Emergence of Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome in Native Fish of the Murray-Darling River System, Australia: Hosts, Distribution and Possible Vectors

Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) is a fish disease of international significance and reportable to the Office International des Epizootics. In June 2010, bony herring Nematalosa erebi, golden perch Macquaria ambigua, Murray cod Maccullochella peelii and spangled perch Leiopotherapon unicolor with severe ulcers were sampled from the Murray-Darling River System (MDRS) between Bourke and Brewarrina, New South Wales Australia. Histopathology and polymerase chain reaction identified the fungus-like oomycete Aphanomyces invadans, the causative agent of EUS. Apart from one previous record in N. erebi, EUS has been recorded in the wild only from coastal drainages in Australia. This study is the first published account of A. invadans in the wild fish populations of the MDRS, and is the first confirmed record of EUS in M. ambigua, M. peelii and L. unicolor. Ulcerated carp Cyprinus carpio collected at the time of the same epizootic were not found to be infected by EUS, supporting previous accounts of resistance against the disease by this species. The lack of previous clinical evidence, the large number of new hosts (n = 3), the geographic extent (200 km) of this epizootic, the severity of ulceration and apparent high pathogenicity suggest a relatively recent invasion by A. invadans. The epizootic and associated environmental factors are documented and discussed within the context of possible vectors for its entry into the MDRS and recommendations regarding continued surveillance, research and biosecurity are made

Necrotizing leptomeningeal vasculitis associated with a compressive meningioma in a cat: a rare paraneoplastic syndrome

A 17 year old cat with a compressive meningioma was found to have an intradural, severe necrotizing vasculitis, spatially un associated with the neoplasm. Paraneoplastic vasculitis has been reported in two cases in the human literature associated with meningiomas. This is the first report of such an association in a domestic species

Intracranial meningioma causing internal ophthalmoparesis in a dog

A 10-year old, spayed female, Irish water spaniel was presented with a 2-week history of anisocoria characterized by mydriasis of the right eye compared to the left eye in ambient light. Ophthalmic and neurological examinations, combined with pharmacological testing, identified a disease process affecting the right parasympathetic nucleus of cranial nerve 3(CN III) and/or the parasympathetic component of CN III. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) identified a mass involving the right midbrain and extending caudally to the rostral border of the medulla oblongata. The dog became comatose within 12 h following an MRI and was euthanized. Histopathology identified the intracranial mass as a meningioma.The definitive version is available at www3.interscience.wiley.comYe

JPL VLBI Correlator (JVC)

No abstract availabl

Section of the Barwon-Darling River between Bourke and Brewarrina weirs where fish with EUS were collected.

<p>Section of the Barwon-Darling River between Bourke and Brewarrina weirs where fish with EUS were collected.</p

Daily discharge (black line) and mean daily water temperature (grey line) recorded at the Bourke gauge (425003) between July 2005 and July 2010; dotted lines show when the 2008 and 2010 fish samples were collected.

<p>Source: NSW Office of Water.</p

Number of ulcerated fish from the assemblage of species collected from 30 locations in the Barwon-Darling River between Bourke and Brewarrina weirs in May 2008 and June 2010.

<p>Data in parentheses are the proportion of sampled individuals of each species that were ulcerated. Bold type identifies species in which EUS was confirmed using histopathology. No data means that the species was caught but no specimens were ulcerated.</p

Distribution of fish in the Barwon-Darling River between Bourke and Brewarrina weirs with ulcers (black) and without ulcers (grey) in 2008 and 2010.

<p>Distribution of fish in the Barwon-Darling River between Bourke and Brewarrina weirs with ulcers (black) and without ulcers (grey) in 2008 and 2010.</p

Figure 3

<p>A) <i>N. erebi</i>, skin and underlying muscle. Photo micrograph of developing linear granulomas (thin arrow) surrounding faintly eosinophilic fungal hyphae (*). The overlying epithelium is ulcerated () H & E. (X200). B) <i>N. erebri</i>, skin and underlying muscle. Photo micrograph of black staining longitudinal and cross sectional fungal hyphae (*) against green stained tissue. GMS. (X200).</p