No abstract

Isolated anti-HBc in US blood donors is usually a false-positive result, regardless of the titer.

SummaryA 10-year-old captive male Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) presented with acute onset collapse, vomiting and dyspnoea, preceded by a 6-month period of progressive muscle wasting. Following humane destruction, post-mortem examination revealed a large multilobulated mass in the cranial mediastinum, which was diagnosed as a T-lymphocyte-rich thymoma with the aid of immunohistochemistry. Retrospective serology for acetylcholine receptor antibodies (titre 3.90 nmol/l) confirmed a diagnosis of thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis. Thymomas are reported rarely in wild carnivores, but when detected they appear to be similar in morphology to those seen in domestic carnivores and may also be accompanied by paraneoplastic syndromes. The clinical signs of myasthenia gravis in the tiger were consistent with those reported in cats and dogs and the condition is proposed as an important differential diagnosis for generalized weakness in captive Felidae.

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A case is presented of a child who had a megaloblastic anemia which was not responsive to vitamin B12 nor to folic acid. The erythrocytes were hypochromic and microcytic, but there was no response to iron or to pyridoxine. Neither parent and no siblings had evidence of thallassemia. The autopsy did not reveal evidence of Di Guglielmo’s disease. A striking feature was the excretion of large amounts of orotic acid in the urine. Improvement followed administration of adrenal steroid hormones without reversal of the megaloblastic marrow nor striking reduction in orotic acid excretion. A seemingly complete hematologic remission and a remarkable reduction in orotic acid excretion followed the administration of a crude mixture containing uridylic acid and cytidylic acid while steroid hormones were continued. Before further studies could be made the child died of severe varicella.