In this study, we used body surface temperature sensors (BSTS) to detect fevers in calves to demonstrate the effectiveness of BSTS at the farm level. BSTS were attached to the ventral tails of forty calves when the group was introduced to a deposit ranch in Tochigi prefecture. It was revealed that fevers were caused by the onset of bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) in winter and we tried to reveal the relationship between the detection of their fever and microbial infection. At this deposit ranch, it was observed that the number of calves with fevers peaked twice, 4 to 5 days and 13 to 15 days after introduction. The first fever was considered to be due to bovine coronavirus infection, and the second fever was considered to be due to a secondary bacterial infection associated with inflammation. These results show that fevers can be detected by the BSTS. The BSTS revealed the clinical status of BRDC, that a viral fever preceded the fever caused by bacterial infection.

The enlarged testis of a one month-old Holstein calf was histopathologically examined. The testis was histologically composed of a proliferation of various-sized muscular arteries, small arteries, arterioles and fibrous connective tissues. Stellar to spindle shaped cells proliferated within the mucous connective tissue in the lesion. The mucous connective tissue showed metachromatic staining by a toluidine blue stain. This animal was diagnosed with testicular vascular hamartoma based on the histological characteristics of the proliferation of the well-differentiated muscular arteries, small arteries, arterioles and fibrous mucous mesenchymal cells. In domestic animals, only one case of testicular vascular hamartoma has been reported in a calf, and this is the first report of testicular vascular hamartoma in a calf in Japan.

A 4-day-old Japanese Black calf presented with fever as well as respiratory and neurological symptoms and died at the age of 17 days. Necropsy revealed multiple white nodules in the peritoneum and liver, erosions and ulcers in the forestomach and abomasum, and cerebrospinal fluid opacity. Microbiological examination was used to isolate Candida albicans from multiple organs, including the brain. The causative agent of the lesions was confirmed to be C. albicans using immunohistochemistry. Infections caused by Aspergillus spp. and Mucorales were also observed in the stomach, liver, and peritoneum. Furthermore, electron microscopy and DNA sequence analysis revealed multiple intranuclear inclusion bodies, identified as those produced by bovine adenovirus (BAdV) type 4, in various organs. This is the first report of C. albicans-induced encephalomyelitis along with BAdV type 4 infection in cattle. The etiology of death in this calf might be attributed to co-infections due to BAdV type 4, C. albicans, and multiple pathogenic species causing deep-seated mycosis.

A 16-year-old castrated male mixed breed cat was presented for anorexia and weight loss. On physical examination, the cat had a palpable mass in the left ventral cervical region. Blood test revealed hypercalcemia, increased ionized calcium. Intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) was higher than the reported range in healthy cats with experimentally induced hypercalcemia, suggesting that PTH suppression corresponding to serum ionized calcium concentration had been disrupted. The cervical mass was removed surgically and diagnosed as a parathyroid chief cell adenoma on histopathological examination. After surgical treatment, serum total calcium and ionized calcium decreased to within normal immediately and there was no recurrence after 2 years.

We compared total aerobic plate counts (APC) and Enterobacteriaceae counts on Japanese black cattle (wagyu ) carcasses obtained by a destructive method and a sponge swabbing method. A total of 60 samples were collected by each method in both winter (January – March 2020) and summer (July – September 2020). Each sample obtained by the destructive method was 20 cm² (about 10 g) of carcass surface from four different parts (rump, top flank, bottom flank, and brisket), each of which were 5 cm². The samples obtained by the sponge swabbing method were 400 cm², swabbed at the surface of the same four parts, and were 100 cm² each. The mean ± standard deviation of the APC and Enterobacteriaceae counts obtained by the destructive method were 1.50±0.79 log cfu/cm² and 0.44±0.21 log cfu/cm², respectively, while those obtained by the sponge swabbing method were 1.00±0.48 log cfu/cm² and 0.29±0.12 log cfu/cm². APC obtained by the destructive sampling method were significantly higher than those obtained by the sponge swabbing method (P＜0.01). There were no seasonal differences in APC and Enterobacteriaceae counts between the two sampling methods. The linear regression equation of APC obtained by the destructive and sponge swabbing methods was y＝0.25x＋0.62, and the coefficient of determination (R²) was 0.17. The correlation of APC between the destructive method and the sponge swabbing method seemed to be low.