Abstract. From 2002 to 2007, 23 ferrets from Europe and the United States were diagnosed with systemic pyogranulomatous inflammation resembling feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). The average age at the time of diagnosis was 11 months. The disease was progressive in all cases, and average duration of clinical illness was 67 days. Common clinical findings were anorexia, weight loss, diarrhea, and large, palpable intra-abdominal masses; less frequent findings included hind limb paresis, central nervous system signs, vomiting, and dyspnea. Frequent hematologic findings were mild anemia, thrombocytopenia, and hypergammaglobulinemia. Grossly, whitish nodules were found in numerous tissues, most frequently the mesenteric adipose tissue and lymph nodes, visceral peritoneum, liver, kidneys, spleen, and lungs. One ferret had a serous abdominal effusion. Microscopically, pyogranulomatous inflammation involved especially the visceral peritoneum, mesenteric adipose tissue, liver, lungs, kidneys, lymph nodes, spleen, pancreas, adrenal glands, and/or blood vessels. Immunohistochemically, all cases were positive for coronavirus antigen using monoclonal antibody FIPV3-70. Electron microscopic examination of inflammatory lesions identified particles with coronavirus morphology in the cytoplasm of macrophages. Partial sequencing of the coronavirus spike gene obtained from frozen tissue indicates that the virus is related to ferret enteric coronavirus.

Background: Avian haemosporidian parasites can cause severe disease in their hosts due to excessive exo-erythrocytic merogony and anaemia caused by blood stages. Notably, the development of megalomeronts by species of Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon has been associated with mortalities in birds. Diagnosis of lethal infections is currently accomplished by the detection of parasites' tissue stages in histological sections combined with PCR and sequencing. However, sequences frequently are not reliably obtained and the generic discrimination of exo-erythrocytic tissue stages based on morphological characters is challenging. Therefore, the present study aimed at developing specific molecular probes for the identification of Haemoproteus spp. and Leucocytozoon spp. in histological sections using chromogenic in situ hybridization. Methods: Parasite subgenus-specific oligonucleotide probes were designed to target the 18S ribosomal RNA of Haemoproteus species (subgenus Parahaemoproteus) and Leucocytozoon spp. (subgenus Leucocytozoon) and were in situ hybridized to sections from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples determined positive for these parasites by PCR and histopathology. To confirm the presence of parasites at sites of probe hybridization, consecutive sections were stained with haematoxylin-eosin and examined. Results: Parahaemoproteus-and Leucocytozoon-specific probes labelled erythrocytic and exo-erythrocytic stages of Haemoproteus spp. and Leucocytozoon spp., respectively. Binding of probes to parasites was consistent with detection of the same exo-erythrocytic meronts in consecutive haematoxylin-eosin-stained sections. Cross-reactivity of the probes was ruled out by negative chromogenic in situ hybridization when applied to samples positive for a parasite of a genus different from the probes' target. Conclusions: Chromogenic in situ hybridization using 18S ribosomal RNA-specific oligonucleotide probes reliably identifies and discriminates Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon parasites in tissue sections and enables unequivocal diagnosis of haemosporidioses.

Fatal disseminated toxoplasmosis was diagnosed in a Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) dam and its fetus on the basis of pathologic findings, immunohistochemistry, and structure of the parasite. The dolphin was stranded alive on the Spanish Mediterranean coast and died a few hours later. At necropsy the dam was in good condition. From the standpoint of pathology, however, it had generalized lymphadenomegaly and splenomegaly, enlargement of and multifocal hemorrhage in the adrenal glands, diffuse mucosal hemorrhage of the glandular and pyloric stomach, ulcerative glossitis and stomatitis, focal erosions and reddening of the laryngeal appendix, and severe paraotic sinusitis with intralesional nematodes Crassicauda grampicola. The dolphin was pregnant, most probably in the first gestational trimester. The most prominent microscopic lesions were multifocal granulomatous encephalomyelitis, diffuse subacute interstitial pneumonia, mild multifocal necrotizing hepatitis and nonsuppurative cholangiohepatitis, gastritis and adrenalitis, mild lymphoid depletion, medullary sinus and follicular histyocitosis, and systemic hemosiderosis. The fetus had foci of coagulative and lytic necrosis in the kidneys, the lung, and the heart. Most lesions were associated with tachyzoites and tissue cysts of Toxoplasma gondii. The diagnosis was confirmed immunohistochemically. This is the first report on toxoplasmosis in a Risso's dolphin (G. griseus) and on transplacental transmission to an early-stage fetus in any cetaceans.

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Human and animal infections with bacteria of the genus Sarcina (family Clostridiaceae) are associated with gastric dilation and emphysematous gastritis. However, the potential roles of sarcinae as commensals or pathogens remain unclear. Here, we investigate a lethal disease of unknown etiology that affects sanctuary chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in Sierra Leone. The disease, which we have named “epizootic neurologic and gastroenteric syndrome” (ENGS), is characterized by neurologic and gastrointestinal signs and results in death of the animals, even after medical treatment. Using a case-control study design, we show that ENGS is strongly associated with Sarcina infection. The microorganism is distinct from Sarcina ventriculi and other known members of its genus, based on bacterial morphology and growth characteristics. Whole-genome sequencing confirms this distinction and reveals the presence of genetic features that may account for the unusual virulence of the bacterium. Therefore, we propose that this organism be considered the representative of a new species, named “Candidatus Sarcina troglodytae”. Our results suggest that a heretofore unrecognized complex of related sarcinae likely exists, some of which may be highly virulent. However, the potential role of “Ca. S. troglodytae” in the etiology of ENGS, alone or in combination with other factors, remains a topic for future research.