Brucellosis associated with stillbirth in a bottlenose dolphin in Australia.

A captive adult female bottlenose dolphin presented with stillbirth. The placenta appeared oedematous. No other gross lesions were evident in the placenta or the stillborn calf. Histopathology revealed mild multifocal placentitis and foetal encephalitis. Brucella sp. was isolated from lung, liver, spleen and kidney. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated this organism to be most similar to Brucella ceti sequence type (ST) 27. Brucella sp. DNA was detected in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded placenta and brain by real-time PCR using primers targeting the IS711 gene. Immunohistochemical staining revealed Brucella sp. antigen in placental inflammation. This is the first report of isolation of Brucella sp. from a marine mammal in the Southern Hemisphere and the first report of marine Brucella-associated disease in Australia.

Primary tonsillar mast cell tumour in a dog.

CASE REPORT: A 6-year-old speyed female Bull Arab-cross dog was found to have a small tonsillar nodule. Histological examination revealed a well-differentiated mast cell tumour (MCT). At initial staging, no evidence of concurrent cutaneous or visceral MCTs was found on a complete blood count, a single lateral thoracic radiograph, abdominal ultrasound or cytology of the spleen and regional lymph nodes. A diagnosis of primary tonsillar MCT was made. At 40 months postoperatively, the dog is alive with no evidence of gross tumour progression, in contrast to some previous reports of rapid disease progression and metastasis in dogs with primary oral MCTs. CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge, no previous reports of a primary MCT of the tonsil in dogs exist in the veterinary literature.

Trypanosomiasis in an Australian little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus).

CASE REPORT: An adult female Australian little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus) presented with icterus and anaemia. Examination of a blood smear revealed numerous trypanosomes 20.4-30.8 µm long with tapered ends. Necropsy and histological findings were consistent with trypanosome infection of lymphoid tissue and intravascular haemolysis. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated this trypanosome species to be genetically distinct and most similar to Trypanosoma minasense and Trypanosoma rangeli (with a genetic distance of 1% at the 18S rRNA locus for both). CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge this is the first report of a trypanosome infection associated with clinical disease in bats.

Pneumonia due to Chlamydia pecorum in a Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).

Chlamydiosis is a common infectious disease of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), but Chlamydia spp. have not yet been demonstrated to cause pneumonia in these animals. A juvenile male koala died following an episode of respiratory disease. At necropsy examination, the lung tissue was consolidated. Microscopical lesions in the lung included pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia, proliferation of bronchiolar and alveolar epithelium and interstitial fibrosis. Hyperplastic bronchiolar epithelial cells contained aggregates of small basophilic punctate organisms, which were confirmed as chlamydiae by transmission electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Real-time polymerase chain reaction identified these as Chlamydia pecorum. This report provides the best evidence to date of chlamydial infection causing pneumonia in a koala, and the first evidence that C. pecorum is capable of infecting the bronchiolar epithelium of the koala.

Clinical effects of the use of a bipolar vessel sealing device for soft palate resection and tonsillectomy in dogs, with histological assessment of resected tonsillar tissue.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether soft palate resection and tonsillectomy with a bipolar vessel sealing device (BVSD) improves clinical respiratory score. To document histopathological changes to tonsillar tissue following removal with a BVSD. METHODS & RESULTS: Case series of 22 dogs with clinical signs of upper respiratory obstruction related to brachycephalic airway syndrome. Soft palate and tonsils were removed using a BVSD. Alarplasty and saccullectomy were also performed if indicated. A clinical respiratory score was assigned preoperatively, 24-h postoperatively and 5 weeks postoperatively. Excised tonsillar samples were measured and then assessed histologically for depth of tissue damage deemed to be caused by the device. Depth of tissue damage was compared between two power settings of the device. Soft palate resection and tonsillectomy with a BVSD lead to a significant improvement in respiratory scores following surgery. Depth of tissue damage was significantly less for power setting 1 compared with power setting 2. Using power setting 1, median calculated depth of tonsillar tissue damage was 3.4 mm (range 1.2-8.0). One dog experienced major complications. CONCLUSION: Soft palate resection and tonsillectomy with a BVSD led to significant improvement in clinical respiratory score.

Patent Angiostrongylus mackerrasae infection in a black flying fox (Pteropus alecto).

BACKGROUND: A wild adult male black flying fox (Pteropus alecto) was presented unable to fly or hang strongly. RESULTS: Necropsy and histological examination revealed a severe pneumonia, with numerous Angiostrongylus mackerrasae in the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary parenchyma contained numerous eggs and rare larvae. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of patent Angiostrongylus infection in an accidental (i.e. non-Rattus) host species. It is also the first report of A. mackerrasae infection in an accidental host (including flying foxes). Worms recovered from cases of suspected angiostrongyliasis should be examined in morphological detail to ensure correct identification.

Histopathological changes in the lungs from dogs with tick paralysis: 25 cases (2010-2012).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and nature of histological lung lesions in dogs with tick paralysis. METHODS: A prospective study of 25 client-owned dogs that died during treatment for tick paralysis or were euthanased because of either the severity of the disease process or financial constraints was conducted at a veterinary emergency hospital in Queensland, Australia. Lung specimens were collected postmortem for histopathological examination. RESULTS: All 25 dogs had significant pulmonary changes: 9 exhibited congestion and alveolar oedema, with no obvious inflammatory cell infiltrate; 1 exhibited a mild increase in the number of alveolar macrophages in addition to congestion and alveolar oedema; the remaining 15 dogs had moderate or severe bronchopneumonia, with 2 showing evidence of aspiration pneumonia. CONCLUSION: Dogs with clinically severe tick paralysis are likely to have pulmonary parenchymal disease. Bronchopneumonia may be present in a significant proportion of cases and may reflect aspiration.

Preliminary study of faecal cortisol and corticosterone as an index of acute cortisol secretion in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).

BACKGROUND: Stress can play a role in disease incidence in all species via immunosuppression and has been implicated as a contributing factor in significant infectious diseases of koalas. Faecal cortisol measurement may represent a non-invasive methodology for quantifying stress in koalas. METHODS: We used an ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) stimulation test (10 IU) to induce sustained secretion of cortisol, which was measured in serum samples from four koalas and subsequently it was attempted to locate a corresponding elevation in either cortisol or corticosterone measurements within the faeces. RESULTS: Although ACTH administration resulted in an elevation of serum cortisol for at least 4 h post injection, it was not possible to identify a corresponding peak in corticosterone or cortisol concentrations in extracts from the faeces, consistent with the known gut transit time of the koala. CONCLUSION: Faecal cortisol and corticosterone metabolites may not be reliable indices of acute changes in cortisol secretion in the koala and studies that attempt to use faecal cortisol as an index of stress will need to be interpreted with caution.

Serum cobalamin concentrations in healthy cats and cats with non-alimentary tract illness in Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine a reference range for serum cobalamin concentration in healthy cats in Australia using a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay and to prospectively investigate the prevalence of hypocobalaminaemia in cats with non-alimentary tract disease. DESIGN: Prospective study measuring serum cobalamin concentrations in clinically healthy cats and cats with non-alimentary tract illness. PROCEDURE: Blood was collected from 50 clinically healthy cats that were owned by staff and associates of Veterinary Specialist Services or were owned animals presented to Creek Road Cat Clinic for routine vaccination. Blood was collected from 47 cats with non-alimentary tract illness presented at either clinic. Serum cobalamin concentration was determined for each group using a chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: A reference range for Australian cats calculated using the central 95th percentile in the 50 clinically healthy cats was 345 to 3668 pg/mL. Median serum cobalamin concentration in 47 cats with non-alimentary tract illness (1186 pg/mL; range 117-3480) was not significantly different to the median serum cobalamin of the 50 healthy cats (1213 pg/mL, range 311-3688). Using the calculated reference range one sick cat with non-alimentary tract illness had a markedly low serum cobalamin concentration. CONCLUSION: Although hypocobalaminaemia is uncommon in sick cats with non-alimentary tract illness in Australia, its occurrence in this study warrants further investigation.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor in the spinal cord of a brahman crossbred calf.

A variety of embryonal tumors of the central nervous system, typically malignant and occurring in young individuals, are recognized in humans and animals. This report describes an invasive subdural but predominantly extramedullary primitive neuroectodermal tumor developing at the lumbosacral junction in a 6-month-old Brahman crossbred calf. The tumor was composed of spindloid embryonal cells organized in interlacing fascicles. The cells had oval to elongate or round hyperchromic nuclei, single to double nucleoli, and scant discernible cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical staining for neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin, and S-100 protein and formation of pseudorosettes suggested neuronal and possibly ependymal differentiation.

Gastritis associated with Helicobacter-like organisms in baboons.

Subclinical gastritis was observed in 10 of 10 baboons (Papio spp.) from a toxicity study in a research facility. The lesions were similar in xenobiotic-treated and control animals, suggesting a spontaneous rather than chemical-induced disease. Histologic examination revealed lymphoplasmacytic gastritis in the antral mucosa. The fundic mucosa contained minor, scattered aggregates of lymphocytes and plasma cells. A Warthin-Starry silver stain and ultrastructural examination revealed numerous spiral-shaped bacteria morphologically resembling Helicobacter pylori in antral glands and numerous spiral-shaped bacteria morphologically consistent with H. heilmannii-like organisms in fundic glands. Polymerase chain reaction assay of paraffin-embedded antral and fundic tissue using primers for the urease gene and 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene amplified deoxyribonucleic acid fragments with a high degree of sequence homology for H. pylori and H. heilmannii. This is the first report of gastritis associated with Helicobacter-like organisms in baboons.

Lymphangiosarcoma in a dog presenting with massive head and neck swelling.

A three-year-old, neutered male Chesapeake Bay retriever was presented for acute onset of severe, progressive swelling of the head, neck, and cranial trunk. Diffuse lymphangiosarcoma involving the superficial and deep dermis and subcutaneous tissue was observed on skin biopsies. Lymphangiosarcoma is a rarely reported tumor of the lymphatic system in dogs and cats. The importance of obtaining skin biopsies in animals with acute edema of unknown etiology is emphasized. Additionally, neoplasia should be considered as a potential diagnosis in a dog with an acute onset of edema.

Congenital sarcocystosis in a Saanen goat.

Sarcocystis schizonts were seen in histologic sections of the brain of a stillborn Saanen goat from Australia. The organism was located in endothelial cells of blood vessels, divided by endopolygeny, and reacted with anti-S. cruzi polyclonal rabbit serum in an avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex immunohistochemical test.