Subeide Mari

Immunohistochemical Expression of Ornithine Decarboxylase, Diamine Oxidase, Putrescine, and Spermine in Normal Canine Enterocolic Mucosa, in Chronic Colitis, and in Colorectal Cancer

We compared the immunohistochemical expression of putrescine (PUT), spermine (SPM), ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), and diamine oxidase (DAO) in bioptic samples of canine colonic mucosa with chronic inflammation (i.e., granulomatous colitis and lymphoplasmacytic colitis) or neoplasia. Single and total polyamines levels were significantly higher in neoplastic tissue than in normal samples. Samples with different degrees of inflammation showed a general decrease expression of ODC if compared to controls; SPM was practically not expressed in control samples and very low in samples with chronic-granulomatous inflammation. In carcinomatous samples, the ODC activity was higher with respect to controls and samples with inflammation. This is the first description of polyamines expression in dog colonic mucosa in normal and in different pathological conditions, suggesting that the balance between polyamine degradation and biosynthesis is evidently disengaged during neoplasia.

Detection of Japanese Encephalitis Virus in bone marrow of healthy young wild birds collected in 1997–2000 in Central Italy

Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) is a flavivirus responsible for an important zoonotic, vector‐borne disease included in the OIE list. JEV is endemic in a large area of Asia. In Italy, JEV has been found in dead birds collected in 1997–2000 and in a pool of Culex pipiens mosquitoes collected in 2010. Viral ecology in the inter‐epidemic periods is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate JEV in FFPE archival samples of healthy birds collected in 1997–2000 in Tuscany (Italy) in the same area and a few months after collection of birds resulted infected by JEV. Different samples from 37 young birds and 83 adults were available. Immunohistochemistry detected JEV antigen only in bone marrow samples from 12 young healthy birds. Positive cells were morphologically referable to monocyte–macrophages lineage and were positive for anti‐CD11b in serial sections. Real‐time PCR detected JEV RNA in four of these samples. These results suggest that healthy birds can harbour JEV in bone marrow cells, while no other organs resulted infected. The role of healthy birds in JEV ecology should be better investigated. Surveillance programmes should include sampling of the most appropriate target organs.

Idiopathic Eosinophilic Pneumonia with Associated Pulmonary Vasculitis in Horse: A Case Series

Various eosinophilic lesions and their association with diseases have been described in horses. Multisystemic Eosinophilic Epitheliotropic Disease (MEED) characterized by eosinophilic granulomas in various organs represent the most diffuse manifestation. In the present study, we describe the gross and microscopic lesions of idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonia with associated pulmonary vasculitis in 11 horses without systemic involvement. Lungs were enlarged, pale pink, poorly collapsed with white-reddish nodules, randomly distributed throughout the parenchyma. Histologically the lesions ranged from mild eosinophilic bronchointerstitial pneumonia to severe eosinophilic lobular bronchopneumonia associated with eosinophilic necrotizing vasculitis affecting small to medium-size vessels. There was no histologic evidence of parasites within the lesion of any of these horses. Eosinophilic pneumonia with vasculitis and without intralesional parasites have not been previously reported in horses. The current histologic findings are similar to pathologic lung findings observed in Churg-Strauss syndrome of man.