitted to the data for adult dairy cattle and calves <6 months old. RESULTS: When categorised by HCT, the proportion of samples with HCT <0.15 L/L (severe anaemia) was greater for adult dairy cattle than for beef or dairy calves, for both haematology (p<0.002) and biochemistry (p<0.001) submissions. There were differences (p<0.05) between adult dairy cattle and calves aged <6 months in the relationships between HCT and red blood cell counts, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentrations, lymphocyte and eosinophil counts, and activities of glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase. In both age groups anisocytosis was frequently recorded. The proportion of blood smears showing mild and moderate macrocytosis was greater in adults than calves (p=0.01), and mild and moderate poikilocytosis was greater in calves than adults (p=0.005). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The haematology and biochemistry changes observed in cattle infected with T. orientalis Ikeda type were consistent with extravascular haemolytic anaemia. Adult dairy cattle were more likely to be severely anaemic than calves. There were differences in haematology and biochemistry profiles between adult dairy cattle and calves, but most of these differences likely had a physiological rather than pathological basis. Overall, the haematological changes in calves aged <6 months appeared less severe than in adult dairy cattle.

Cluster analysis of the clinical histories of cattle affected with bovine anaemia associated with Theileria orientalis Ikeda type infection.

AIM To determine the most commonly used words in the clinical histories of animals naturally infected with Theileria orientalis Ikeda type; whether these words differed between cases categorised by age, farm type or haematocrit (HCT), and if there was any clustering of the common words in relation to these categories. METHODS Clinical histories were transcribed for 605 cases of bovine anaemia associated with T. orientalis (TABA), that were submitted to laboratories with blood samples which tested positive for T. orientalis Ikeda type infection by PCR analysis, between October 2012 and November 2014. χ2 tests were used to determine whether the proportion of submissions for each word was similar across the categories of HCT (normal, moderate anaemia or severe anaemia), farm type (dairy or beef) and age (young or old). Correspondence analysis (CA) was carried out on a contingency table of the frequency of the 28 most commonly used history words, cross-tabulated by age categories (young, old or unknown). Agglomerative hierarchical clustering, using Ward's method, was then performed on the coordinates from the correspondence analysis. RESULTS The six most commonly used history words were jaundice (204/605), lethargic (162/605), pale mucous membranes (161/605), cow (151/605), anaemia (147/605), and off milk (115/605). The proportion of cases with some history words differed between categories of age, farm type and HCT. The cluster analysis indicated that the recorded history words were grouped in two main clusters. The first included the words weight loss, tachycardia, pale mucous membranes, anaemia, lethargic and thin, and was associated with adult (p<0.001), severe anaemia (p<0.001) and dairy (p<0.001). The second cluster included the words deaths, ill-thrift, calves, calf and diarrhoea, and was associated with young (p<0.001), normal HCT (p<0.001), beef (p<0.001) and moderate anaemia (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Cluster analysis of words recorded in clinical histories submitted with blood samples from cases of TABA indicates that two potentially different disease syndromes were associated with T. orientalis Ikeda type infection. One was consistent with the affected cattle suffering from a severe regenerative extravascular haemolytic anaemia, the second displaying as ill thrift and diarrhoea, particularly in young beef cattle.

Systemic granulomatous and haemorrhagic syndrome in New Zealand dairy cattle.

CASE HISTORY: Cases were obtained through passive surveillance reporting by veterinary pathologists, via the Ministry for Primary Industries Exotic Pest and Disease Hotline. They included ill or dead cows that had evidence of frank haemorrhage, petechial haemorrhages on mucous membranes, wasting or dermatitis of unknown cause, and were reported between 2009-2014. Affected cows (n=16) were from nine seasonally calving dairy farms, aged ≥3 years, and were predominantly in their mid-to-late non-lactating period. A brassica crop was identified in 15/16 cases as part of the current or recent ration. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Eight cows were found dead or died within 2 days of first signs. In eight cases death or euthanasia took place up to 3 weeks after signs were first observed. Cattle clinically examined prior to death (n=11) were generally inappetant, and recumbent or reluctant to move. Five cases had pale mucous membranes, three had petechiae and two were jaundiced. Rectal temperature was normal to sub-normal in eight cases. Evidence of melena or fresh blood at the anus or mouth was found in five cases. In three cases, alopecia and skin thickening was present, predominantly affecting the head and neck. PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: Petechiation of mucosal and internal serosal membranes, myocardium, subcutis and skeletal muscle was found in 10 cases. Frank haemorrhage was present in six cases, including haematomas of the subcutis, skeletal musculature, mesentery or omentum, and lumenal haemorrhage of the abomasum and/or intestine. In five cases pale nodules within myocardium and/or kidney, liver or spleen were present. Histopathologically, these were confirmed as granulomatous inflammatory lesions, which were also present within a wide range of tissues. Granulomatous foci typically comprised aggregates of macrophages, lymphocytes, plasma cells, prominent multinucleated giant cells and eosinophils. DIAGNOSIS: Idiopathic multisystemic granulomatous and haemorrhagic disease, occurring sporadically in dairy cattle, in the absence of feeds or feed additives previously associated with comparable syndromes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This is the first description of a novel systemic granulomatous and haemorrhagic syndrome seen in adult dairy cattle most often in their non-lactating period. The presentation can mimic important exotic disease differentials in New Zealand including anthrax, haemorrhagic septicaemia (associated with selected Pasteurella multocida strains) or infection with bovine viral diarrhoea virus type 2.

Clinicopathological features of 11 suspected outbreaks of bovine adenovirus infection and development of a real-time quantitative PCR to detect bovine adenovirus type 10.

CASE HISTORY: A retrospective study was conducted to investigate 11 outbreaks of presumptive fatal adenovirus infection diagnosed through two New Zealand diagnostic laboratories during 2014 and 2015. Outbreaks occurred in 6-12-month-old Friesian or Friesian cross cattle during autumn, winter and spring. Individual outbreaks were short in duration, with mortality rates ranging from 3/250 to 20/600 (1.2 to 3.3%). CLINICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: Clinical signs included severe diarrhoea, depression, recumbency, and death. Post-mortem examination revealed congestion and oedema of the alimentary tract and fluid to haemorrhagic intestinal contents. Histopathological lesions were characterised by congestion and haemorrhage of the alimentary tract mucosa, oedema of the submucosa, and mild interstitial inflammation in the kidneys. Large basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies were identified in vascular endothelial cells of the alimentary tract in 11/11 cases and of the kidney in 8/9 cases. MOLECULAR TESTING: A real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was designed to detect bovine adenovirus type 10 (BAdV-10) using hexon gene sequences available in GenBank. DNA extracted from a field case and confirmed by sequencing was used as a positive control. The qPCR had a reaction efficiency of 101% (R(2)=0.99) and the limit of detection was <10 DNA copies/reaction. The qPCR detected BAdV-10 in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue from 10/11 cases. DNA sequencing of PCR products from nine of these cases showed them to be identical to BAdV-10 sequences in GenBank. For the PCR-negative case, the PCR product had a hexon sequence 99% similar to bovine adenovirus Wic isolate Ma20-1, a close relative of BadV-10. DIAGNOSIS: Bovine adenovirus type 10 was identified in FFPE tissues from cattle with histopathological evidence of adenovirus infection. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Bovine adenoviruses, and especially BAdV-10, should be considered in the differential diagnosis for acute enteric disease and death in young cattle. The qPCR detected BAdV-10 from FFPE tissue of cattle with suspected adenoviral infection diagnosed by histopathology. However results should be interpreted in light of clinical and pathological findings due to the possibility of adenovirus shedding by healthy cattle and the presence of pathogenic adenoviruses other than BAdV-10.

Oral Papillomas Associated With Felis catus Papillomavirus Type 1 in 2 Domestic Cats.

Multiple small sessile raised lesions were detected on the ventral surface of the tongue in two 13-year-old domestic cats. The lesions were incidental in both cats. Lesions from both cats appeared histologically as well-demarcated foci of markedly thickened folded epithelium that formed keratin-filled shallow cuplike structures. Large keratinocytes that contained a swollen nucleus surrounded by a clear cytoplasmic halo (koilocytes) were common, suggesting a diagnosis of a papillomavirus-induced papillomas, and papillomavirus antigen was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry. The papillomas exhibited diffuse intense cytoplasmic and nuclear immunoreactivity against cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A protein (also known as p16 or INK4a protein). Felis catus papillomavirus type 1 DNA sequences were amplified from both papillomas. The papillomas resolved in 1 cat within 3 months of diagnosis, while the papillomas were still visible 4 months after diagnosis in the other cat. This is the first evidence that these papillomas are caused by F. catus papillomavirus type 1.

Dermatosparaxis in two white Dorper lambs.

CASE HISTORY AND CLINICAL FINDINGS: Two White Dorper lambs from the North Island of New Zealand, 2 and 4 weeks of age, were presented with large skin flaps hanging from the flanks, separation of skin from the subcutis over mobile joints, and de-gloving injuries of the limbs and tail. The lambs were subject to euthanasia on humane grounds. PATHOLOGICAL FINDINGS: Large skin tears with associated haemorrhage, periarticular S/C oedema and generalised skin fragility were observed in both lambs at post-mortem examination. Histology of the affected skin revealed diffuse hyalinisation of dermal collagen compared with control lambs, protein-filled peri-adnexal clefts and areas of deep dermal and S/C granulation tissue consistent with previous separation of skin from the subcutis. Analysis of hair follicles, collected from one of the lambs, using a commercially available genetic test in Australia was consistent with the lamb being homozygous for the mutation responsible for ovine dermatosparaxis. DIAGNOSIS: Likely dermatosparaxis. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: These findings strongly suggest that the mutation responsible for dermatosparaxis in White Dorper sheep is present in New Zealand. Dermatosparaxis should be considered when investigating skin fragility in lambs with White Dorper genetics. Confirmation of the disorder is possible through genetic analysis of hair follicles.