A 15-year-and-1-month-old Holstein heifer with a 2-year history of recurrent swelling of the left hindquarter and mammary gland secretion underwent a left hemimastectomy for increasingly worsening symptoms and deteriorating physical condition. Preoperative ultrasonography of the affected quarter showed thinning of the mammary gland parenchyma and numerous lobulated cysts of various sizes. Cysts were well circumscribed with a smooth lining and filled with anechoic fluid and a pedunculated mass with an isoechoic to hyperechoic rough surface. Masses were solid and irregularly shaped, measuring 3.5 × 2.3 cm at the largest. Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus was isolated from the mammary gland secretion. The normal mammary structure was largely lost in the excised left quarters. The histopathologic diagnosis was papillary cystadenoma of the mammary gland, which is consistent with the ultrasound findings. Ultrasound examination appeared useful in the diagnosis of mammary tumors in cattle.

Marek's disease (MD) broke out at a local chicken farm in Kagoshima Prefecture that rears breeder and broiler chickens. Because MD has sporadically occurred on this farm for 2 years, the involvement of other pathogens was suspected. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of liver and spleen samples from current and previous cases of MD detected the presence of the chicken anemia virus (CAV) genome, implying dual infection of MD-affected chickens with CAV. Furthermore, the chickens exhibited similar symptoms to other chickens that have been co-infected with MD and CAV, such as anemia and lymphoid depletion in the spleen. Therefore, it was suspected that CAV infection was involved in the occurrence of MD and the clinical condition of chickens on the farm. However, further studies are required to better understand the role of CAV infection in MD.

We investigated the association between the incidence of glaucoma in Shiba Inu and three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of glaucoma candidate gene SRBD1 as a survey at six referral hospitals for ophthalmic diseases in small animals. Our analysis showed that the risk of glaucoma in Shiba Inu carrying the homologous risk allele rs8655283 was 3.45 times higher (P＜0.05) compared to those carrying the homologous non-risk allele. Carrying the homologous risk allele rs22018514 was 4.32 times higher (P＜0.01) than the homologous non-risk allele. Carrying the homogeneous or heterogeneous allele of rs22018513 was 10.33 times (P＜0.01) or 6.14 times (P＜0.05) higher than the non-risk homologous allele, respectively. We anticipate that the SNP genotyping data from the results of this study can be used in genetic testing to precisely determine whether a dog has glaucoma and to predict whether it will develop glaucoma.

A cat undergoing long-term treatment for chronic rhinitis presented with progressive protrusion of the nictitating membrane and eyeball. The lesions consisted of infiltrative inflammatory granuloma with partial necrosis in the nasal cavities and orbis. Pathological examination revealed fungal infection in the lesions. Treatment consisted of antifungal drugs and surgical resection for the necrotic and granulated tissues. However, the fungal infection progressed invasively and the animal died. The culture morphology of the causative agent, the results of a high-temperature growth test, and the nucleotide sequences of the beta-tubulin and calmodulin genes were consistent with Aspergillus felis, a recently classified species. The isolate also showed high minimum inhibitory concentration for multiple antimycotics, suggesting low susceptibility to antifungal chemotherapy.

In this study, we investigated the extent of contamination with extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and cross contamination at a large-scale poultry processing plant that annually slaughters over 300,000 broilers in Miyagi. ESBL-producing E. coli strains were isolated from 65% of broiler samples (78/120), which were collected from the superficial pectoralis, including the proximal skin following evisceration. The major ESBL type identified was CTX‐M, based on the detection of the bla _{CTX‐M‐1 group} and the bla _{CTX‐M‐2 group} ESBL genes. Although O serotypes O18, O111, O153, and O157 were identified, many of the E. coli strains were of unknown serotype. These results differed among farms, indicating that the ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were farm-specific, with a low possibility of cross contamination prior to evisceration at the poultry processing plant. The contamination of poultry meat by ESBL-producing E. coli in Miyagi was quite high, indicating the need to implement not only effective but preventive strategies for contamination with antibiotic-resistant bacteria at each farm and poultry processing plant.

During meat inspection, a six-month-old pig had systemic multifocal, coalescing suppurative panniculitis in subcutaneous adipose tissues. Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae was isolated from the subcutaneous lesions and identified as A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 by Multiplex PCR assay. Histologically, there were multifocal panniculitis consisting of various degrees of neutrophil and macrophage infiltrations. A large number of Gram-negative bacilli were visible in the center. Occasional Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon was also observed. Immunohistochemically, the organisms in the lesions showed a positive reaction to antibodies against A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2. These results indicate that the present subcutaneous suppurative panniculitis was closely associated with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 infection.