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A 12-year-old male cat was referred for progressive limb weakness lasting 2 weeks. Physical examination detected muscle atrophy and bilateral renomegaly with distortion of the renal contours. The cat was ambulatory but tetraparetic. It showed a peculiar posture on forelimbs with bilateral flexion of the carpi and extrarotation of forearms. The cat was unable to go upstairs or jump. Neurological examination showed findings compatible with peripheral nervous system involvement. Histopathological findings revealed a high grade non-B, non-T cell renal lymphoma and peripheral neuropathy characterised by demyelination, axonal degeneration and muscle denervation. In the absence of congenital, metabolic and infectious diseases or exposure to toxins, a paraneoplastic peripheral neuropathy was hypothesised. In humans and dogs, paraneoplastic peripheral neuropathies have been documented with different neoplastic processes including lymphoproliferative disorders. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of suspected paraneoplastic polyneuropathy in a cat with malignant tumour.

"Ormilo" disease is a neurological disorder of cattle described by Maasai herders in Tanzania. It is attributed to infection by Theileria species, although no detailed data are available in the literature. The authors describe the macroscopical and histological changes observed in 30 brains of indigenous short-horn zebu cattle from Northern Tanzania, aged 2-9 years, with the characteristic neurological signs of "Ormilo". Moreover, the ultrastructural details observed in 14 selected brain samples were reported. Areas of congestion and hemorrhages, associated with the obstruction of the cerebral vessels with large numbers of parasitized lymphoid cells, were observed. Electron microscopy showed the presence of intralymphocytic parasites morphologically comparable to flagellated protozoa, not previously described in the lymphoid cells of cattle, but only reported during the sexual stages within the vector. Theileria taurotragi was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse line blot (RLB) in nine samples. The authors hypothesize that the parasite detected by electron microscopy could be a strain of a Theileria endemic to this region till now not investigated, having an intralymphocytic phase and being associated with other Theileria spp. infestation. Further studies are needed to better understand the etiology of "Ormilo" disease and to characterize the morphology of the observed parasite, clarifying its role in the disease in Tanzania.

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This report describes an uncommon case of nonamyloidotic fibrillary glomerulonephritis. A 5-year-old female European cat was presented with nephrotic syndrome. Serum biochemistry and urinalysis revealed a mild increase in cholesterol, low total protein, severe hypoalbuminemia, and high proteinuria with a high protein-to-creatinine ratio. An histologic examination revealed an interstitial nephritis and a diffuse glomerulonephritis, with multifocal thickening of the Bowman's capsule. Transmission electron microscopy showed widespread fibrillary deposits in the glomerular basement membrane and in the mesangium. These fibrils ranged between 18 and 26 nm in diameter and were Congo red negative, which allowed their differentiation from amyloid. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated expression for immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) within the mesangium. Renal deposits of Congo red-negative amyloid-like fibrils have been described in humans, horses, monkeys, and dogs. This is the first report of noncongophilic fibrillary glomerulopathy in a cat.

The aim of the study was to investigate clinical and pathological modifications induced by treatment with different doses of the β2-agonist ractopamine (RAC) in pigs. Thirty-two eight-month-old LandracexLarge White pigs (mean weight, 102.8 ±6.7 kg) were treated with 0, 10 (R10), 20 (R20) and 40 (R40) mg/kg/diet of RAC for the last 35 days before slaughtering. Before and after treatment body weight was recorded, blood samples were collected for complete blood count and thyroid hormone concentration analysis, and cardiac instrumental evaluation was performed. At slaughtering, tissue samples were collected for histopathological examination. None of the animals showed any signs of clinical disease during the study period. Treatment did not induce any statistically significant difference in complete blood counts (P>0.05) among groups.A significant (Pb0.05) decrease in feed consumption was observed between R10 and R40 treated animals. A significant (Pb0.01) increase in ventricular internal dimensions and left ventricular mass was observed in R20; a significant reduction in thyroid weight (Pb0.05) was observed in the animals receiving the highest-dose treatment (R40). Urethral hyperplasia and metaplasia, and prostate hyperplasia and a significant (Pb0.05) reduction in circulating triiodothyronine levels were found in overall treated animals. Taken together, these data suggest that RAC treatment in pigs induces adaptative non-neoplastic urethral and prostatic disorders of growth and a reduction in thyroid hormone concentrations. Nevertheless, additional research on a larger group of animals is needed to define the biomolecular mechanisms underlying the observed lesions, in order to improve the surveillance tools to identify illegal treatments. IntroductionRactopamine (RAC) is a ß-adrenergic agonist (ß-agonist) which at repartitioning doses has been found to increase muscle growth and decrease fat deposition in different animal species (Baker et al., 1984;Mersmann, 1998;Mills and Spurlock, 2003;Ricks et al., 1984;Sillence, 2004;Watkins et al., 1990). In pigs and cattle treated during the final period of the finishing improved feed efficiency, heavier carcass weights, and higher dressing percentages have been documented (Gu et al., 1991a,b; Laudert et al., 2005a,b; Poletto et al., 2009;See et al., 2004).The dosage required to induce "anabolic" effects is generally 10-20 times higher than that indicated for therapeutic purposes. At elevated doses, certain β2-agonists such as clenbuterol can cause morphological, histological and/or biochemical changes in various organs of exposed animals (Biolatti et al., 1994;Sillence et al., 1993). In vivo, β-adrenergic agonists may induce secondary events caused by hormonal or physiological responses of several tissues, involving especially endocrine and cardio-respiratory organs.In pigs, treatment during the finishing with repartitioning doses of β-agonists has been associated with modifications of vascular microcirculation characterized by ulcerative lesions of the distal extremities...

Summary The aim of this study is to compare the accuracy and clinical use of light and transmission electron microscopy in detecting the early stages of renal pathologies in domestic animals. We examined 30 samples of renal tissue from cats and dogs referred to the Veterinary Hospital of the Department of Animal Pathology for different systemic diseases. The progressions of the kidney pathologies were classified using the scheme system proposed by the International Renal Interest Society. All samples were submitted for conventional histology and ultrastructural examination. Our study shows that electron microscopy is necessary to complete the histological examinations, especially to define early stages of kidney diseases (minimal changes disease, epithelial tubular pathologies, tubular basement membrane and glomerular basement membrane changes). Electron microscopy can be more accurate in defining the level of focal lesion, and permits discrimination between different clinical and pathological alterations such as fibrillary deposits. In conclusion, transmission electron microscopy associated with clinical, histological, histochemical and immunological examinations, is an essential method for diagnosis and prognosis of renal disease.

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