Incidental histological changes in the canine central nervous system

The canine central nervous system pathology includes a series of histopathological changes, which are often underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed due to insufficient research in this field. The aim of the present paper is to emphasize the main cerebral changes identified incidentally in the canine species, involving 38 dogs from the Department of Pathological Anatomy (FVM Cluj-Napoca), diagnosed with various pathologies that did not develop nervous symptoms. Gross and histological exams of the encephalus from all dogs were carried out. The main important incidental findings of canine nervous system were represented by lipofuscinosis (68,4%), cerebral congestion and edema (47,3%) hemosiderosis (28,9%), neuromelanosis (21%), neuronal necrosis associated with satellitosis and neuronophagia (13,1%), vascular mineralization and diffuse meningeal fibrosis (13,1%). Perivascular cuffing and gliosis (13,1%), corpora amilacea bodies (5,2%), spheroid bodies (5,2%), have also been identified with a lower incidence. There have also been single-case findings during this study, represented by Alzheimer type II astrocytes, a psammomatous-type meningioma and parasitic Neospora spp. cysts. Thus, the results obtained and presented in this paper contribute to the enhancement of knowledge regarding the main lesions of the central nervous system in dogs, most of which were, at times, asymptomatic

Ascites Syndrome Associated with Hypothyroidism in a Brahma Chicken: a Case Study and Review of the Literature

Ascites syndrome (AS) in chickens represents a major cause of mortality and the most frequent metabolic-related cause of abattoir carcass condemnation in broilers. Susceptibility of broiler chickens to ascites is determined by a complex interaction between genetically-controlled factors (as high-rate metabolism and peculiarity of the cardiovascular system) and exogenous factors such as nutrition, and temperature. Endocrine imbalances, especially thyroid-gland dysfunctions, are currently regarded as key-elements in the development of AS. The current case represents the first spontaneous case of hypothyroidism (goiter) associated with AS in broilers, bringing additional arguments to the theory which claims the role of thyroid dysfunction in this syndrome. Further studies of spontaneous cases which must include assessment of the thyroid hormones need be performed in order to better understand the link between thyroid gland dysfunction and the cardiopulmonary changes in the context of AS in birds

A Metastatic Lipid-Rich Carcinoma of the Mammary Gland in a Female Cat: Clinicopathological, Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Features

Lipid-rich invasive human breast cancer is a rare enigmatic entity among special types of infiltrating duct carcinoma. Our paper reports a lipid-rich mammary carcinoma in a female cat with the gross, microscopic and immunohistochemical description of the tumor. A 13-year-old intact adult female, mixed-breed cat was presented by the owner to the Laboratory of Pathologic Anatomy from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Romania. A complete necropsy examination was performed in our laboratory. The tissue samples were collected and processed by paraffin technique for further histological, histochemical, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemical examination. During the necropsy examination, a subcutaneous mass was discovered on the chest. Several variably sized, well-demarcated neoplasms were noted in the right axillary lymph node, right thoracic wall, pleura, lungs, liver, spleen and kidney. Histologically, the cells frequently formed tubuloacinar structures. The morphology of the described tumor showed features of a poorly differentiated mammary carcinoma. Numerous tumoral cells were large and polygonal, with abundant cytoplasm that showed foam-like cytoplasm. The tumoral cells contained either multiple small or large and solitary vacuoles that pushed the nucleus to the periphery of the cell. Intracytoplasmic vacuoles of the neoplastic cells were positive for Oil-Red-O and negatively with Periodic Acid–Schiff. As for immunofluorescence/immunohistochemistry, nonvacuolated and vacuolated neoplastic cells were positive for cytokeratin and negative for vimentin. Histochemical and immunohistochemical analysis support a diagnosis of lipid-rich mammary carcinoma. This is the second reliable record of a lipid-rich mammary carcinoma in female cat and the first one with internal metastases

Imported Canine leishmaniasis in Romania: a Case Report

Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a zoonotic disease considered endemic in the Mediterranean region. Romania is traditionally regarded as a non-endemic country.Considering the zoonotic character of the disease, this study aims to increase the knowledge on diagnostic aspects of CanL.A 2-year-old, mix breed male dog, recently returned from Italy had a history of progressive weight loss and skin lesions. The clinical examination was followed by hematology and serum biochemistry, fine-needle aspiration of lymph nodes, impression smears, VetExpert® rapid test Leishmania Ab, and PCR. The clinical examination revealed muscle atrophy, non-pruritic crusting dermatitis, ulcers, and lymphadenopathy. Hematology showed severe anemia. The serum biochemistry revealed hyperproteinaemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyperglobulinemia. Cytological exams evidenced the intracellular amastigotes in macrophages, confirmed by rapid test and PCR.In Romania, under the light of the new case reports, leishmaniasis should be reconsidered from both veterinary and public health perspective