Severe subcutaneous emphysema was found throughout the body in cases of sudden death of calves in Yamagata, Iwate and Kanagawa prefectures, and Paeniclostridium sordellii was isolated from all cases. In this study, we compared the characteristics of 5 P. sordellii strains isolated from the subcutaneous emphysema cases and 25 P. sordellii strains from cattle and sheep with no emphysema. There were no clear differences in the prevalence of virulence genes (tcsL, tcsH and nanH ) between strains from the subcutaneous emphysema cases and those from the cases without emphysema. Moreover, strains from the subcutaneous emphysema cases belonged to mutually different lineages on the phylogenetic tree constructed on the basis of housekeeping gene sequences of the strains. In the antimicrobial susceptibility tests, it was found that all strains were highly susceptible to penicillin. This is the first report on subcutaneous emphysema in cattle in which P. sordellii was involved, and our results suggest that host and environmental factors are more important than bacterial factors in causing subcutaneous emphysema in animals.

The purpose of this study was to assess the survival and the risk factors for arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint in dairy cows. We used clinical records of 514 cows with claw horn disease and 45 cows with arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint over the past four years together with a questionnaire, and calculated the cure rate and survival time after surgery for arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint, and analyzed the risk factor. The cure rate of arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint treated by digital amputation were 61.1%, while that treated with topical treatment was 3.8%. The Kaplan-Meier estimate for median survival time for cows with arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint treated by amputation was 272d while that for cows treated by topical treatment was 21 days. Multiple regression analysis showed that days in milk:0‐60 (odds=3.05, 95%CI=1.32‐7.04) was a higher risk factor for arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint. It was reconfirmed that the cure rate and the survival time decrease markedly in case of arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint. It was also suggested that postpartum environmental and metabolic changes are associated with arthritis of the distal interphalangeal joint.

A 3-month-old male ragdoll presented with acute tetraparesis for which magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed. No abnormal findings were obtained on radiation under anesthesia. MRI revealed an abnormal signal intensity in the spinal cord parenchyma at the level of the dens. The cerebrospinal fluid test was suggestive of hemorrhage. Based on these findings, this case was suspected as traumatic atlantoaxial instability. The cat was treated with neck external fixation, strict cage rest, medication, and physical therapy; the progress with the treatment was favorable. The lesion in the spinal cord parenchyma, which was suspected to be injured, was found to have become a cavity by sequential MRI examinations, suggesting future residual neurological symptoms. Evaluating spinal cord parenchyma by sequential MRI examinations for feline atlantoaxial instability is useful in determining the sequelae of the disease.