Following its capture in March 2014, an adult female Sumatran rhinoceros frequently showed profuse vaginal bleeding. An ultrasonography suggested the presence of multiple reproductive lesions, including two uterine masses which were suspected to be leiomyomas. Soon after, an open pyometra was confirmed. Later in November 2019, the patient died and necropsy confirmed the presence of two uterine masses; one was located at the cervico-uterine junction and another in the uterine body, with pyometra, and cystic endometrial hyerplasia. Based on histological, special stains, and immunohistochemical examination, it was shown that one of the masses was composed of large, ovoid and polyhedral neoplastic mesenchymal cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm and a few binucleated cells surrounded by collagen fibres. It was tested positive for SMA and vimentin, while negative for desmin, cytokeratin AE1/AE3, EMA, CD34, and S100. The other mass was composed of mesenchymal cells undergoing myxoid degeneration as evidenced by the presence of glycosaminoglycan-rich matrix. It was tested positive for SMA, vimentin, partially positive for desmin, and negative for the other markers. With the aid of human medical nomenclature, these masses were diagnosed as epithelioid leiomyoma and myxoid leiomyoma, respectively. This report provides a clinical presentation, and histologic descriptions of the two variants of leiomyomas that have not been reported in veterinary medicine.
A 32-year-old female American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) was presented with a squamous cell carcinoma of the middle digit of the right foot. No clinical, hematologic, or radiologic evidence of metastasis was present. Salvage amputation of the digit resulted in complete cure, whereas previous electrosurgery and radiation therapy were unsuccessful. Three years later, another squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed in the middle digit of the left foot. The digit was also amputated. Seven months after the second amputation, the bird did not have any recurrence or signs of metastasis.
In January 2016, a 20-year-old female oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) from Night Safari in Singapore was euthanized and diagnosed with a thyroid gland carcinoma. Postmortem examination and histology also revealed metastasis to the regional lymph nodes and severe visceral pentastomiasis. Grossly, the lymph nodes were infested, and encapsulation was observed on the visceral serosal surface. Histopathologically, the lymph nodes were encysted by a thick fibrous connective capsule with minimal inflammatory response. Pentastomiasis has been previously reported in the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in Malaysia. This report is the first case of severe visceral pentastomiasis in an oriental small-clawed otter with functional thyroid carcinoma.
The histopathology of gastric papillomas in 17 crab-eating monkeys from Indonesia and Malaysia was investigated. The changes in the affected mucosa consisted of papillomatous proliferation with accidental heterotopia, desquamation or necrosis of the epithelium associated with eggs or adults of the small nematode Nochtia nochti, inflammatory cell infiltration and haemorrhage or oedema and fibrosis. The primary pathogenic effect of this parasite was due to its irritant action on the gastric mucosa. Hyper-regeneration, with a downward shift of the proliferating zone in the gastric gland and an inflammatory process, appeared to play a significant role in the morphogenesis of this lesion. It is concluded that the gastric papilloma associated with Nochtia nochti in the monkey is a parasitic inflammatory polyp.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have important roles in all biological pathways in multicellular organisms. Over 1,400 human miRNAs have been identified, and many are conserved among vertebrates and invertebrates. Regulation of miRNA is the most common mode of post-transcriptional gene regulation. The miRNAs that are involved in the initiation and progression of cancers are termed oncomiRs and several of them have been identified in canine and human cancers. Similarly, several miRNAs have been reported to be down-regulated in cancers of the two species. In this review, current information on the expression and roles of miRNAs in oncogenesis and progression of human and canine cancers, as well the roles miRNAs have in cancer stem cell biology, are highlighted. The potential for the use of miRNAs as therapeutic targets in personalized cancer therapy in domestic dogs and their possible application in human cancer counterparts are also discussed.
An adult, female Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the rostral mandible. Initial treatment included bilateral mandibulectomy rostral to the lingual frenulum followed by intra- and perilesional cisplatin injections. Recovery after the procedure was uneventful and the Malayan sun bear adapted well to a shortened mandible. Histopathology indicated incomplete surgical excision of the tumor; therefore, radiation therapy was instituted weekly for four treatments at 2 Gy in parallel opposed fields (total 4 Gy each treatment) with one additional cisplatin treatment. Two years after initial presentation, the animal showed no recurrence of neoplasia.
A 19-mo-old Holstein heifer was inactive and dyspneic. Physical examination revealed wheezing, exophthalmos, a cervical mass, and lymphadenopathy. Cytology of the cervical mass and lymph nodes showed predominantly large atypical lymphocytes. Lactate dehydrogenase and thymidine kinase activities were elevated. Although nested PCR for bovine leukemia virus (BLV) using blood was positive, quantitative PCR showed a low number of provirus copies. Autopsy revealed enlargement of most lymph nodes examined, as well as white masses of various sizes in muscles of the left hindlimb and thoracic and abdominal organs. Histopathology revealed severe infiltration with neoplastic lymphocytes in these organs. The cervical mass was immune-positive for B-cell markers. The final diagnosis was thymic B-cell lymphoma with BLV infection.
Methyl eugenol (ME), is converted into two major phenylpropanoids, 2-allyl-4,5-dimethoxyphenol and trans-coniferyl alcohol, following consumption by the male fruit fly Bactrocera papayae. Chemical analysis of wild male B. papayae rectal glands, where the compounds are sequestered, revealed the presence of ME metabolites in varying quantities. These phenylpropanoids are shown to be involved in the fruit fly defense both in no-choice and choice feeding tests against the Malayan spiny gecko, Gekko monarchus. After being acclimatized to feeding on fruit flies, geckos consumed significantly fewer ME-fed male flies than controls that consumed all the ME-deprived male flies offered throughout a two-week period. Diagnosis of dissected livers from geckos that consumed ME-fed male flies revealed various abnormalities. These included discoloration and hardening of liver tissue, whitening of the gallbladder, or presence of tumor-like growths in all geckos that consumed ME-fed male flies. Control geckos fed on ME-deprived male flies had healthy livers. When given an alternative prey, geckos preferred to eat untreated house flies, Musca domestica to avoid preying on ME-fed fruit flies.
A 14-yr-old male puma (Puma concolor) was presented to the veterinary staff of the National Zoo in Malaysia for an auricular mass. Squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed by histologic examination of a biopsy. Systemic administration of chemotherapy using vincristine (0.5 mg/m2 i.v. q. 7 days for six treatments) and prednisolone (2 mg/kg i.m. q. 72 hr x 7 days) caused side effects of vomiting, weight loss, and alopecia and did not improve the size or appearance of the tumor. Intralesional vincristine injections (0.2 mg q. 7 days for two treatments) and prednisolone (2 mg/kg i.m. q. 72 hr x 15 days) were administered, resulting in complete tumor regression after 14 days of treatment.