Porcine enteric calicivirus (PECV) shares morphological and genetical similarities with Sapoviruses (SVs), which are the leading cause of epidemic, non-bacterial gastroenteritis in children worldwide. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of PECV infection in pig farms in Korea, and to compare the evolutionary inter-relationships between Korean PECVs and other caliciviruses. Among 102 diarrhoeic faecal samples of sucking (n = 50) and weaned (n = 52) piglets from 31 different farms in Korea, five samples (4.9%) were detected positive by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR), but nine (8.8%) by nested-PCR. Furthermore, we found that Korean PECVs are closely related to SVs.

Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) was used to detect canine distemper virus (CDV) genomic RNA. A set of four primers, two outer and two inner, were designed from CDV genomic RNA targeting the nucleocapsid protein gene. The optimal reaction time and temperature for LAMP were determined to be 60 min at 65 degrees C. The relative sensitivity and specificity of RT-LAMP was found to be 100% and 93.3%, respectively, based on 50 canine blood samples and using RT-PCR as the gold standard. The detection limit of the RT-LAMP method was 100 times lower than with RT-PCR (10-1TCID50 ml(-1) versus 10TCID50 ml(-1)). In addition to the advantage resulting from the visual detection of the end-product, the LAMP method is fast, requiring only 1 h to complete the assay. The LAMP method is a viable alternative to RT-PCR for diagnosing CDV infection in dogs. The LAMP method might be useful as an on site diagnostic assay for detecting CDV.

Abstract.A 10-year-old female Eurasian river otter (Lutra lutra) died after prolonged anorexia and weight loss in the Seoul Grand Park Zoo, Seoul, Republic of Korea. On necropsy, the liver was found to be swollen and friable with 1 lobe enlarged and necrotic. The other organs showed no significant alterations except for mild atrophy of the right kidney. Microscopically, there was multifocal hepatic necrosis. The hepatocytes around the necrotic areas were swollen and contained large basophilic intranuclear inclusions. Periportal infiltration by plasma cells and lymphocytes was also evident. Transmission electron microscopy revealed characteristic hexagonal virus particles sized approximately 70 nm in diameter in the nuclei of the hepatocytes, which were consistent with an adenovirus. Polymerase chain reaction of the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver sections was used to determine whether the virus was either the canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1), canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), or some other viral agent. The results of these tests showed that the virus was CAV-1. To our knowledge, this is the first report on a CAV-1 infection in an otter.

A 9-year-old female Yorkshire terrier with lameness of the hind leg was examined at the local animal hospital in Gwangju, Republic of Korea on March, 2004. The radiological findings revealed a mass between the urinary bladder and cervix of the uterus. The encapsulated pelvic mass, measuring 4.0 x 3.0 x 2.5 cm was surgically removed. Grossly, the mass was white and firm and microscopically showed a perivascular whorled pattern of spindle cells. By immunohistochemistry, tumour cells tested positive for vimentin and alpha-smooth muscle actin, and negative for desmin, S-100, lysozyme and cytokeratin. The tumour was diagnosed both histologically and immunohistochemically as a haemangiopericytoma. There were no signs of recurrence within 12 months after surgery. This is the first case report of a haemangiopericytoma in the pelvic cavity of a dog.

A protein chip based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) was developed for measuring the Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae antibody titres using a recombinant 30-kDa fragment of P97 adhesin as an antigen. The diagnostic potential of this SPR assay, for detecting the antibody titres to the M. hyopneumoniae 30-kDa protein, was compared with that of conventional ELISA using 70 pig serum samples taken from six pig farms. The SPR assay was found to be highly specific and sensitive. Moreover, there was a strong positive correlation between the SPR and ELISA titres (n = 70, r = 0.898, P < 0.01). Therefore, this recombinant 30-kDa protein can be used as an antigen for serological studies, and the SPR, which is a label-free method, is expected to be a valuable and reproducible tool in the serodiagnosis of M. hyopneumoniae infection.