Subunit vaccines against serovars pomona and grippotyphosa induce MAT titers not only to homologous antigens but also to serovar autumnalis, which could lead to a misdiagnosis of leptospirosis caused by serovar autumnalis.

In vivo corneal confocal microscopy is a rapid method of diagnosing fungal keratitis in dogs and provides a noninvasive mechanism for monitoring therapeutic response.

Conventional methods of yeast identification are often time-consuming and difficult; however, recent studies of sequence-based identification methods have shown promise. Additionally, little is known about the diversity of yeasts identified from various animal species in veterinary diagnostic laboratories. Therefore, in this study, we examined three methods of identification by using 109 yeast samples isolated during a 1-year period from veterinary clinical samples. Comparison of the three methods-traditional substrate assimilation, fatty acid profile analysis, and sequence-based analysis of the region spanning the D1 and D2 regions (D1/D2) of the large ribosomal subunit-showed that sequence analysis provided the highest percent identification among the three. Sequence analysis identified 87% of isolates to the species level, whereas substrate assimilation and fatty acid profile analysis identified only 54% and 47%, respectively. Less-stringent criteria for identification increased the percentage of isolates identified to 98% for sequence analysis, 62% for substrate assimilation, and 55% for fatty acid profile analysis. We also found that sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region provided further identification for 36% of yeast not identified to the species level by D1/D2 sequence analysis. Additionally, we identified a large variety of yeast from animal sources, with at least 30 different species among the isolates tested, and with the majority not belonging to the common Candida spp., such as C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. tropicalis, and the C. parapsilosis group. Thus, we determined that sequence analysis of the D1/D2 region was the best method for identification of the variety of yeasts found in a veterinary population.In both veterinary and human diagnostic laboratories, correct identification of yeasts is important for the care of patients. Traditionally, yeast identification has been performed using biochemical analysis, substrate assimilation methods, morphological examination, or various combinations of the three. To increase the ease of identification, commercial tests that use these methods have been created, but despite the convenience provided by these methods, identification of yeasts by these conventional applications can still be timeconsuming and difficult. In addition, considerable variability in the efficacy of these methods has been reported for identification of clinically important yeast (11; also reviewed in references 12, 32, 36, and 42), attributed primarily to the limitations of the databases used for the comparison of clinical isolates, as well as the subjectivity involved in the interpretation of results. Recent studies have also examined the effectiveness of various molecular identification methods for yeasts by the use of rRNA genes, with the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and ITS2 regions and the region spanning the D1 and D2 regions (D1/ D2) shown to be the most useful for species-level identification of yeasts, as a result of the variability within...

A 13-year-old female Lhasa Apso was presented for blepharospasm and conjunctival hyperemia of the right eye. Ophthalmic examination revealed an anterior stromal ulcer associated with a raised yellow corneal plaque. In vivo confocal microscopy and cytology of the cornea identified neutrophilic inflammation and yeast cells. Malassezia pachydermatis was isolated from a corneal scraping. Treatment with topical voriconazole ophthalmic solution resolved the keratitis.