Feline large granular lymphocyte lymphoma: An Italian Society of Veterinary Oncology (SIONCOV) retrospective study

Feline large granular lymphocyte (LGL) lymphoma is an uncommon subtype of lymphoma characterized by a grave prognosis and scarce response to chemotherapy. There are limited reports on clinico-pathological and prognostic factors. One-hundred and 9 cats with newly diagnosed LGL lymphoma that underwent initial staging (including hematology, serum biochemistry, thoracic radiographs and abdominal ultrasound), and followed-up were retrospectively evaluated. LGL lymphoma was localized within the gastrointestinal tract with or without extra-intestinal involvement in 91.7% of the cases, and at extra-gastrointestinal sites in 8.3%. Symptoms were frequent. Anemia (31.2%) and neutrophilia (26.6%) were commonly observed, and 14 (12.8%) cats had neoplastic circulating cells. Frequent biochemistry abnormalities included elevated ALT (39.4%) and hypoalbuminemia (28.4%). Twenty (54.1%) of 37 cats had elevated serum LDH. Treatment varied among cats, and included surgery (11%), chemotherapy (23%), corticosteroids (38.5%) and no treatment (27.5%). Median time to progression (MTTP) was 5 days, and median survival time (MST) 21 days. MST was significantly shorter in the case of substage b, circulating neoplastic cells, lack of chemotherapy administration, and lack of treatment response. A small subset of cats (7.3%) survived more than 6 months, suggesting that a more favorable clinical course can be found among LGL lymphoma patients

Aplicación de PCR-RFLP para subtipificar Campylobacter jejuni PCR-RFLP for Campylobacter jejuni subtyping

Diez cepas de Campylobacter jejuni aisladas de fetos porcinos abortados fueron identificadas por pruebas bioquímicas: 8 como C. jejuni biotipo II de Lior, y 2 como C. jejuni biotipo I. Para poder subtipificarlas se utilizó la técnica de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) para amplificar el gen flaA y al producto obtenido se lo digirió con la enzima de restricción DdeI (RFLP). Se pudieron obtener 6 subtipos a partir de C. jejuni biotipo II, mientras que los dos aislamientos de biotipo I correspondieron a un mismo subtipo. Aunque existe una amplia variedad de técnicas de biología molecular que son aplicadas con fines epidemiológicos para Campylobacter, PCR-RFLP, demostró ser una técnica simple y accesible, capaz de subtipificar a C. jejuni.<br>Ten Campylobacter jejuni isolates, 8 identified as C. jejuni biotype II of Lior and 2 as C. jejuni biotipe I, were recovered from aborted pig fetuses. In order to discriminate among strains, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using DdeI of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of flaA gen was used. C. jejuni biotype II strains could be diferenciated in 6 by PCR-RFLP, and one subtype was obtained from C. jejuni biotype I. Although there is great variability of molecular techniques applied to the Campylobacter epidemiological studies, PCR-RFLP demonstrated to be a simple and accessible technique to discriminate Campylobacter jejuni isolates

Clinicopathological features and outcome for dogs with mast cell tumors and bone marrow involvement

BACKGROUND: Mast cell tumors (MCTs) with bone marrow (BM) involvement are poorly documented in dogs and are associated with a poor prognosis. Successful treatment strategies have not been described. HYPOTHESIS: Clinicopathologic findings of affected dogs are not specific. Administration of lomustine or imatinib is beneficial. ANIMALS: Fourteen dogs with MCT and BM involvement. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory evaluations were performed in each dog on admission and during follow-up. All dogs received prednisone. Additionally, 8 dogs received lomustine and 3 dogs received imatinib. Imatinib was administered if tumor-associated tyrosine kinase KIT was aberrant. RESULTS: On admission, 11 dogs had a single cutaneous nodule and 3 dogs had multiple nodules. Involvement of regional lymph nodes, liver, or spleen was observed in each dog. BM infiltration with mast cells (MCs) was observed in all dogs. On CBC, nonregenerative anemia, leukopenia, or thrombocytopenia was common. Four dogs had circulating MCs. Increased alkaline phosphatase or alanine transferase activity was observed in 12 and 10 dogs, respectively. Treatment with lomustine induced partial remission in 1 of 8 dogs. Median survival time was 43 days (range, 14-57). Dogs on imatinib experienced complete remission. Two dogs survived for 117 and 159 days, and the third was alive after 75 days. Dogs treated symptomatically did not improve and were euthanized after 1, 14, and 32 days. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: A combination of clinical and laboratory evaluation helps in identifying dogs with MCT and BM infiltration. Administration of lomustine is not helpful in affected dogs. The beneficial effect of imatinib warrants further investigation

Long term follow-up and predictors of survival in dogs with mammary inflammatory carcinoma: a retrospective analysis of 43 cases

Background. Canine mammary inflammatory carcinoma (IC) has a grave prognosis. Prognostic factors and treatment data have not been studied extensively. Objective. To describe clinical characteristics, treatment and outcome of dogs with IC, and identify patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related predictors of overall survival. Design. Retrospective study. Animals. 43 client-owned dogs. Procedures. Records of dogs with a clinical diagnosis of IC showing pathological evidence of dermal lymphatic invasion were reviewed. Data on clinical staging, type of treatment, toxicity, response, and survival time were retrieved. Results. Primary IC accounted for 60,5% of cases, whereas secondary IC represented 39,5% of cases. The overall metastatic rate at presentation was 86,0%, with 81,4% of dogs showing distant metastasis. Six of 29 dogs had an abnormal coagulation profile. Sixteen dogs never received treatment, 24 received medical treatment only, 2 underwent surgical excision and medical treatment, and one underwent surgery only. Forty-one of 43 dogs experienced progressive disease, and 2 dogs were stable, never reaching disease-free status. Mean survival for all patients was 60 days (range, 1 to 300 days). The presence of coagulopathies decreased survival of approximately 70% (OR: 0.28, CI 95%: 0.10-0.80, p &lt; 0.05) and the use of adjuvant chemotherapy increased the chance of survival of more than twofold (OR: 2.54, CI 95%: 1.27-5.08, p &lt; 0.01). Conclusions and clinical relevance. IC is biologically aggressive and has a guarded prognosis. Complete staging at presentation, including coagulation profile, is mandatory. Results suggest that medical treatment may improve outcome, thereby supporting its use in dogs with IC