Abstract. Thirteen uterine tumors were diagnosed in 13 cats and accounted for 0.29% of all feline neoplasms received during a 9.6-year period. Age at diagnosis ranged from 3 to 16 years; median 9 years. Six were Domestic Shorthair cats, and 7 were purebred cats of 5 different breeds. Eight adenocarcinomas and 1 mixed Müllerian tumor (adenosarcoma) comprised the endometrial tumors. Myometrial tumors included 3 leiomyomas and 1 leiomyosarcoma. One of the adenocarcinomas developed in the uterine stump of an ovariohysterectomized cat; the other cats were sexually intact. Concurrent mammary adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 1 cat with uterine adenocarcinoma and in another with uterine leiomyoma. Tumors were discovered during elective ovariohysterectomy in 2 cats, but at least 3 others had experienced reproductive problems (infertility or pyometra). Five cats presented for abdominal or pelvic masses. Endometrial adenocarcinomas were positive immunohistochemically for cytokeratins and negative for smooth muscle actin (SMA); 1 of 6 cats was positive for vimentin and 4 of 8 were positive for estrogen receptor-␣ (ER␣). Adenosarcoma stromal cells were positive for vimentin and ER␣ but negative for cytokeratins and SMA. Smooth muscle tumors were positive for vimentin and SMA and negative for cytokeratins. Leiomyomas, but not the leiomyosarcomas, were positive for ER␣. Adenocarcinomas in 4 cats had metastasized by the time of ovariohysterectomy. Two other cats were euthanized 5 months after ovariohysterectomy; at least one of these cats had developed an abdominal mass that was not examined histologically. Only 2 cats with endometrial adenocarcinoma had disease-free intervals longer than 5 months after surgery. Metastasis was not detected in any mesenchymal tumor; however, these cats were either euthanized on discovery of the tumor or the tumor was first detected at necropsy.Endometrial adenocarcinoma, the most common uterine epithelial tumor, is rare in domestic animals other than rabbits and cattle. 26 The most common mesenchymal tumor of the uterus is leiomyoma. 28 Uterine neoplasia is seemingly rare in cats. 44 No uterine neoplasms were recorded in separate reviews of 395 7 and 621 feline tumors, 17 and only 1-4 cases of uterine neoplasia (leiomyoma, 12,38,46 adenocarcinoma, 14,43,46 adenoma, 43 leiomyosarcoma, 46 or lymphosarcoma 13 ) were found in retrospective surveys of 165-571 cats with tumors. Uterine leiomyoma has been the most common tumor in retrospective studies limited to feline genital tract neoplasia. Four leiomyomas, 2 leiomyosarcomas, and 1 endometrial adenocarcinoma comprised the uterine tumors in 1 review. 24 In another report, 8 there were 8 leiomyomas, 4 adenocarcinomas, and 3 leiomyosarcomas. In a 20-year survey, 7 leiomyomas, 1 leiomyosarcoma, and no adenocarcinomas were recorded.

h Simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) models for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been widely used in passive studies with HIV neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) to test for protection against infection. However, because SHIVinfected adult macaques often rapidly control plasma viremia and any resulting pathogenesis is minor, the model has been unsuitable for studying the impact of antibodies on pathogenesis in infected animals. We found that SHIV SF162P3 infection in 1-month-old rhesus macaques not only results in high persistent plasma viremia but also leads to very rapid disease progression within 12 to 16 weeks. In this model, passive transfer of high doses of neutralizing IgG (SHIVIG) prevents infection. Here, we show that at lower doses, SHIVIG reduces both plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-associated viremia and mitigates pathogenesis in infected animals. Moreover, production of endogenous NAbs correlated with lower set-point viremia and 100% survival of infected animals. New SHIV models are needed to investigate whether passively transferred antibodies or antibodies elicited by vaccination that fall short of providing sterilizing immunity impact disease progression or influence immune responses. The 1-month-old rhesus macaque SHIV model of infection provides a new tool to investigate the effects of antibodies on viral replication and clearance, mechanisms of B cell maintenance, and the induction of adaptive immunity in disease progression.

Simian hemorrhagic fever virus is an arterivirus that naturally infects species of African nonhuman primates causing acute or persistent asymptomatic infections. Although it was previously estimated that 1% of baboons are SHFV-positive, more than 10% of wild-caught and captive-bred baboons tested were SHFV positive and the infections persisted for more than 10 years with detectable virus in the blood (100–1000 genomes/ml). The sequences of two baboon SHFV isolates that were amplified by a single passage in primary macaque macrophages showed a very high degree of identity to each other as well as to the genome of SHFV-LVR, a laboratory strain isolated in the 1960s. Infection of Japanese macaques with 100 PFU of a baboon isolate consistently produced high level viremia, pro-inflammatory cytokines, elevated tissue factor levels and clinical signs indicating coagulation defects. The baboon virus isolate provides a reliable BSL2 model of viral hemorrhagic fever disease in macaques.

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Background A survey was developed to characterize disease incidence, common pathology lesions, environmental characteristics, and nutrition programs within captive research marmoset colonies. Methods Seventeen research facilities completed the electronic survey. Results Nutritional management programs varied amongst research institutions housing marmosets; eight primary base diets were reported. The most common clinical syndromes reported were gastrointestinal disease (i.e. inflammatory bowel disease like disease, chronic lymphocytic enteritis, chronic malabsorption, chronic diarrhea), metabolic bone disease or fracture, infectious diarrhea, and oral disease (tooth root abscesses, gingivitis, tooth root resorption). The five most common pathology morphologic diagnoses were colitis, nephropathy/nephritis, enteritis, chronic lymphoplasmacytic enteritis, and cholecystitis. Obesity was more common (average 20% of a reporting institution's population) than thin body condition (average 5%). Conclusions Through review of current practices, we aim to inspire development of evidence‐based practices to standardize husbandry and nutrition practices for marmoset research colonies.

Obtaining a biopsy of the physis in a pediatric/juvenile could provide the ability to diagnose and manage children with physeal abnormalities. However, it has not yet been determined whether a physeal biopsy procedure affects angular deformity. We employed a rabbit model to collect biopsies of the distal femoral and proximal tibial physes on anesthetized, 8-week old New Zealand rabbits. The contralateral limb served as a control. At 8 (n = 5) and 16 (n = 5) weeks postbiopsy, animals were euthanized. Micro-computed tomography (CT) was employed to estimate percentage of the physis biopsied and assess structural abnormalities resulting from biopsy. Bone samples were embedded in polymethylmethacrylate and analyzed. The percentage of physis sampled was ≤1.5% of the total femoral physis while all but one of the tibiae had ≤2.3% removed. There were no iatrogenic clinical or radiographic deformities (frontal or sagittal). Micro-CT and histological analysis suggested that physeal defects had signs of healing that did not lead to subsequent angular deviation. A defect caused by physeal biopsy may not lead to angular deformity. Long-term data could help determine the safety and efficacy of collecting biopsies for histological analyses. Advanced imaging may demonstrate a detailed picture of anatomic or structural alteration of a given physis, but provides no functional information. The diagnostic and therapeutic information that could be gleaned from one or more serial biopsy samples could be invaluable in decision making and clinical management (e.g. skeletal dysplasias and metabolic conditions), so long as subsequent deformity is not a future possibility.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) refers to ectopic bone formation, typically in residual limbs following trauma and injury. A review of injuries from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) indicated that approximately 70% of war wounds involved the musculoskeletal system, largely in part from the use of improvised explosive devices (IED) and rocket-propelled grenades (RPG). HO is reported to occur in approximately 63%–65% of wounded warriors from OIF and OEF. Symptomatic HO may delay rehabilitation regimens since it often requires modifications to prosthetic limb componentry and socket size. There is limited evidence indicating a mechanism for preventing HO. This may be due to inadequate models, which do not produce HO bone structure that is morphologically similar to HO samples obtained from wounded warfighters injured in theatre. We hypothesized that using a high-power blast of air (shockwave) and simulated battlefield trauma (i.e. bone damage, tourniquet, bacteria, negative pressure wound therapy) in a large animal model, HO would form and have similar morphology to ectopic bone observed in clinical samples. Initial radiographic and micro-computed tomography (CT) data demonstrated ectopic bone growth in sheep 24 weeks post-procedure. Advanced histological and backscatter electron (BSE) analyses showed that 5 out of 8 (63%) sheep produced HO with similar morphology to clinical samples. We conclude that not all ectopic bone observed by radiograph or micro-CT in animal models is HO. Advanced histological and BSE analyses may improve confirmation of HO presence and morphology, which we demonstrated can be produced in a large animal model.

Adenovirus 36 (AdV36) causes weight gain in animal models, including non-human primates. In humans, AdV36-neutralizing antibodies are associated with adiposity; however, longitudinal studies in large populations are needed to clarify AdV36’s contribution. The current gold standard for detection of AdV36-specific antibody is the serum neutralization assay (SNA), which requires long incubation times and highly trained personnel. We have modified the standard SNA using an immunocytochemical (ICC) approach, which allows for a more rapid and objective assessment of AdV36 antibodies. Using the ICC assay, virus-infected cells were detected as early as day 1 (D1) and by D5 were detected in 100% of microtiter wells versus 20.3% of wells detected by observing the cytopathic effect. . Further, human sera tested with the ICC assay at D5 had a sensitivity and specificity of 80.0% and 95.7%, respectively, when compared to the standard SNA read at D11. Thus, the ICC assay decreased assay incubation time, provided a more objective and easily interpreted assessment, and had a high degree of sensitivity and specificity in determining serological status. The more rapid and objective ICC method will make large population studies feasible, improve comparability among laboratories, and contribute to understanding the role of AdV36 in obesity.