Recognition of disc degeneration in vivo is important in the investigation of the pathophysiology of intervertebral disc disease as well as the assessment of patients. The purpose of this study was to compare low-field magnetic resonance imaging and histopathologic findings of disc degeneration in the canine caudal lumbar spine. A simple four-stage classification system for disc degeneration is proposed. Most common signs of disc degeneration in magnetic resonance imaging included nuclear clefts, decreased signal intensity of the nucleus pulposus and tears of the annulus fibrosus, or disc herniations. The association between magnetic resonance images and histopathologic findings was highly significant. A sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 79% for magnetic resonance imaging was calculated using histopathology as the gold standard.

More than 30% (21 of 65) of German Shepherd dogs with clinical signs of cauda equina compression had radiographic and pathologic abnormalities compatible with osteochondrosis of the sacral endplate. Most of these dogs had a defect in the dorsal part of the sacral endplate and a detached bone fragment in the vertebral canal. Similar lesions were also found in growing and young adult dogs without clinical signs. The dogs with clinical signs of cauda equina compression also had severe degenerative disc disease with protrusion of the lumbosacral disc and compression of the cauda equina, suggesting that the signs of cauda equina compression more likely were related to the secondary degenerative changes (disc protrusions) rather than the primary disease. Clinically normal German Shepherds with sacral osteochondrosis usually were younger than 18 months, the dogs with cauda equina compression and sacral osteochondrosis older than 18 months (mean age 4.8 years). On the average, these dogs were two years younger as compared to dogs with cauda equina compression without sacral osteochondrosis. Male dogs are more often affected than females (5:1). There is a breed predisposition: in dogs other than German Shepherds, osteochondrosis of the sacral endplate seems to be extremely rare.

No abstract

A large difference between facet joint angles at L6-L7 and L7-S1 in German Shepherd Dogs may be associated with the frequent occurrence of lumbosacral disk degeneration in this breed.

Summary Clostridium perfringens type C, which produces α‐ and β‐toxin, causes severe haemorrhagic and necrotic enteritis in animals and humans. A polymerase‐chain‐reaction (PCR) assay was developed for the specific detection of the genes encoding α‐, β‐, ε‐ and enterotoxin of C. perfringens for rapid typing of C. perfringens strains, and especially for the identification of type C strains. Both the α‐ and β‐toxin genes were detected directly in porcine C. perfringens type C cultures and also in type B and type C collection strains to a sensitivity of 103 cells without purification of the DNA. The α‐toxin gene was detected in all types of C. perfringens. The ε‐toxin gene was found in type B and type D, and the enterotoxin gene in some type A strains. Nine other species of Clostridium and a variety of intestinal pathogenic bacteria showed no signal for these toxin genes in this PCR assay. The α‐ and β‐toxin genes PCR assay were used to identify C. perfringens strains isolated from intestinal contents of 36 necropsied piglets that had suddenly died or died after premonitory signs of diarrhoea. At necropsy, 20 piglets showed necrotizing enteritis (15 acute and 5 chronic cases) and were suspected to have suffered from a C. perfringens type C infection. All of them had C. perfringens which gave a positive PCR signal for α‐ and β‐toxin genes, and, hence, were identified as type C strains. From the 16 other piglets with lesions other than necrotizing enteritis, C. perfringens strains with the α‐toxin gene, but no β‐toxin gene, were isolated. The necropsy findings and the anamnesis showed a very good correlation with the PCR identification of toxin genes. It was therefore concluded that the PCR‐based toxin gene examination is a good alternative to the time‐consuming, less specific, and more expensive mouse neutralization test in the routine diagnostic laboratory.