A neonatal Japanese Black calf (three-days-old) showed signs of anorexia. Clinical examination revealed a thumb-sized mass on the lingual area in relation to the right incisor of the mandible. Two days later, the mass was surgically removed and examined pathologically. Macroscopically, the mass had a nipple-shaped and segmented appearance with an off-white or tan-colored surface, and the gingival border appeared reddish. On palpation, it was soft. Histopathologically, the mass was composed of a proliferation of smaller blood vessels with irregular lumens and an increased number of well-differentiated vascular endothelial cells. Although these cells were oval-shaped and showed protrusion into the lumens, cellular atypia and mitotic figures were not observed. A proliferation of stromal cells with slight mucous was present in the edematous stromal tissues. On the basis of the histological findings, in this case a vascular hamartoma was diagnosed. This is the first case report of a vascular hamartoma in the gingiva of cattle in Japan.

An eight month old neutered male domestic shorthair cat, found in the summer, in Chiba Prefecture, with an estimated age of three months, was referred to our Center for tachypnea. Although eosinophilia and diffuse bronchointerstitial parenchymal patterns were observed on the radiographic findings, no worms were detected through echocardiography and the serological test was negative for both antigens and antibodies for Dirofilaria immitis. Two weeks later, the cat experienced a seizure of an unknown cause after the examination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the cerebrospinal fluid findings. The cat died suddenly at 10 months old (one and half weeks later), exhibiting dyspnea, severe lymphadenopathy, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Gross- and histo-pathological examinations revealed eight adult worms of D. immitis in the right atrium and caudal vena cava, severe granulomatous inflammation in various lymph nodes and meningoencephalitis in the brain and cerebrospinal cord, indicating the migration of D. immitis. Therefore, if a juvenile cat younger than one year of age shows clinical respiratory signs with remarkable eosinophilia and bronchointerstitial patterns on radiographic findings, D. immitis infection should be a major point for diagnosis.

A 12-year-old male miniature dachshund weighing 5.2 kg presented with a mass in the liver. The dog had a previous history of pancreatitis. At the referral (Day 1), the dog had a low vitality. The hematological examination showed hyperleukocytosis and thrombocytopenia. The blood biochemical analysis showed elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The blood coagulation test was unremarkable. Ultrasonography of the abdomen showed two heterogeneous masses in the spleen and an isoechoic mass in the liver. On Day 2, a complete splenectomy and resection of the hepatic mass were performed. The two splenic masses were abscesses and Escherichia coli was identified in the purulent fluid. The histopathological diagnosis of the hepatic mass was nodular hyperplasia. In this case, it was suspected that the splenic abscesses were formed secondary to the underlying pancreatitis.

The isolation rate of Campylobacter from the cecal contents of chickens at a poultry processing plant in Hiroshima Prefecture was 12% (13/108), and all of the isolates were identified as Campylobacter jejuni. After the chickens with Campylobacter-positive cecal contents (the carriers) were processed, the bacterium was also isolated from the surfaces of the carcasses and the chiller water. Conversely, after the chickens with Campylobacter-free cecal contents (the non-carriers) were processed, the bacterium was not isolated from either the carcasses' surfaces or the chiller water. The bacterium was isolated from the carcasses of the non-carriers when they were processed after the carriers, suggesting that cross-contamination resulted from the carriers. Since the bacterium was isolated from the carcasses after they were chilled, it appears to be difficult to eliminate Campylobacter contamination using the hygiene control system currently employed in poultry processing plants. On the other hand, cross-contamination was prevented by processing the non-carriers prior to the carriers (sectioned processing). We therefore suggested that sectioned processing is effective for preventing the cross-contamination of non-carriers with Campylobacter from carriers.