Bentonite toxicosis in a cat from cat litter?

Peripheral i.v. cannulation is one of the most common procedures performed in hospitals. Expanding the nursing role to include i.v. cannulation has the potential to improve care. The individual practitioner is responsible for maintaining and updating such skills.     

Morphea-like lesion in a cat

Scleroderma is a rare chronic disease of connective tissues, involving the skin and/or internal organs in humans, and rarely described in the dog. A case is reported of localised scleroderma in a cat which presented with two well delineated alopecic, sclerotic, raised and shiny lesions localised on the trunk. Diagnosis was made by histopathological examination of skin biopsies which showed the replacement of all dermal components by dense thick collagen bundles. No therapy was instituted and a spontaneous recovery occurred three months later. Clinical and histopathological aspects of this feline dermatosis are compared with human and canine morphea.     

Phaeohyphomycotic ependymitis in a cat

A case of congenital toxoplasmosis is presented, where diagnosis by PCR amplification of Toxoplasma gondii DNA from peripheral blood led to early treatment of the infant and seemingly normal brain development despite the presence of intracranial calcifications at birth. The mother, who experienced a subclinical infection during pregnancy, was PCR-positive for toxoplasma DNA in a sample of peripheral blood drawn after delivery.     

Fibro-cartilaginous embolism in a cat

A nine-year-old cat was presented with a history of an acute onset of paraplegia. On the basis of the neurological examination, the lesion was localised between the fourth lumbar and third sacral segments (L4 to S3) of the spinal cord. Investigations included radiography, myelography, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, routine haematology and biochemistry, feline leukaemia virus testing and urinalysis. A definitive diagnosis was not achieved and the cat was euthanased 12 days after presentation. Post mortem examination revealed infarction of the spinal cord secondary to fibrocartilaginous embolisation. This is the first reported case of fibrocartilaginous embolism in the cat in the UK.     

Renal glomerular fibrosis in a cat

Renal glomerular fibrosis was observed in a 1-year-old spayed female Japanese domestic cat that showed clinically advanced renal failure. In the glomeruli, increased homogeneous materials were stained strongly with aniline blue by Masson's trichrome and positive for anti-type III collagen antibody by immunohistochemical staining, causing mesangial sclerosis and capillary collapse. By electron microscopy, randomly arranged fibrils were observed in the expanded subendothelial and mesangial areas, and the fibrils showed periodicity characteristic of collagen fibers in longitudinal sections. These findings of glomerular lesions closely resemble those of human "collagenofibrotic glomerulonephropathy," which has recently been described as a new type of glomerulonephropathy.     

Gastric extramedullary plasmacytoma in a cat

A 5-year-old boy developed hemorrhagic mucocutaneous blisters on various parts of the body leading to fetor, dysphagia, dysuria, anal pruritus, pain on defecation, and weight loss. The histopathology showed the classic features of pemphigus vulgaris, and direct immunofluorescence showed intercellular deposition of IgG and C3 in the epidermis. Circulating pemphigus antibodies were also detected. He was treated with a combination of systemic prednisone and dapsone which induced a rapid remission and controlled the disease well. He has been in remission for 1 year and 7 months with no immunosuppressive therapy except for the use of topical agents for the oral lesions. An adjuvant to corticosteroids has been used only once before in children with pemphigus vulgaris under the age of 12 years. This is the third and the youngest child in the literature treated in this fashion.     

Bilateral mandibular condylectomy in a cat

The problem of contribution of a forensic medic to verification of testimony at the site of criminal event is seldom, if ever, discussed. Tasks facing the specialist, some aspects of preparation to work, and methods of verifying the testimony on the spot, when the details of infliction of injuries with sharp instruments are investigated (the most frequent cause for calling forensic medics to verification of testimony on the spot) are discussed.     

Persistent papillomavirus infection in a cat

The purpose of this study was to further define the cellular response to titanium and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) particles in aseptic loosening, and to determine if the use of pamidronate may be effective in inhibiting bone resorption associated with this response. Macrophages and osteoblasts were cocultured to simulate the environment around an aseptically loose prosthesis. Macrophages were plated on the bottom of six well plates and osteoblasts were plated on culture dish inserts, and placed into the wells with the macrophages. Incubation of macrophages with PMMA in this system led to release of prostaglandin E (PGE2), granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Incubation with titanium led to release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and IL-6. Exposure of calvaria to media from cells exposed to either PMMA or titanium led to release of calcium 45. Incubation of calvaria with pamidronate was able to inhibit release of calcium 45 associated with exposure to the macrophage/osteoblast/particle conditioned medium. Bone resorption at the interface between implant and bone is a consistent feature leading to loosening of orthopedic implants. By inhibiting bone resorption associated with the inflammatory response to implant particulates, pamidronate or other bisphosphonates may have clinical utility in the treatment or prevention or aseptic loosening.     

Mucolipidosis type II in a domestic shorthair cat

A seven-month-old, female domestic shorthair cat was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Zurich, with abnormal facial features, retarded growth and progressive hindlimb paresis. On physical examination the cat had a flat, broad face with hypertelorism, frontal bossing, small ears and thickened upper and lower eyelids. The corneas of both eyes were clear and the pupils were dilated. The skin was generally thickened, most prominently on the dorsal aspect of the neck. Radiography of the entire skeleton revealed a severely deformed spinal column, bilateral hip luxation with hip dysplasia, an abnormally shaped skull and generalised decreased bone opacity. The clinical features and radiographic changes were suggestive of mucopolysaccharidosis. The toluidine blue spot test on a urine sample, however, was negative for glycosaminoglycans. Further biochemical investigations revealed a deficiency of the enzyme N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase (GlcNAc-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.8.17) in peripheral leukocytes and an elevation of many lysosomal enzymes in the serum of the cat which is diagnostic for mucolipidosis type II. Histology and electron microscopy of different tissues are briefly summarised. The findings of this cat, the first reported case of mucolipidosis type II are compared with other similar storage diseases described in the cat.     

Pulmonary and mediastinal metastases of a vaccination-site sarcoma in a cat

Sarcomas at vaccination sites in cats were first reported in 1992. Recent retrospective studies have confirmed an association between these vaccination-site sarcomas (VSS) and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and/ or rabies vaccines. In most cases, VSS are locally invasive fibrosarcomas that tend to recur but rarely metastasize. We report the mediastinal and pulmonary metastases of a VSS in a FeLV-and feline immunodeficiency virus-negative, 8-year-old, domestic short-haired cat. The primary sarcoma was removed from an interscapular vaccination site and diagnosed as a VSS 3 months prior to radiographic lesions suggestive of pulmonary and mediastinal metastases. At necropsy, there were multiple pulmonary and mediastinal nodules that histologically and ultrastructurally were fibrosarcomas, cytomorphologically similar to the VSS. In addition, immunohistochemical staining patterns of the VSS and metastatic sites were consistent with that described for VSS. Recent reports of pulmonary and mediastinal metastases of interscapular VSS emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of these tumors.     

A fatal case of intrathoracic cuterebriasis in a cat

Isolates of Plasmodium falciparum commonly undergo a large, subtelomeric deletion of the right end of chromosome 9 during in-vitro cultivation. This deletion is usually accompanied by loss of ability to cytoadhere to melanoma cells, loss of a var-gene product from the red-cell surface and a reduction in gametocyte production. However, cytoadherence is stable in the isolate ItG2, remaining after many generations in culture. Deletions in all the non-cytoadherent clones examined have breakpoints within or delete a novel open-reading frame, called the breakpoint open-reading frame (BPORF), that is a unique sequence in the genome. In ItG2, surprisingly, BPORF has been removed by a 15-kb deletion, internal in chromosome 9. These results indicate mechanisms to explain why the deletion of chromosome 9 occurs so frequently and why cytoadherence is stable in ItG2.     

Zygomatic salivary cyst with mucocele formation in a cat

An eight-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat had a zygomatic salivary cyst with associated mucocele formation. A fluctuating swelling developed ventral to the right eye, causing bulging of the lower eyeild, and a corresponding swelling was present in the caudal vestibule of the oral cavity. Cytological examination of the fluid obtained from aspiration of the swelling was consistent with the appearance of saliva. A tentative diagnosis of zygomatic salivary mucocele was made. Surgical exploration and resection of the swelling demonstrated the presence of a multilobular cystic zygomatic salivary gland. The histopathological appearance of the resected tissue was interpreted as an inflammatory reaction to mucus derived from a multilocular salivary cyst.