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Common enterovirus infections appear to initiate or facilitate the pathogenetic processes leading to type 1 diabetes, and also sometimes precipitate the clinical disease. In experimental infection of mice, coxsackieviruses have shown to have a strong affinity for the exocrine tissue, while even in lethal cases, the islets remain unaffected. The virus strain most intensively studied in this respect is the diabetogenic variant E2 of coxsackievirus B4. In addition, it is known that all six serotypes of coxsackie B viruses can be made diabetogenic by repeated passages in either mouse pancreas in vivo or in cultured mouse beta-cells in vitro. However, the genetic determinants of the phenomenon have not been determined. In the present study, a laboratory strain of coxsackievirus B5 was passaged repeatedly in mouse pancreas in vivo. After 15 passages, the virus phenotype was clearly changed and infection of the variant resulted in a diabetes-like syndrome in mice characterized by chronic pancreatic inflammation together with dysregulation in glucose metabolism, loss of pancreatic acinar tissue, and mild insulitis. In order to characterize the genetic determinants involved in mouse pancreas adaptation, the passaged virus variant together with the parental virus strain was cloned for molecular characterization. The whole genome sequencing of both virus strains revealed only limited differences. Altogether, eight nucleotides were changed resulting in five amino acid substitutions, of which three were located in the capsid proteins.

Corn mint ( Mentha arvensis ) provides a good source of natural phenols such as flavone glycosides and caffeic acid derivatives, which may have prophylactic properties against inflammations. This study investigated whether corn mint extract would be beneficial against a universal respiratory tract pathogen, Chlamydia pneumoniae , infection. The extract inhibited the growth of C. pneumoniae CWL-029 in vitro in a dose-dependent manner. The inhibition was confirmed against a clinical isolate K7. The phenolic composition of the extract was analyzed by UPLC-ESI/Q-TOF/MS, the main components being linarin and rosmarinic acid. These compounds were active in vitro against C. pneumoniae. Linarin completely inhibited the growth at 100 μM. Inbred C57BL/6J mice were inoculated with C. pneumoniae K7. M. arvensis extract was given intraperitoneally once daily for 3 days prior to inoculation and continued for 10 days postinfection. The extract was able to diminish the inflammatory parameters related to C. pneumoniae infection and significantly (p = 0.019) lowered the number of C. pneumoniae genome equivalents detected by PCR at biologically relevant amounts.

Lung Injury L e a d i n g t o R e s p i r a t o r y D i s t r e s s S y n d r o m e in Young D a l m a t i a n DogsAnna-Kaisa Jarvinen, Elise Saario, Erik Andresen, lrmeli Happonen, S e p p o Saari, and Minna Rajamaki A progressive pulmonary disease resulting in severe respiratory failure and death in an average of 3 weeks was diagnosed in 11 young Dalmatian dogs. The dogs were from 4 litters, all genetically related by a common ancestor. The initial clinical signs were tachypnea and noisy respiration. Respiratory distress developed shortly before death and was characterized by strenuous and rapid respirations, along with cyanosis and vomiting. On blood gas analysis, there were severe arterial hypoxemia, hypercapnia, and marked alveolar-arterial oxygen difference. Radiographically, a diffuse pattern of alveolar, interstitial, and peribronchial densities was observed in the lungs. Most dogs developed pneumomediastinum and gastroesophageal intussusception in the terminal phase of the disease. There was no response to treatment with antibiotics, corticosteroids. diuretics, or oxygen. At necropsy, the lungs were wet, heavy, and relatively airless. Absence of 1 kidney in 2 dogs and severe internal hydrocephalus in 2 dogs were dult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a multi-A factorial acute life-threatening clinical condition that may result in an acute lung injury pattern. It is a well-known entity in humans' and has recently been described in anim a l~.~-~ Clinically, the syndrome is characterized by acute progressive tachypnea and dyspnea, respiratory failure with cyanosis, refractory hypoxemia, and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. At necropsy, the lungs are airless and stiff, and fail to collapse. Edema and inflammatory reaction with prominent hyaline membrane formation, and squamous metaplasia and atypia ofthe alveolar and bronchiolar epithelium are the typical histopathological findings. In the dog, ARDS has been reported in association with paraquat t~x i c i t y ,~ after trauma,6 and as a result of secondary bacterial infection in fatal parvoviral disea~e.~ Experimentally, it can be induced by the administration of endotoxin.' In the present report, we describe an ARDS-like syndrome with histopathological findings suggestive of acute lung injury in 1 1 closely related young Dalmatian dogs in which no etiologic factor could be identified. Materials and MethodsEleven Dalmatian dogs from 4 litters with similar respiratory signs unresponsive to therapy were referred to the Small Animal

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