Spontaneous toxoplasmosis in a chicken

The carcasses of three 1-year-old, Leghorn chickens were presented for necropsy; one of the chickens was told to have shown neurological signs before death. At necropsy, meningeal and cerebral hyperemia were observed in the carcass that had neurological symptoms, and diarrhea was evident in the other two chickens. Histopathological examination revealed nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis, myositis in skeletal and cardiac muscles, and focal nonsuppurative hepatitis, and nephritis. Bradyzoites and tachyzoites were present in the meninges and brain. The present case is the first report of Toxoplasma gondii infection in a chicken in Turkey

A case of thymic lymphoma in a rabbit

A five-year-old male rabbit was presented with the request of necropsy. Post mortem examination revealed a mass in the cranial mediastinum. Histopathologically, it was seen that the mass consisted of a limited mesenchymal tissue with medium-sized mature lymphocytes and a large proportion (approximately 90%) of lymphoblast-like round cell infiltration. While tumour cells were stained positively for CD3, they were negative for CD79a. Pan-Cytokeratin was localized in small number of epithelial cells in the background. Histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation showed that the case was compatible with thymic lymphoma and it was the first case reported in rabbits in Turkey

Comparison of low-level laser and dimethyl sulfoxide applications for the treatment of tendon injury in rabbits

The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on tendon healing in rabbits. A total of 30 adult healthy New Zealand rabbits were used for this study. The rabbits were randomly allocated into 3 groups containing an equal animal number. The experimental tenotomy of the Achilles tendons was created on longitudinal aspect with 10 mm in length. During the postoperative 21-day of period, rabbits in Group I were exposed to laser beam at a rate of 10.8 J/cm2 in 5 cm2 area for 4 min. In the same period, 30% DMSO solution was applied externally to the injured tendon region for Group II. Saline solution was applied to the injured tendons area for Group III. Daily clinical examinations of each rabbit were recorded during the treatment period. At the end of the 21-day treatment period, all rabbits were euthanized and their tendons were examined macroscopically. Histopathological examination of the tendons was then carried out. Immature and mature connective tissue cells had an equal number of distribution in Group I; mild immature connective tissue cells and mostly mature connective tissue cells were observed in Group II, and partially longitudinal, scattered, and irregularly arranged, immature connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) were observed in Group III. As a result, satisfactory findings were obtained from LLLT and DMSO applications for the treatment of tendon injuries taking into consideration the histopathological and clinical findings. Moreover, DMSO provided a better recovery when these two applications were compared. However, it was suggested that combined application of DMSO and LLLT might have a strong positive effect on the healing process

Testicular Expression of Antioxidant Enzymes and Changes in Response to a Slow-Release Deslorelin Implant (Suprelorin (R) 4.7 mg) in the Dog

Spermatogenesis takes place in a hypoxic environment, and antioxidant enzymes protect germ and somatic cells from free radical-mediated damage. Expression of the antioxidant enzyme system in the canine testis has not yet been investigated. We hypothesized that the slow-release GnRH superagonist deslorelin 4.7 mg implant, which induces temporary reversible suppression of endocrine and germinative testicular function, would affect the testicular expression of antioxidant enzymes compared to untreated adult and prepubertal dogs. The goal of this study was to investigate and compare gene (by qPCR, in whole-tissue homogenates) and protein expression (by immunohistochemistry) of superoxide dismutase (SOD1, SOD2), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx1), and glutathione disulfide reductase (GSR) in the testes of untreated adult (CON, n = 7), prepubertal (PRE, n = 8), and deslorelin-treated (DES, n = 5, 16 weeks after implantation) dogs. We found that in DES dogs, the gene expression of SOD1 was significantly (p < 0.05) lower and GPx1 was higher than in CON, and SOD2 was higher than in PRE. Expression of all, except for the SOD2 mRNA, differed between the CON and PRE dogs. Immunohistochemistry showed distinct cell-specific localization and expression patterns for the antioxidant enzymes in each experimental group. Additionally, in the CON animals, cell-specific SOD1, CAT, and GSR expression was dependent on the stage of the seminiferous epithelium cycle. These findings confirm that members of the antioxidant enzyme system are present in normal adult and prepubertal testis as well as in the deslorelin-treated downregulated adult canine testis, and that this local antioxidant system protects developing germ cells and somatic cells from oxidative damage. Different expression patterns of antioxidant enzymes in various germ cell populations and stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle may indicate differences in their susceptibility to oxidative stress depending on their developmental and maturation stage. The continued presence of the antioxidant enzymes in the testis of DES dogs offers protection to spermatogonia as well as Sertoli and Leydig cells from oxidative stress during temporary infertility, potentially contributing to ensure the reversibility of suppression and the return of normal spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis after the end of deslorelin treatment

Experimental Toxoplasmosis in Pigeons (Columba livia)

</div