Dolphin Morbillivirus Associated with a Mass Stranding of Sperm Whales, Italy.

In September 2014, seven sperm whales were stranded along Italy's Adriatic coastline. Postmortem investigations on 3 female adult whales and 1 male fetus carried by the largest female revealed molecular and immunohistochemical evidence of dolphin morbillivirus infection. A possible role of the virus in the stranding event was considered.

BK virus-associated nephropathy with hydronephrosis in a patient with AIDS: a case report and literature review.

BK virus is ubiquitous worldwide, with infection usually occurring in early childhood. BK virus replicates prolifically under immunosuppressive conditions, causing inflammation along the genitourinary tract and progressing clinically to hemorrhagic cystitis, ureteral stenosis, and tubulointerstitial nephritis. Most BK virusassociated nephropathy occurs in renal allograft patients after kidney transplantation, although some case reports have described BK virus-associated nephropathy in the native kidney, particularly in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Here we present the case of a 49-year-old male with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and renal dysfunction with hydronephrosis. The renal biopsy showed tubulointerstitial nephritis with lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates and intranuclear inclusions in the tubular epithelium, which are typical findings for BK virus-associated nephropathy. In addition, immunohistochemical staining revealed that the SV40 large T antigen exhibited a nuclear localization in tubular cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of BK virus-associated nephropathy combined with hydronephrosis that was diagnosed by biopsy in a patient with AIDS.

Clinical characteristics of obstructive uropathy associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis in Japan.

AIMS: Rotavirus gastroenteritis is severe and often results in dehydration and pre-renal azotemia. However, we have encountered four children with acute obstructive uropathy associated with acute rotavirus gastroenteritis, and several similar cases have been reported. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to clarify the epidemiology and clinical features of acute obstructive uropathy associated with acute rotavirus gastroenteritis in Japanese children. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We sent questionnaires to all members of the Japanese Society for Nephrology and all authors who had published case reports of this disease in Japan, inquiring about patient age at diagnosis, sex, the type of stones, laboratory data and other factors. RESULTS: 21 reported patients were evaluable, ranging from 0.4 to 3 years. The sex distribution showed a strong male prevalence. Oliguria had appeared about 7 days after the onset of gastroenteritis. Most of the patients showed hyperuricemia and hyponatremia. The stones consisted mainly of ammonium acid urate. The patients were discharged with normal renal function. CONCLUSION: Although obstructive uropathy associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis is very rare, this disease condition should be explored when anuria is refractory to sufficient fluid replacement therapy or when oliguria persists despite recovery of the gastrointestinal symptoms.

Urolithiasis associated with experimental lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus inoculation in Lewis rats.

A high frequency of struvite urolithiasis, hydronephrosis, and other urinary tract lesions developed in a group of Lewis rats inoculated intracranially with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Initially, clinically ill rats were referred to necropsy: 30 rats over 3 years. These rats had high frequency of urolithiasis (8/30, 27%), hydronephrosis (12/30, 40%), cystitis (9/30, 30%), transitional cell carcinoma (4/30, 13%), and pyelonephritis (19/30, 63%). Lesions were more common in LCMV-inoculated rats. After this trend was noted, all rats on this protocol were necropsied as part of a cohort study (n = 144). Although the apparent frequency of disease was lower due to increased sampling, there still was a high number of urolithiasis (9/144, 6%) and hydronephrosis (40/144, 28%) cases. All cases of urolithiasis developed in rats inoculated with LCMV (9/44, 20%), as did most cases of hydronephrosis (31/44, 70%). Although sham-injected and uninoculated control rats also had high frequency of hydronephrosis (6/57 [11%] and 3/43 [7%], respectively), LCMV-inoculated rats had a significantly higher frequency of disease than did sham inoculated (P < 0.0001) and uninoculated (P < 0.0001) controls. These results suggest that Lewis rats may be predisposed to developing lesions of the urinary tract, and that intracranial inoculation of rats with LCMV augments this tendency, leading to formation of struvite calculi and associated urinary tract disease.