1,720,960 research outputs found
Mucocutaneous Candidiasis in a Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx)
No full textAn adult male mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) suffered from chronic ulceration of the facial and gluteal skin and the oral and nasal mucosa. The ulcers were resistant to therapy and led to deterioration in the general condition of the animal. Microscopical examination revealed a severe, chronic, multifocal, granulomatous and eosinophilic dermatitis and panniculitis. There was also stomatitis and rhinitis with numerous intralesional fungal elements. These organisms were identified by immunohistochemistry, transmission electron microscopy, polymerase chain reaction and fungal culture as Candida albicans. Species identification was confirmed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. A specific predisposing immunosuppressive factor for the deep chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis was not identified; however, social stress and/or a primary defect in cell-mediated immunity could not be excluded as possible causes for a predisposing immunodeficiency in the animal. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Ischiopagus Tripus Conjoined Twins in a Western Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
No full textConjoined twinning is rare in man and non-human primates. The current report describes a case of ischiopagus tripus conjoined Western Lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) twins. The female twins were joined at the umbilical and pelvic region, involving the liver, xiphoid, umbilicus, body wall and skin. Computed tomography revealed two complete spines. The combined pelvic space was formed by two sacra, each connected with two iliac bones. The twins were only conjoined by a common pubis. Cause of death was attributed to cardiac and circulatory collapse resulting from a large patent foramen ovale (8 mm in diameter) of one twin and neonatal asphyxia. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Leucoencephalopathy with cerebral calcinosis in a young chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) - a case report
No full textCase history A 4-year-old chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) had a clinical history of a 2-year progressive central nervous dysfunction including convulsions and severe paralysis. Results Gross pathology revealed cerebral atrophy, ventricular enlargement and a severe encephalomalacia with extensive calcifications. Histologically, the white matter showed diffuse demyelination as well as vascular and perivascular calcifications which also involved the basal ganglia. Blood vessels with less distinctive calcium deposits exhibited periodic acid Schiff positive hyalinosis. Large areas of necrosis, hemorrhage and intense gliosis were also present. Activation of astrocytes and macrophages was confirmed by immunohistochemical methods. Conclusions The etiology of the leucoencepalopathy could not be ascertained by macroscopic, histological and immunohistochemical examinations. Potential differential diagnoses include the rarely occurring Fahr's disease in humans, arteriosclerosis, storage disease and the Aicardi-Goutieres syndrome. Based on the results of the postmortal examinations Fahr's disease is regarded as the most likely diagnosis in the present case of the chimpanzee
Concurrent infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis and Giardia duodenalis in a chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera f. dom.)
No full textA 3-year-old, female chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera f. dom.) suffered from prolonged vaginal discharge. Sonographically, multiple nodules were detected in the uterus, and the lung showed a diffuse radiodensity, Ovario-hysterectomy was performed and histology of the uterus revealed a severe multifocal pyo-granulomatous metritis with myriads of acid-fast rod-shaped bacilli. Microbiological culture of formalin-fixed uterine tissue and a native vaginal swab resulted in the growth of mycobacteria that were identified as Mycobacterium (M.) avium subsp. hominissuis. The animal was euthanized and pathomorphological examination revealed severe multifocal granulomatous inflammation of lung, mediastinal and mesenteric lymph nodes, intestine, pancreas and kidneys. In addition, an infection of the small intestine with Giardia duodenalis was confirmed immunohistochemically. This is the first report describing a concurrent infection with M. avium subsp. hominissuis and Giardia duodenalis in a chinchilla. Both pathogens represent a potential health risk especially for young or immunosuppressed persons, in particular if infected animals show unspecific clinical symptoms.Ein dreijähriges, weibliches Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera f. dom.) zeigte anhaltenden Vaginalausfluss. Sonografisch wurden multiple, noduläre Umfangsvermehrungen im Uterus und eine diffuse Röntgendichte in der Lunge festgestellt. Es wurde eine Ovariohysterektomie durchgeführt und die histologische Untersuchung ergab eine hochgradige, multifokale pyo-granulomatöse Metritis mit unzähligen säurefesten stäbchenförmigen Bakterien. Die mikrobiologische Kultur von formalinfixiertem Uterusgewebe und einem nativen Vaginaltupfer führte zu einem Wachstum von Mykobakterien, die als Mycobacterium (M.) avium subsp. hominissuis identifiziert wurden. Das Tier wurde euthanasiert und pathomorphologisch wurden hochgradige, multifokale, granulomatöse Entzündungen in Lunge, mediastinalen und mesenterialen Lymphknoten, Darm, Pankreas und Nieren festgestellt. Zusätzlich wurde im Dünndarm immunhistologisch eine Infektion mit Giardia duodenalis nachgewiesen. Dieses ist die erste Beschreibung einer Ko-Infektion mit M. avium subsp. hominissuis und Giardia duodenalis bei einem Chinchilla. Beide Erreger können ein mögliches Gesundheitsrisiko insbesondere für junge oder immunsupprimierte Personen darstellen, besonders wenn infizierte Tiere eine unspezifische klinische Symptomatik zeigen
Activity-dependent regulation of MHC class I expression in the developing primary visual cortex of the common marmoset monkey
Full text linkAbstract Background Several recent studies have highlighted the important role of immunity-related molecules in synaptic plasticity processes in the developing and adult mammalian brains. It has been suggested that neuronal MHCI (major histocompatibility complex class I) genes play a role in the refinement and pruning of synapses in the developing visual system. As a fast evolutionary rate may generate distinct properties of molecules in different mammalian species, we studied the expression of MHCI molecules in a nonhuman primate, the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus). Methods and results Analysis of expression levels of MHCI molecules in the developing visual cortex of the common marmoset monkeys revealed a distinct spatio-temporal pattern. High levels of expression were detected very early in postnatal development, at a stage when synaptogenesis takes place and ocular dominance columns are formed. To determine whether the expression of MHCI molecules is regulated by retinal activity, animals were subjected to monocular enucleation. Levels of MHCI heavy chain subunit transcripts in the visual cortex were found to be elevated in response to monocular enucleation. Furthermore, MHCI heavy chain immunoreactivity revealed a banded pattern in layer IV of the visual cortex in enucleated animals, which was not observed in control animals. This pattern of immunoreactivity indicated that higher expression levels were associated with retinal activity coming from the intact eye. Conclusions These data demonstrate that, in the nonhuman primate brain, expression of MHCI molecules is regulated by neuronal activity. Moreover, this study extends previous findings by suggesting a role for neuronal MHCI molecules during synaptogenesis in the visual cortex.</p
Neuronal MHC Class I Molecules are Involved in Excitatory Synaptic Transmission at the Hippocampal Mossy Fiber Synapses of Marmoset Monkeys
No full textSeveral recent studies suggested a role for neuronal major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) molecules in certain forms of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus of rodents. Here, we report for the first time on the expression pattern and functional properties of MHCI molecules in the hippocampus of a nonhuman primate, the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus). We detected a presynaptic, mossy fiber-specific localization of MHCI proteins within the marmoset hippocampus. MHCI molecules were present in the large, VGlut1-positive, mossy fiber terminals, which provide input to CA3 pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, whole-cell recordings of CA3 pyramidal neurons in acute hippocampal slices of the common marmoset demonstrated that application of antibodies which specifically block MHCI proteins caused a significant decrease in the frequency, and a transient increase in the amplitude, of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (sEPSCs) in CA3 pyramidal neurons. These findings add to previous studies on neuronal MHCI molecules by describing their expression and localization in the primate hippocampus and by implicating them in plasticity-related processes at the mossy fiber-CA3 synapses. In addition, our results suggest significant interspecies differences in the localization of neuronal MHCI molecules in the hippocampus of mice and marmosets, as well as in their potential function in these species.EC [NEST-28594]; [SFB 449]; [TP B6
Virus safety of islet cell transplantation from transgenic pigs to marmosets
No full texthttps://doi.org/10.13039/100007798 German Research Foundatio
Pathogens as drivers of population declines: The importance of systematic monitoring in great apes and other threatened mammals
No full textUntil recently, the focus of great ape behavioural and ecological research has been distinct from the focus of scientists working in medical and veterinary sciences. More scientists are calling for a connection between medical and field research due to recent disease outbreaks in great apes, including Ebola, and indications of cross-transmission of Ebola and other viruses between primates and humans. A major limitation to progress is the lack of information on infectious diseases and their transmission in wild primates. Here, we present examples of successful pathogen detection in wild great apes and describe approaches and techniques that can be used in the field, focusing in particular on investigation of deaths and non-invasive sample collection. This interdisciplinary approach is providing new insights to infectious diseases of great apes and is helping to protect the health of great ape populations. This framework can also be applied to other mammals under threat from infectious diseases, including African wild dogs, seals and Tasmanian devils. In addition to providing benefits for great ape conservation, research that integrates infectious disease with primate ecology provides insights to emerging diseases in humans and the role of disease in primate evolution. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Fabian H. Leendertz, Georg Pauli, Kerstin Maetz-Rensing, Wayne Boardman, Charles Nunn, Heinz Ellerbrok, Siv Aina Jensen, Sandra Junglen, Christophe Boesc
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
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