Preclinical biomedical research is limited by the predictiveness of in vivo and in vitro models. While in vivo models offer the most complex system for experimentation, they are also limited by ethical, financial, and experimental constraints. In vitro models are simplified models that do not offer the same complexity as living animals but do offer financial affordability and more experimental freedom; therefore, they are commonly used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Classic scrapie is a prion disease of sheep and goats that is associated with accumulation of abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) in the central nervous and lymphoid tissues. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is the prion disease of cervids. This study was conducted to determine the susceptibility of white-tailed deer (WTD) to the classic scrapie agent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe agent of scrapie is resistant to most chemical and physical methods of inactivation. Prions bind to soils, metals, and various materials and persist in the environment confounding the control of prion diseases. Most methods of prion inactivation require severe conditions such as prolong exposure to sodium hypochlorite or autoclaving, which may not be suitable for field conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPS IIIB; Sanfilippo syndrome B; OMIM #252920) is a lethal, pediatric, neuropathic, autosomal recessive, and lysosomal storage disease with no approved therapy. Patients are deficient in the activity of N-acetyl-alpha-glucosaminidase (NAGLU; EC 3.2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn collaboration with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreased incidences of neuro-inflammatory diseases in the mid-western United States of America (USA) have been linked to exposure to agriculture contaminants. Organic dust (OD) is a major contaminant in the animal production industry and is central to the respiratory symptoms in the exposed individuals. However, the exposure effects on the brain remain largely unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCautery disbudding is a painful procedure performed on goat kids to prevent horn growth that may result in brain injury. Thermal damage to the cerebral cortex of the brain and subsequent neurologic disease is a primary concern. Cautery iron application time may affect transmission of heat to the brain; however, research in this area is scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Determine the immediate post-operative effects of MicroPulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-TSCPC) in healthy equine eyes.
Animals Studied: Ten adult horses.
Methods: MP-TSCPC was performed on sedated horses in 12 eyes (4 groups) using the following parameters (power, duration, duty cycle): (1) 2000 mW, 180 seconds, 31.
Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) IIIB is a neuropathic lysosomal storage disease characterized by the deficient activity of a lysosomal enzyme obligate for the degradation of the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) heparan sulfate (HS). The pathogenesis of neurodegeneration in MPS IIIB is incompletely understood. Large animal models are attractive for pathogenesis and therapeutic studies due to their larger size, outbred genetics, longer lifespan, and naturally occurring MPS IIIB disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The aetiology and appropriate treatment for auricular chondritis in the dog are currently unclear. This report describes a unique presentation and successful treatment of a dog with auricular chondritis.
Clinical Summary: A 12-year-old, female spayed, Labrador retriever dog was presented for severe pain thought to be neurological in origin.
Case Description: A 15-year-old sexually intact female ring-tailed lemur () was evaluated for a heart murmur and progressive radiographic cardiomegaly.
Clinical Findings: The lemur was clinically normal at the time of initial evaluation. Results of transthoracic echocardiography performed when the animal was anesthetized indicated mitral valve stenosis and severe left atrial dilation.
Transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) is a food borne prion disease. Epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests similarities between the agents of TME and L-BSE. This experiment demonstrates the susceptibility of four different genotypes of sheep to the bovine adapted TME agent by intracranial inoculation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMammalian transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) display marked activation of astrocytes and microglia that precedes neuronal loss. Investigation of clinical parallels between TSEs and other neurodegenerative protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, has revealed similar patterns of neuroinflammatory responses to the accumulation of self-propagating amyloids. The contribution of glial activation to the progression of protein misfolding diseases is incompletely understood, with evidence for mediation of both protective and deleterious effects.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDomestic cats (Felis catus) are known to develop cognitive impairment, and several small series have demonstrated both β-amyloid and tau aggregation, including neurofibrillary tangles, with age, making them a promising physiologic model of Alzheimer disease (AD). We therefore report the largest feline autopsy cohort to date of 32 cats ranging from 1.5 to 22.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of misfolded prion protein (PrP) in the brain and other tissues. Animal prion diseases include scrapie in sheep, chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids, and transmissible mink encephalopathy (TME) in ranch-raised mink. We investigated the susceptibility of raccoons to various prion disease agents and compared the clinicopathologic features of the resulting disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScrapie is a fatal neurodegenerative disease of sheep resulting from the accumulation of a misfolded form of the prion protein (PrP). Polymorphisms in the host prion protein gene ( PRNP) can affect susceptibility to the scrapie agent. Lysine (K) at codon 171 of PRNP is an inadequately characterized, naturally occurring polymorphism in sheep.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA), a compound naturally found in buckwheat, has been shown to protect cells and tissues from the damaging effects of oxidative stress. The purpose of this report was to evaluate 2-HOBA in preclinical oral rodent toxicity studies. This report includes the results from three oral toxicity studies in rodents: a preliminary 28-day feeding study in mice, a 14-day acute oral toxicity study in rats, and a 28-day repeated dose oral toxicity study in rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThymoma-associated nephropathies have been reported in people but not in dogs. In this report, we describe a dog with thymoma and concurrent renal amyloidosis. A 7-year-old castrated male Weimaraner was presented for progressive anorexia, lethargy, and tachypnea.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally occurring, fatal neurodegenerative disease of cervids. The potential for swine to serve as hosts for the agent of CWD is unknown. The purpose of this study was to investigate the susceptibility of swine to the CWD agent following experimental oral or intracranial inoculation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Labial mucosa transplantation for the treatment of canine keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) has been reported recently. Postoperative alleviation of clinical signs was noted and assumed to be the result of labial salivary glands providing lubrication to the ocular tissue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of minor salivary glands (MSG) in the canine oral mucosa.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA naturally occurring prion disease has not been recognized in swine, but the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy does transmit to swine by experimental routes. Swine are thought to have a robust species barrier when exposed to the naturally occurring prion diseases of other species, but the susceptibility of swine to the agent of sheep scrapie has not been thoroughly tested. We conducted this experiment to test the susceptibility of swine to U.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn 2006, a case of H-type bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE-H) was diagnosed in a cow that was associated with a heritable polymorphism in the bovine prion protein gene () resulting in a lysine for glutamate amino acid substitution at codon 211 (called E211K) of the prion protein. Although the prevalence of this polymorphism is low, cattle carrying the K211 allele may be predisposed to rapid onset of BSE-H when exposed or to the potential development of a genetic BSE. This study was conducted to better understand the relationship between the K211 polymorphism and its effect on BSE phenotype.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy that can be transmitted amongst susceptible sheep. The prion protein gene (PRNP) profoundly influences the susceptibility of sheep to the scrapie agent. This study reports the failure to detect PrP(Sc) in nervous or lymphoid tissues of Suffolk sheep of the PRNP ARQ/ARR genotype after oral inoculation with a U.
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