Neuroendocrine tumor in the lung of a captive black spider monkey (Ateles paniscus).

This paper describes a neuroendocrine (NE) tumor of the lung that was observed during the necropsy of a 14-year-old female black spider monkey (Ateles paniscus) with sudden death. Grossly, multifocal firm and coalescing nodular masses were observed in the lung. The histological examination showed the tumor to be an typical NE tumor with polygonal cells grouped in small solid aggregates, with regularly sized, spherical, centrally placed nuclei with modest, lightly granular cytoplasm suspended in a fibrovascular stroma.

Serodiagnostic comparison between two methods, ELISA and surface plasmon resonance for the detection of antibodies of classical swine fever.

A protein chip based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was developed to measure the antibody (Ab) titers of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) using the recombinant gp55 protein as an antigen. The diagnostic potential of this SPR assay for detecting the Ab titers to CSFV gp55 was compared that of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using 170 serum samples from 14 pig farms. The SPR assay was highly specific and sensitive, and there were no cross-reactions detected.

Serodiagnostic comparison of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and surface plasmon resonance for the detection of antibody to porcine circovirus type 2.

This paper describes the cloning and expression of the capsid protein of Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) in an Escherichia coli expression system that was used to produce a fusion protein for subsequent immunologic studies: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify the gene encoding the capsid protein from the DNA of PCV2. The protein was then cloned into a pRSET prokaryotic expression vector.

Development of a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assay with fluorogenic probes to discriminate Korean wild-type and vaccine isolates of Classical swine fever virus.

A 1-step reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay using TaqMan minor-groove-binding (MGB) probes was developed to distinguish between vaccine-type and wild-type strains of Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) in Korea. Because attenuated Korean LOM strains have been used in animal vaccination in Korea for some time but CSF remains a serious problem, there was a need for a practical approach to differentiating vaccine and field strains. We examined the fluorescence of 5 vaccine strains, 10 field strains, and 5 mixed samples.

Disseminated mycobacteriosis due to Mycobacterium avium in captive Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris).

A 2-year-old captive female Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) died after prolonged anorexia in the Gwangju Uchi Park Zoo, Gwangju, Republic of Korea. Necropsy revealed multiple nodules of varying sizes in the lung, liver, kidney, and spleen. Histopathologic examination revealed a typical granuloma composed of caseous necrotic areas surrounded by lymphocytes with a few giant cells and foamy macrophages.

Balantidiasis in the gastric lymph nodes of Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia): an incidental finding.

A 4-year-old female Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) was found dead in the Gwangju Uchi Park Zoo. The animal had previously exhibited weakness and lethargy, but no signs of diarrhea. The carcass was emaciated upon presentation.

Relationship between DNA ploidy and proliferative cell nuclear antigen index in canine hemangiopericytoma.

The mitotic index is reported to be correlated with recurrence, mean patient survival, and metastasis of canine hemangiopericytoma (CHP). However, to the authors' knowledge, studies investigating the parameters that can predict recurrence or metastasis of CHP with low mitotic index have not been done. To evaluate growth kinetics of CHP with low mitotic index, a retrospective analysis of the proliferative activity by antiproliferative cell nuclear antigen monoclonal antibody and DNA contents by flow cytometry (FCM) was performed with 21 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded CHP samples.

Detection of canine parvovirus in fecal samples using loop-mediated isothermal amplification.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is a novel, sensitive, and rapid technique for detection of genomic DNA. The end-product of the technique is a white precipitate of magnesium pyrophosphate that is visible without the use of gel electrophoresis. The LAMP method was applied to the detection of canine parvovirus (CPV) genomic DNA.

Detection and isolation of winter dysentery bovine coronavirus circulated in Korea during 2002-2004.

Although winter dysentery (WD) has been suspected to occur frequently in Korea, to date the exact epidemiology of WD has remained unknown. Therefore, we investigated the causative agents of WD by using electron microscopy, ELISA, RT-PCR, and nested PCR from 97 fecal samples of 32 WD-affected herds collected from 8 provinces during 2002-2004. The bovine coronavirus (BoCV) was consistently detected in all herds with WD.

Molecular analysis of S gene of spike glycoprotein of winter dysentery bovine coronavirus circulated in Korea during 2002-2003.

Since the molecular analysis of spike (S) glycoprotein gene of bovine coronavirus (BCoV) has been conducted and compared mainly among American and Canadian isolates and/or strains, it is unclear whether BCoV circulated in the other countries are distinctive in genetic characteristics. In the present study, we analyzed the S glycoprotein gene to characterize 10 winter dysentery (WD) coronavirus strains circulated in Korea during 2002-2003 and compared the nucleotide (nt) and deduced amino acid (aa) sequences with the other known BCoV. The phylogenetic analysis of the entire S glycoprotein gene revealed that the aa sequences of all Korean WD strains were more homologous to each other and were very closely related to respiratory bovine coronavirus (RBCV) strain OK and enteric bovine coronavirus (EBCV) strain LY-138, but were distinct from the other known BCoVs.