Ectopic spleen presenting with anemia and an abdominal mass in a dog.

An 11.5-year-old, neutered male, golden retriever dog that had previously had a splenectomy for benign disease 2 years prior to presentation was diagnosed with anemia and a large abdominal mass. Necropsy and histopathology identified the abdominal mass as ectopic splenic tissue.

Présentation d'un cas de rate ectopique avec de l'anémie et une masse abdominale chez un chien. Un chien Golden retriever castré âgé de 11,5 ans ayant subi une splénectomie pour une maladie bénigne 2 ans avant la présentation a été diagnostiqué avec l'anémie et une grande masse abdominale. La nécropsie et l'histopathologie ont identifié la masse abdominale comme des tissus spléniques ectopiques.(Traduit par Isabelle Vallières).

Coagulase positive staphylococcal colonization of humans and their household pets.

Staphylococcus aureus colonization was identified in 67/242 (28%) humans, 19/132 (14%) dogs, and 7/161 (4.3%) cats in households in Ontario, with methicillin-resistant S. aureus present in 8 (3.3%) humans, 2 (1.5%) dogs, and 0 cats. Staphylococcus pseudintermedius was isolated from 8 (4.1%) humans, 61 (46%) dogs, and 11 (6.8%) cats, with methicillin-resistant S. pseudintermedius detected in 1 (0.4%) human, 6 (4.5%) dogs, and 2 (1.2%) cats. Staphylococcus schleiferi subspecies coagulans was isolated from 1 (0.8%) dog. Regular hand washing was a protective factor for S. pseudintermedius colonization in humans. Indistinguishable S. aureus isolates were present in humans and their dogs in 4/8 households, where S. aureus was isolated concurrently from humans and dogs. Similarly, indistinguishable human and feline strains were isolated in 1 of 2 households with concurrent human/feline colonization. Indistinguishable canine and human S. pseudintermedius isolates were present in 4/9 of households with a human who was colonized.

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcal colonization in dogs entering a veterinary teaching hospital.

Nasal, axillary and rectal swabs were collected from 193 dogs admitted to the Ontario Veterinary College Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Enrichment culture was performed and coagulase positive staphylococci were identified via standard methods. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus pseudintermedius was isolated from 4/193 (2.1%) dogs, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus schleiferi subsp. coagulans were each isolated from 1/193 (0.5%) dogs. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus intermedius was not identified. All S. pseudintermedius isolates were unrelated on pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Evaluation of the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant staphylococcal colonization is necessary to understand the apparent emergence of these strains and to develop appropriate control strategies.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in schoolteachers in Ontario.

A prospective study of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization was performed involving teachers at a science teachers' conference in Toronto, Ontario. Nasal swabs and questionnaire data were collected from consenting individuals. MRSA colonization was identified in seven of 220 (3.2%) participants. No colonized individuals reported recent contact with the health care system, antimicrobial therapy, residence with health care workers or previous MRSA infections. Methicillin-susceptible S aureus colonization was identified in 72 of 220 (33%) individuals. The prevalence of MRSA colonization was higher than expected for a purportedly low-risk population.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in veterinary personnel.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was isolated from nares of 27/417 (6.5%) attendees at an international veterinary conference: 23/345 (7.0%) veterinarians, 4/34 (12.0%) technicians, and 0/38 others. Colonization was more common for large-animal (15/96, 15.6%) than small-animal personnel (12/271, 4.4%) or those with no animal patient contact (0/50) (p<0.001). Large-animal practice was the only variable significantly associated with colonization (odds ratio 2.9; 95% confidence interval 1.2-6.6). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis identified 2 predominant clones with similar distribution among veterinarians as previously reported for horses and companion animals. Canadian epidemic MRSA-2 (CMRSA) was isolated from 11 small-animal and 2 large-animal personnel from the United States (n = 12) and Germany (n = 1). In contrast, CMRSA-5 was isolated exclusively from large-animal personnel (p<0.001) in the United States (n = 10), United Kingdom (n = 2), and Denmark (n = 1). MRSA colonization may be an occupational risk for veterinary professionals.

Melanocytic glaucoma in a cairn terrier.

Melanocytic glaucoma, previously known as pigmentary glaucoma, is characterized by diffuse intraocular infiltration of heavily pigmented melanocytes. This unusual ocular disorder has been documented only in the cairn terrier and is considered familial. Treatment strategies are based on evidence that the condition is slowly progressive but not neoplastic.