Primary Angiomatoid Melanomas in Dogs.

Melanocyte-derived tumours are common in humans and animals and their spontaneous occurrence in dogs and the clinicopathological progression in malignant presentations is comparable with humans. Melanomas are a heterogeneous group of malignant neoplasms and several subtypes have been classified, including angiomatoid melanoma, of which only five cases have been reported in humans but none in animals. We now document cases of primary angiomatoid melanoma in the skin and oral cavity of two dogs.

Fat, Cartilage, and Bone Metaplasia in Lungs of Cattle With Caudal Pleural Lesions and Subjacent Interstitial Fibrosis.

The changes associated with condemned lungs in cattle with chronic pleural lesions of the caudal lobes were characterized by histology and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Fibroproliferative pleural lesions were microscopically confirmed. Occasionally, the pleural lesions also included adipose, chondroid, and osseous metaplasia that were covered by mesothelial cells, mostly in the absence of inflammation.

Morphological and Genetic Analysis of Four Color Morphs of Bean Leaf Beetle.

Bean leaf beetle (BLB), Cerotoma trifurcata (Forster; Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), exhibits considerable color variation but little is known about the underlying genetic structure and gene flow among color phenotypes. Genetic and morphological variation among four color phenotypes-green with spots (G+S), green without spots (G-S), red with spots (R+S) and red without spots (R-S)-were analyzed using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) and morphometrics, respectively. AFLP generated 175 markers that showed ≥80% polymorphism.

Genotyping Toxoplasma gondii with the B1 Gene in Naturally Infected Sheep from an Endemic Region in the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite with a broad ecological valence, which has been detected in a wide range of hosts and landscapes. Although the genus is considered monospecific, in recent years it has been demonstrated to exhibit more genetic variability than previously known. In Mexico, there are few genotyping studies, which suggest that classical, autochthonous, and atypical strains are circulating.

Effect of Metarhizium anisopliae (Ascomycete), Cypermethrin, and D-Limonene, Alone and Combined, on Larval Mortality of Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae).

The effect of the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae Ma14 strain, D-limonene, and cypermethrin, alone and combined, on the mortality of Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille larvae was evaluated. Eight separate groups with 25 tick larvae were inoculated with the fungus, cypermethrin, and D-limonene, and four groups were used as untreated controls. The groups were inoculated with serial dilutions of each treatment material: for example, conidial concentrations were 1 × 101, 1 × 102, 1 × 103, 1 × 104, 1 × 105, 1 × 106, 1 × 107, and 1 × 108.

Morphological study of Socorro Island Merino sheep and its crosses with hair breeds.

A study was conducted with the objective to characterize the morphology of Socorro Island Merino sheep. A total of 67 sheep, 62 females, 26 purebred and 36 crossbred with hair breeds, and five males were scored for 10 body measurements in addition to live weight, and four racial and seven functional indices were calculated. The influence of sex and crossbreeding on the body measurements and indices was analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, and morphological harmony was determined using Spearman correlation.

First isolation of Toxoplasma gondii from cats of Colima, Mexico: tissue distribution and genetic characterization.

Toxoplasma gondii is among the commonest zoonotic infectious agents worldwide. It infects many warm-blooded animals, including felines, the definitive hosts. This parasite is now classified in 15 haplogroups spread out around the world.

Trail marking by larvae of the cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum.

The cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), spends most of its larval life feeding within the cladodes of Opuntia cactuses, but the gregarious caterpillars begin their life outside the plant, and in the later instars make intermittent excursions over plant surfaces to access new cladodes and to thermoregulate. The study reported here showed that when the caterpillars move en masse, they mark and follow trails that serve to keep the cohort together. Artificial trails prepared from hexane extracts of the caterpillar's paired mandibular glands were readily followed by the caterpillars.

Population structure, genetic variability, and gene flow of the bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata, in the Midwestern United States.

Bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata (Forster) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a common pest of soybean in the Midwest United States. However, there are currently no reports on the genetic variability of C. trifurcata.

Detection of antibodies and risk factors for infection with bovine respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus 3 in dual-purpose farms in Colima, Mexico.

A cross-sectional study was carried out, from November 2007 to March 2008, to estimate the prevalence of and to determine risk factors associated with bovine syncytial respiratory virus (BRSV) and parainfluenza 3 virus (PIV3) in dual-purpose herds in Colima, México. One hundred and seventy-six sera from 33 herds for PIV3 and 232 sera from 44 herds for BRSV were used. Sera were analyzed by indirect ELISA for the detection of antibodies against BRSV and PIV3 in cattle herds to determine the seroprevalence of respiratory diseases.

Trail marking by caterpillars of the silverspot butterfly Dione juno huascuma.

A pheromone is implicated in the trail marking behavior of caterpillars of the nymphalid silverspot butterfly, Dione juno huascuma (Reakirt) (Lepidoptera: Heliconiinae) that feed gregariously on Passiflora (Malpighiales: Passifloraceae) vines in Mexico. Although they mark pathways leading from one feeding site to another with silk, this study shows that the silk was neither adequate nor necessary to elicit trail following behavior. Caterpillars marked trails with a long-lived pheromone that was deposited when they brushed the ventral surfaces of the tips of their abdomens along branch pathways.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies and the relation to risk factors in cats of Colima, Mexico.

The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in 80 domestic cats was studied in the city of Colima, Mexico, using an indirect IgG-ELISA. Antibodies were found in 28.8% of the cats, with significantly higher (P = 0.