Methylenecyclopropylglycine and hypoglycin A intoxication in three Pére David's Deers (Elaphurus davidianus) with atypical myopathy.

BACKGROUND: Hypoglycin A (HGA) and methylenecyclopropylglycine (MCPrG) from seeds/seedlings of Sycamore maple (SM, Acer pseudoplatanus) causes atypical myopathy (AM) in horses. AM was not known to occur in wild ruminants until several fatalities in milus (Elaphurus davidianus) following the ingestion of HGA in SM seeds. However, a role for MCPrG has not previously been evaluated. OBJECTIVES: To test the hypothesis that MCPrG is also a major factor in AM in milus, three milus (M1, M2, M3) from the Zoo Dresden (aged 7-11 years, 2 females and 1 male, in good nutritional condition) that developed AM were studied. METHODS: Serum, urine and methanol extracts from the liver, kidney, rumen digesta and faeces were analysed by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for HGA, MCPrG and for conjugates of carnitine (C) and glycine (G): Methylenecyclopropylacetyl (MCPA)-G, MCPA-C, Methylenecyclopropylformyl (MCPF)-G, MCPF-C, butyryl-C and isobutyryl-C. RESULTS: HGA in serum was high (M2 480 nmol/L; M3 460 nmol/L), but MCPrG was not. HGA and MCPrG were found in rumen and faeces extracts, and MCPrG was also identified in the liver. Metabolites of HGA and MCPrG were high in serum, urine and liver, but not in the rumen or faeces. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that MCPrG is involved in the pathophysiology of AM in milus. The metabolism of MCPrG is considered to be faster because, after ingestion, the specific metabolites appear highly concentrated in the serum. The high toxin concentration in the liver suggests that a possible transfer into products for human consumption may pose a risk.

[Paratuberculosis in a miniature donkey (Equus asinus f. asinus)]. / Paratuberkulose bei einem Zwergesel (Equus asinus f. asinus).

Paratuberculosis is mainly an infectious disease of ruminants with worldwide distribution. Infection occurs in early stages of life. Other animal species beyond ruminants are rarely affected, however, experimental and natural infections are possible. A case of paratuberculosis in a miniature donkey (Equus asinus f. asinus) with typical clinical and pathomorphological changes is reported here. Lesions were mainly observed in the intestine. Causative for the profuse diarrhoea with emaciation was massive diffuse granulomatous enteritis involving large quantities of acid-fast organism mainly in macrophages. Granulomatous inflammation with acid-fast bacilli again in macrophages to a lesser degree could be detected in the liver. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) was isolated from intestinal contents after an incubation period of four weeks. MAP-specific DNA (IS900 and f57) was detected by polymerase chain reaction in culture material. Additionally MAP-isolates were characterized by multi-target genotyping (MIRU-VNTR- and MLSSR-typing). Isolates belonged to the Type II group and exhibited a unique genotype different from other MAP strains in Germany. The donkey originated from a donkey breeding farm in France with intensive free ranging cattle in the neighbourhood and could have been infected there. Donkeys should be considered as paratuberculosis-susceptible animals in exceptional cases and as possible reservoirs or disseminators of infection.

The equine endometrosis: new insights into the pathogenesis.

This paper describes the histomorphological and immunohistochemical characterisation of phenotypic variations of endometrosis as well as potential etiological factors which may influence disease progression. In total, 779 endometrial biopsies were examined. These biopsies were taken in the breeding and non-breeding season (n=509), on defined days during the estrous cycle (n=70) and before and after experimentally induced bacterial endometritis (n=200). In addition to conventional histopathology, selected biopsies were investigated using alcianblue staining as well as immunohistochemical methods for the detection of steroid hormone receptors, Ki-67-antigen, vimentin, desmin, fibronectin, smooth-muscle-alpha-actin and laminin. The equine endometrosis can be divided into a destructive and a non-destructive form. Based on the morphology of the stromal cells involved, an active or inactive state can be distinguished in fibrotic foci. In all types of endometrosis, fibrotic stromal cells show a distinctly reduced expression of steroid hormone receptors in comparison to the intact stroma, indicating their dedifferentiation. However, the steroid hormone receptor expression of involved glandular epithelia seems to depend on the activity of the fibrosis. These results suggest an independency of all fibrotic foci from the hormonal control mechanism of the uterus. The characteristical features of destructive endometrosis are a large number of smooth-muscle-alpha-actin containing myofibroblasts, a pronounced epithelial vimentin expression, excessive extracellular matrix accumulation and a progressive alteration of the basal lamina. Furthermore, the frequently seen cystic glandular dilatation and mechanical destruction of the uterine glands may occur due to the contractibility of the myofibroblasts involved. As shown in this study, a simultaneous endometritis can cause a temporary activation of fibrotic stromal cells. However, cyclic and seasonal endocrine changes seem to have no effects on progression of the disease. It can be concluded that the various types of endometrosis represent different stages in the fibrotic process, possibly leading to the destruction of the glands and subsequently resulting in the development of a stromal fibrosis.