Complete genome sequence of a common midwife toad virus-like ranavirus associated with mass mortalities in wild amphibians in the Netherlands

A ranavirus associated with mass mortalities in wild water frogs (Pelophylax spp.) and other amphibians in the Netherlands since 2010 was isolated, and its complete genome sequence was determined. The virus has a genome of 107,772 bp and shows 96.5% sequence identity with the common midwife toad virus from Spain

The Myth of Fibroid Degeneration in the Canine Intervertebral Disc: A Histopathological Comparison of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration in Chondrodystrophic and Nonchondrodystrophic Dogs

Since the seminal work by Hans-Jörgen Hansen in 1952, it has been assumed that intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration in chondrodystrophic (CD) dogs involves chondroid metaplasia of the nucleus pulposus, whereas in nonchondrodystrophic (NCD) dogs, fibrous metaplasia occurs. However, more recent studies suggest that IVD degeneration in NCD and CD dogs is more similar than originally thought. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the histopathology of IVD degeneration in CD and NCD dogs. IVDs with various grades of degeneration (Thompson grade I-III, n = 7 per grade) from both CD and NCD dogs were used (14 CD and 18 NCD dogs, 42 IVDs in total). Sections were scored according to a histological scoring scheme for canine IVD degeneration, including evaluation of the presence of fibrocyte-like cells in the nucleus pulposus. In CD dogs, the macroscopically non-degenerated nucleus pulposus contained mainly chondrocyte-like cells, whereas the non-degenerated nucleus pulposus of NCD dogs mainly contained notochordal cells. The histopathological changes in degenerated discs were similar in CD and NCD dogs and resembled chondroid metaplasia. Fibrocytes were not seen in the nucleus pulposus, indicating that fibrous degeneration of the IVD was not present in any of the evaluated grades of degeneration. In conclusion, intervertebral disc degeneration was characterized by chondroid metaplasia of the nucleus pulposus in both NCD and CD dogs. These results revoke the generally accepted concept that NCD and CD dogs suffer from a different type of IVD degeneration, in veterinary literature often referred to as chondroid or fibroid degeneration, and we suggest that chondroid metaplasia should be used to describe the tissue changes in the IVD in both breed types

Resection of urachal anomalies in dogs with recurrent lower urinary tract disease

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether surgical removal of urachal anomalies improves the outcomes of dogs with recurrent lower urinary tract disease (LUTD) and bacterial urinary tract infection (BUTI). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: Thirty-three dogs with urachal anomalies and recurrent LUTD or BUTI. METHODS: Medical records of dogs with LUTD or BUTI and a diagnosis of urachal anomaly treated by partial cystectomy were reviewed. A minimum follow-up of 9 months was required for inclusion. RESULTS: Median age at onset of clinical signs was 12 months (range, 1 month to 10 years). Urachal anomalies were detected with histopathology in 20 of 28 (71%) dogs. At a median follow-up of 22 months (range, 9-114), 21 of 28 (64%) dogs were free of signs of LUTD. Nine (27%) dogs exhibited reduced signs of LUTD; in three (9%) dogs, no clinical improvement was observed. Among the 25 dogs with confirmed preoperative BUTI, 22 clinically improved with surgery. CONCLUSION: Partial cystectomy reduced the long-term severity of clinical signs and risk of recurrence of LUTD or BUTI in dogs with confirmed or suspected urachal anomalies. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Partial cystectomy should be considered as an adjunct to the treatment of LUTD and BUTI in dogs

Interobserver Agreement Using Histological Scoring of the Canine Liver

BACKGROUND: Grading schemes for the assessment of hepatic fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity in humans previously have been applied to dogs with chronic hepatitis. Interobserver agreement is a desirable characteristic for any histological scoring scheme. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To assess interobserver agreement associated with pathologists using a previously published histological scoring scheme to assess hepatic fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity in dogs and to compare fibrosis scores assigned to serial sections stained with hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) and picrosirius red. ANIMALS: Histological sections of liver from 50 dogs with variable degrees of hepatic fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity were selected from institutional tissue archives. METHODS: Six board-certified veterinary anatomic pathologists assigned fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity scores to the histological sections. The multiuser kappa statistic was calculated to assess interobserver agreement. Fibrosis stage assigned to serial sections stained with picrosirius red and H&E was compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: Multiuser kappa statistics for assessment of fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity from H&E-stained sections were 0.35 and 0.16, respectively. There was no difference in median fibrosis scores assigned to serial section stained with H&E and picrosirius red (P = .248). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: There was fair interobserver agreement when pathologists assessed fibrosis and poor agreement when they assessed necroinflammatory activity. This suboptimal agreement must be taken into account by clinicians making decisions based on histology reports of the liver and in the design of studies evaluating these findings. To decrease this variability, ideally >1 pathologist should evaluate each section

Instrumented cervical fusion in nine dogs with caudal cervical spondylomyelopathy

OBJECTIVE: To report the long-term outcome of nine dogs treated for caudal cervical spondylomyelopathy (CCSM) with surgical spinal fusion. STUDY DESIGN: Short case series. ANIMALS: Nine large-breed dogs. METHODS: Medical records of dogs treated for disc-associated CCSM (2013-2016) were reviewed. The surgery objective was spinal distraction by implantation of a SynCage and fixation with two Unilock plates. Follow-up included the Helsinki pain score questionnaire, neurological grading, radiography, computed tomography (CT), and micro-CT (μCT) with subsequent histopathology (two dogs). RESULTS: Clinical follow-up was obtained between 9 and 51 months (27.4 ± 13.4 months). The Helsinki pain score and neurological Griffith score improved (P < .01) in all dogs and in eight of nine dogs, respectively. According to CT, the volume of bone (mean ± SD) through the cage was 79.5% ± 14.3%, including compact bone (53.0% ± 23.4%). Subsidence was seen in one of nine dogs. Implant failure was evident in four dogs, and plates were removed in two dogs. In seven of nine dogs, infraclinical pathology was observed in adjacent segment, associated with implants engaging adjacent intervertebral discs. Radiographic evidence of bony fusion between vertebral bodies was noted in all dogs. Spinal fusion was confirmed by μCT and histopathology in two cervical spine segments that became available at 22 and 40 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Instrumented spinal fusion in dogs with disc-associated CCSM resulted in owner satisfaction and radiographic evidence of interbody spinal fusion in all dogs. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The fusion distraction technique reported here can be used to achieve spinal fusion with a good long-term outcome

Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis in a cat

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is an extremely rare lung disease in animals and humans. It is characterized by the deposition of a large amount of phospholipoproteinaceous material in the alveoli. There are several possible etiologies, both congenital and acquired. Alveolar macrophages play an important role in the clearance of surfactant. This is the first report of pulmonary alveolar proteinosis in the feline species. CASE PRESENTATION: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis was diagnosed in an 8-month-old cat with chronic tachypnea, failure to thrive and finally respiratory distress. The diagnosis was based on the milky appearance of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid taken under general anesthesia after bronchoscopy. Because of the worsening respiratory distress and development of anorexia the kitten was euthanized. Histopathology of the lungs showed alveoli and bronchi filled with eosinophilic material. Electron microscopy revealed lamellated intra-alveolar bodies. As the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor was elevated in the serum and no autoantibodies against granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were detected, a primary hereditary pulmonary alveolar proteinosis was suspected. The underlying cause was thought to be a dysfunction of the receptor of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, however, a mutation in the genes encoding the alpha and beta chains of this receptor has not been found. CONCLUSION: This is the first description of pulmonary alveolar protienosis in a cat. This kitten is thought to have a primary hereditary pulmonary alveolar proteinosis with a possible defect in the signalling pathway of the receptor of the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. The imaging and pathologic findings are similar to those of humans

The Utrecht Score: A Novel Histopathological Scoring System to Assess the Prognosis of Dogs with Cortisol-Secreting Adrenocortical Tumours

A cortisol-secreting adrenocortical tumour (ACT) is the cause of naturally occurring canine hypercortisolism in approximately 15-20% of cases. The differentiation between an adrenocortical adenoma and carcinoma is usually based on histopathology. However, histopathological parameters have never been linked to the dogs' survival. Moreover, in human medicine the interobserver variability of some histopathological parameters that are used for ACTs is high. The objective of this study was to establish a reliable and easy-to-use histopathological scoring system for cortisol-secreting ACTs that can assess the prognosis of dogs after adrenalectomy. Cortisol-secreting ACTs of 50 dogs, collected between 2002 and 2015, were included in this study. Twenty histopathological features were assessed by one veterinary pathologist and one resident in veterinary pathology. In addition, the Ki67 proliferation index was assessed by two observers. Only parameters with intra- and interobserver agreement scores (intraclass correlation or Cohen's kappa coefficient) of ≥0.40 were included in survival analyses. Use of multivariate forward stepwise regression analysis with associated hazard ratios led us to a scoring system which we call the Utrecht score: the Ki67 proliferation index, +4 if more than 33% of the tumour cells have clear/vacuolated cytoplasm, and +3 if necrosis is present. Using cut-off values of 6 and 11, we could distinguish three groups that had significantly shorter survival times with increasing Utrecht scores. We conclude that the Utrecht score can be used to assess the prognosis of dogs with cortisol-secreting ACTs after adrenalectomy, which can help to select high-risk dogs that might benefit from adjuvant treatment or additional monitoring. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Molecular Alterations in Dog Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas

Recently, genetic alterations in the genes encoding succinate dehydrogenase subunit B and D (SDHB and SDHD) were identified in pet dogs that presented with spontaneously arising pheochromocytomas (PCC) and paragangliomas (PGL; together PPGL), suggesting dogs might be an interesting comparative model for the study of human PPGL. To study whether canine PPGL resembled human PPGL, we investigated a series of 50 canine PPGLs by immunohistochemistry to determine the expression of synaptophysin (SYP), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and succinate dehydrogenase subunit A (SDHA) and B (SDHB). In parallel, 25 canine PPGLs were screened for mutations in SDHB and SDHD by Sanger sequencing. To detect large chromosomal alterations, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays were performed for 11 PPGLs, including cases for which fresh frozen tissue was available. The immunohistochemical markers stained positive in the majority of canine PPGLs. Genetic screening of the canine tumors revealed the previously described variants in four cases; SDHB p.Arg38Gln (n = 1) and SDHD p.Lys122Arg (n = 3). Furthermore, the SNP arrays revealed large chromosomal alterations of which the loss of chromosome 5, partly homologous to human chromosome 1p and chromosome 11, was the most frequent finding (100% of the six cases with chromosomal alterations). In conclusion, canine and human PPGLs show similar genomic alterations, suggestive of common interspecies PPGL-related pathways