著者

Atsushi TSUKAMOTO Koichi OHNO Mitsuhiro IRIE Aki OHMI Shingo MAEDA Ko NAKASHIMA Kenjiro FUKUSHIMA Yasuhito FUJINO Kazuyuki UCHIDA Hajime TSUJIMOTO

出版者

公益社団法人 日本獣医学会

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.74, no.4, pp.503-506, 2012 (Released:2012-04-29)

参考文献数

14

被引用文献数

6 12 3

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Endoscopic polypectomy and argon plasma coagulation (APC) were performed in a refractory case of inflammatory colorectal polyps in a 7-year-old male Miniature Dachshund. Colonoscopic examination revealed a large sessile polyp and multiple diffuse small polyps, localized to the descending colon and rectum. The case showed a poor therapeutic response to prednisolone and cyclosporine. Under anesthesia, piecemeal resections were performed by polypectomy. APC was carried out to cauterize the polyp remnants. After treatment, reduction of the lesions and the improvement in clinical signs were observed, without recurrence of lesions for at least 10 months. Endoscopic treatment by polypectomy and APC is suggested to be a therapeutic option for refractory cases of inflammatory colorectal polyps in dogs.

著者

Hojung CHOI Youngwon LEE Kitae PARK Seongchan YEON Heechun LEE

出版者

公益社団法人 日本獣医学会

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.74, no.4, pp.491-494, 2012 (Released:2012-04-29)

参考文献数

19

被引用文献数

1 4

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The detection of small amounts of free peritoneal gas in the canine patient can pose a diagnostic dilemma. The objective of this study was to determine how much of this free gas could be detected ultrasonographically. Ultrasound examinations were carried out after increments (0.1 ml) of air were intraperitoneally injected. Via ultrasonography, 0.4 ml of free gas can be reliably detected. The authors concluded that ultrasonography is a very sensitive modality for the detection of small amounts of peritoneal free gas (above 0.4 ml).

著者

Meina TEI Kazuyuki UCHIDA Mayu MUTSUGA James K. CHAMBERS Hiroyuki NAKAYAMA

出版者

公益社団法人 日本獣医学会

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.74, no.4, pp.481-483, 2012 (Released:2012-04-29)

参考文献数

17

被引用文献数

1 3

---

Curcumin is a constituent phenol compound of turmeric, and has been used as a dietary spice and Indian medicine. Curcumin has been reported to inhibit the formation of amyloid β fibrils and aggregation. In this study, the binding activity of curcumin to various types of canine amyloid was examined. Tissue samples used were lesions of AA, AL, amyloid of canine amyloid-producing odontogenic tumor (Aapot), and senile cardiovascular amyloid (ScA). Curcumin stained all types of amyloid. The binding of curcumin to AA, ScA, and AL was lost by the KMnO4 treatment, but Aapot maintained the binding. These findings indicate that curcumin binds several types of amyloid, while the binding sites of amyloid molecules might be different from that of Congo red.

著者

Junko DOI Junichi HIROTA Akihiko MORITA Kanae FUKUSHIMA Hiromi KAMIJYO Hiroshi OHTA Masahiro YAMASAKI Toru TAKAHASHI Ken KATAKURA Yuzaburo OKU

出版者

公益社団法人 日本獣医学会

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.74, no.4, pp.413-417, 2012 (Released:2012-04-29)

参考文献数

19

被引用文献数

7 21

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Tritrichomonas suis (=T. foetus) has recently been reported to be a causative agent of chronic large-bowel diarrhea in cats. While the disease was previously attributed to Pentatrichomonas hominis, the etiologic agent for feline trichomonal diarrhea was identified as T. suis. Although feline trichomonosis due to T. suis has been reported at prevalences ranging from 14 to 31% in Europe and the U.S., no reports of the pathogen have been published to date in Japan. In 2008, however, we encountered a case of feline trichomonosis at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Hokkaido University. The parasite was identified as T. suis by nested PCR amplification of partial internal transcribed spacer region 1 and 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene sequences with T. suis-specific primers and DNA sequencing of the amplified products. We then conducted surveys for feline trichomonosis in three different animal hospitals using either cultivation and/or PCR-based assays. The results revealed that 13 of 147 samples (8.8%) were positive for T. suis, and that 5 of the 13 infected cats, which ranged between 1 month and 7.5 years-old, showed chronic diarrhea. Seven of the infected cats were purebred and 6 were mixed breed. These findings suggested that feline trichomonosis is prevalent in Japan, and that T. suis may play a role as a causative agent of feline chronic diarrhea.

著者

Noriyuki KAJI Akira OKUNO Kanako OHNO-ICHIKI Hisako OKI Haruya ISHIZAWA Mitsuyuki SHIRAI Fumitoshi ASAI

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204230817, (Released:2012-04-27)

被引用文献数

12 14

---

Plasma profiles of glucose, insulin and lipids were examined in the male WBN/Kob-Leprfa (fa/fa) rat, a new model of type 2 diabetes (T2D), in comparison with age-matched original male WBN/Kob (lean) rats. The fa/fa rats developed hypertriglycemia, obesity and hyperglycemia from 5, 7, and 9 weeks of age, respectively. Plasma insulin levels in fa/fa rats were significantly higher than those in lean rats at 5 weeks of age, but after 11 weeks of age gradually declined to the levels in lean rats. HOMA-IR, a measure of insulin resistance status, showed that fa/fa rats had insulin resistance. The fa/fa rat has the potential to become an important animal model of T2D with obesity.

著者

Shingo MIYAWAKI Makoto WASHIZU Sadatoshi MAEDA Sanae SHIBATA Kazuhiro WATANABE Kazuaki YAMAZOE

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204230818, (Released:2012-04-27)

被引用文献数

1 1

---

Portal vein aneurysm (PVA) is a rare abnormal dilatation of the portal vein, which has not been reported in dogs. We describe the findings of ultrasound and computed tomography in a case of PVA in a young male toy poodle, with the final diagnosis established by explorative surgical observation. The dog had an aneurysmal fusiform dilatation in the extrahepatic portal vein with portal hypertension and multiple portsystemic shunts. This is the first report of canine PVA.

著者

Tomoaki MURAKAMI Yoshiyasu KOBAYASHI Shiori CHIBA Yuki KURAUCHI Hideyuki SAKAMOTO Motoki SASAKI Takane MATSUI

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204230819, (Released:2012-04-27)

被引用文献数

2 3

---

Humeral chondrosarcoma was found in an 18-year-old male Hokkaido brown bear (Ursus arctos yesoensis). Necropsy revealed a large firm mass under the left superficial pectoral muscle at the axillary region. The mass involved the left shoulder joint and peripheral muscles, and connected to the head of the humerus with osteolysis. Histopathologically, the mass was composed of irregularly shaped myxomatous to cartilaginous tumor lobules. The tumor cell showed moderate nuclear atypia with a relatively high mitotic index especially in the edges of the myxomatous lobules. The tumor cells were positively immunostained with vimentin and S-100 protein. Based on these findings, the tumors were diagnosed as chondrosarcoma. Metastases were found in the left axillary lymph node, lungs, liver and kidney.

著者

Atsushi TSUKAMOTO Koichi OHNO Shingo MAEDA Ko NAKASHIMA Kenjiro FUKUSHIMA Yasuhito FUJINO Masatoshi HORI Hajime TSUJIMOTO

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204140814, (Released:2012-04-25)

被引用文献数

12 15

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Previous report demonstrated that prokinetic agent mosapride has anti-ulcerogenic action in rat-indomethacin gastric mucosal injury model. Here, we assessed the prophylactic effect of mosapride on gastric mucosal injury and emptying disorder induced by prednisolone in dogs. Crossover study design was employed. Six healthy beagles were administered prednisolone alone (2 mg/kg, twice a day [BID] subcutaneously) and prednisolone with mosapride (1 mg/kg, BID, orally), followed by an interval of at least 6 weeks. In each treatment, gastric mucosal injury was scored endoscopically according to the modified Lanza scale, and gastric emptying was assessed with 13C-octanoic acid breath test. The incidence of gastrointestinal adverse events was also investigated. Coadministration of mosapride with prednisolone significantly (P<0.05) reduced the gastric mucosal injury score (mean ± SD, 17.67 ± 6.96), compared with that of prednisolone treatment alone (25.50 ± 13.03). Prednisolone treatment delayed the half-emptying time (184 ± 45 min) compared with that of controls (137 ± 19 min), and coadministration of mosapride improved this gastric-emptying delay (143 ± 29 min). Furthermore, the incidence of the gastrointestinal adverse event vomiting became less frequent upon coadministration with mosapride. In addition to its prokinetic action, our study suggests that mosapride has an anti-ulcerogenic action in dogs. The use of mosapride in combination with prednisolone is effective for attenuating prednisolone-induced gastrointestinal adverse events.

著者

Reeko SATO Saori KOBAYASHI Yuya ABE Hiroaki KAMISHINA Shinichi Oda Jun YASUDA Juso SASAKI

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204140815, (Released:2012-04-24)

被引用文献数

1

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This study reported detailed clinical effects of bovine lactoferrin on two canine littermates (1 female and 1 male) with familial neutrophil dysfunction and an investigation of their genetic background. Clinical signs caused by severe upper respiratory bacterial infections were observed in these dogs. Oral administration of bovine lactoferrin for a long duration improved their clinical signs (severe uveitis in the female dog and coughing from pneumonia in the male dog). Their backcross dogs that have the same father didn't show clinical signs of bacterial infection. Neutrophil function tests revealed that the backcross dogs didn't have any disorders. It is likely that abnormal clinical signs are associated with neutrophil dysfunction in the colony and the mother dog of these cases might be the genetic carrier of this dysfunction.

著者

Seong-Sung KWAK Seung-A CHEONG Yubyeol JEON Sang-Hwan HYUN

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204140816, (Released:2012-04-24)

被引用文献数

14 16

---

We examined the effects of porcine granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (pGM-CSF) on the in vitro development of porcine embryos produced by somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) for the first time. We evaluated the effects of pGM-CSF on SCNT-derived blastocyst formation and investigated gene expression. A total of 522 cloned embryos in 6 replicates were treated with 10 ng/ml pGM-CSF during in vitro culture (IVC). This treatment significantly (P<0.05) increased blastocyst formation and total cell number in blastocysts compared to the control (12.3% and 41.4 vs. 9.0% and 34.7, respectively). However, there was no effect on cleavage rate. The number of cells in the inner cell mass and trophectoderm were significantly higher in the pGM-CSF treatment group (6.0 and 43.0, respectively) compared to the control (4.4 and 31.9, respectively). Treatment with 10 ng/ml pGM-CSF significantly increased POU5F1 and Cdx2 mRNA expression in blastocysts. In addition, Bcl-2, Dnmt1, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) mRNA expression were up-regulated in blastocysts in the pGM-CSF supplemented group compared to the control. These results suggest that pGM-CSF improves the quality and developmental viability of porcine SCNT embryos by regulating transcription factor expression.

著者

石川 明子 松井 基純 釣賀 一二三 坂元 秀行 高橋 芳幸 金川 弘司

出版者

社団法人日本獣医学会

雑誌

The journal of veterinary medical science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.60, no.8, pp.965-968, 1998-08-25

被引用文献数

4

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性成熟に達した10頭の飼育下の雄エゾヒグマを不動化した後, 電気刺激射精法により, 延べ21回の精液採取試験を行った.運動精子を含む射出精液は, 21回のうち14回から得られ, 採取された精液の量およびpHは, 平均2.7mlおよび7.4であった.また, 精子の濃度, 運動性, 生存率および奇形率は, それぞれ平均471.6×10^6個/ml, 80.2%, 89.7%および21.8%であった.

著者

Masaji MASE Kikuyasu NAKAMURA Fujiko MINAMI

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204110811, (Released:2012-04-20)

被引用文献数

38 51

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Nine fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs) isolated from chickens with inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) in Japan from 2009 to 2010 were characterized serologically and genetically. These isolates were all neutralized by antisera against the SR-48 strain (FAdV-2). Phylogenetic analysis based on the part of the hexon gene that included the L1 region revealed that all isolates were almost identical except one isolate in 2009. This suggests a common ancestor for the FAdVs obtained from chickens with IBH in Japan in 2010.

著者

Elias GEBRU Dereje DAMTE Seung-Jin LEE Joong-Su LEE Young-Hoan KIM Seung-Chun PARK

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204120812, (Released:2012-04-20)

被引用文献数

10 15

---

The in vitro activity of 15 antimicrobial agents against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pasteurella spp. and Streptococcus canis from dogs was investigated. For Staphylococcus spp., the highest frequency of resistance was observed for penicillin, followed by ampicillin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol. The highest frequency of resistance in E. coli isolates was recorded for tetracycline and streptomycin. Pasteurella spp. and S. canis had the highest resistance rate for tetracycline and chloramphenicol. Most isolates showed full susceptibility to low-level resistance to colistin, florfenicol and fluoroquinolones. Further studies using larger number of isolates from both healthy and diseased dogs would provide a broader picture of antimicrobial resistance at a national level and promote prudent use of antimicrobial agents in companion animals.

著者

Atsushi KIMURA Shigeru SATO Takuma KATO Kentaro IKUTA Norio YAMAGISHI Keiji OKADA Hitoshi MIZUGUCHI Kazunori ITO

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204120813, (Released:2012-04-20)

被引用文献数

17 22

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To assess the relationship between pH and temperature in the ruminal bottom fluid, circadian changes were monitored using cows fed a control diet (C diet) or a rumen acidosis-inducing diet (RAI diet) by using a wireless radio-transmission pH- measurement system. These two parameters were measured simultaneously at 10-min intervals on day 14 after commencement of feeding. Compared to the mean ruminal pH for 60 min immediately after the morning feeding (0 hr), significantly lower pH was noted 3–13 hr later (P<0.05) and 4–19 hr later (P<0.01) in cows fed the C and RAI diets, respectively, although the reduction in the latter was much higher than that in the former. In contrast, significantly higher ruminal temperature was found at 8 and 12–14 hr later (P<0.05) and 6, 8, and 10–19 hr later (P<0.01) in cows fed the C and RAI diets, respectively. A significant negative correlation was observed between the lowest ruminal pH and its corresponding ruminal temperature in cows fed the C and RAI diets (r=-0.722 and -0.650, P<0.01, respectively), suggesting active fermentation and volatile fatty acid production in the rumen. However, ruminal pH profiles may not be predictable by measuring only ruminal temperature because decreases in ruminal pH were preceded by increases in ruminal temperature, and circadian changes in pH and temperature were associated with ruminal fermentation.

著者

Jun-ichi SUTO

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204080804, (Released:2012-04-13)

---

Growth deficit (gd) is a recessive mutation that occurs spontaneously in the inbred NC/Sgn mouse strain. Because homozygotes (gd/gd) of both sexes are sterile, they must be produced by mating putative heterozygous carriers (+/gd) whose phenotypes are essentially the same as those of wild-type +/+ mice. The objectives of this study were to develop an efficient method that distinguished a gd allele from a wild-type allele and, if possible, to identify nucleotide substitutions responsible for the gd mutation. The location of the gd locus was estimated to be at 58.3 Mbp on chromosome 4, over which Musk is located. An A-to-G base substitution, which resulted in an M826V amino acid exchange, was identified within a tyrosine kinase domain of Musk. This base substitution disrupted a recognition site for NlaIII; this allowed for discriminating the gd allele from the wild-type allele using PCR-RFLP analysis. When 130 (C57BL/6J × NC/Sgn-gd) F2 mice were genotyped by PCR-RFLP analysis, all 32 growth-retarded F2 mice were judged to have the gd/gd genotype. Musk mutations are known to cause congenital myasthenia, which is accompanied by growth retardation, postnatal lethality, and development of a hunchback. These were the typical phenotypes of gd/gd mutants. Although we cannot rule out the possibility that the neighboring genes around the Musk locus are related to the gd phenotype, gd could possibly be classified as a mutant allele of Musk.

著者

Yoshiro ENDO Takeru TSUCHIYA Fumio SATO Harutaka MURASE Takaya OMURA Kenji KOROSUE Yasuo NAMBO Mutsuki ISHIMARU Yasuhiro WAKUI

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204080805, (Released:2012-04-13)

被引用文献数

7 11

---

Prevalence of equine gastric ulcer syndrome in 85 young Thoroughbreds was investigated. The presence of gastric ulcers was confirmed in 27.1% (23/85) of the horses by endoscopic examination. For 62 horses without gastric ulcers were allocated randomly to either the treated group (31 horses) or sham-dosed control group (31 horses) in order to investigate the efficacy of omeprazole oral paste in the prevention of gastric ulcers. At the second endoscopic examination conducted after 28 days of administration, only 1 horse in the treated group developed gastric ulcers while 12 horses developed gastric ulcers in the control group. Based on this data, the efficacy of omeprazole in prevention of equine gastric ulcers in young Thoroughbreds during the training period was confirmed.

著者

Tsuyoshi HOMMA Michio FUJISAWA Kiyoshi ARAI Marie ISHII Toshio SADA Masahiro IKEDA

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204080807, (Released:2012-04-13)

被引用文献数

13 16

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Although some clinical studies have suggested that spironolactone (SPL), a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist, appears to increase the blood glucose levels, experimental studies have not supported this notion. Here, we investigated the effect of SPL on blood glucose levels in SHR/NDmcr-cp(cp/cp) (ND) rats, an animal model of metabolic syndrome, in comparison with that of eplerenone (EPL), another MR antagonist. At the same dose of 100 mg/kg, SPL and EPL increased the urinary sodium-to-potassium ratio to a comparable extent, indicating that both agents have similar renal MR antagonistic efficacy in ND rats. Interestingly, SPL but not EPL significantly increased the level of blood glucose. The oral glucose tolerance test revealed that treatment with SPL led to glucose intolerance. The levels of serum insulin and adiponectin, regulators of the blood glucose level, were virtually unaffected by treatment with SPL. On the other hand, SPL induced a marked increase in the blood level of aldosterone, known to be a risk factor for insulin resistance. These results demonstrate that in comparison with EPL, SPL characteristically impairs glucose tolerance in an animal model of metabolic syndrome, in association with a higher blood level of aldosterone.

著者

Yukitoshi MAKIMURA Koichi ITO Masayoshi KUWAHARA Hirokazu TSUBONE

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204110810, (Released:2012-04-13)

被引用文献数

4 8

---

Enteritis has been recognized as a major symptom in domestic animals and human patients suffering from feed and food poisonings. The aim of the present study was to clarify the excitatory mechanism of the pelvic nerve afferent which may influence the occurrence of enteritis in response to nociceptive chemical stimuli of the colon in normal and abnormal rats with colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). The pelvic nerve afferent activity was markedly increased by colonic instillation of solution (0.5 ml) of acetic acid (5–25%) and capsaicin (100μg/ml). The nerve activity was augmented by colonic instillation of capsaicin to a greater extent in rats with DSS-induced colitis than in normal control rats. This augmented activity by capsaicin was more prominent at one day (DSS-1) than at 8 day (DSS-8) after the administration of DSS. The increased nerve activity caused by capsaicin in DSS-1 and DSS-8 was significantly inhibited by pretreatment with ruthenium red, which is a nonselective inhibitor of TRP channels of unmyelinated C-fibers (nociceptors). In conclusion, it was elucidated that the nociceptive function of the pelvic nerve was largely elevated at one day after DSS-induced colitis and such increased function was mostly mediated by TRP channels.

著者

Kazuo GOTO Mikachi YAMAMOTO Miwa ASAHARA Takashi TAMURA Mitsuru MATSUMURA Nobuhito HAYASHIMOTO Koichi MAKIMURA

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1204080808, (Released:2012-04-13)

被引用文献数

3 12

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Mycoplasma species identification is based on biochemical, immunological, and molecular methods that require several days for accurate identification. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a novel method for identification of bacteria and has recently been introduced into the clinical microbiology laboratory as a rapid and accurate technique. This method allows a characteristic mass spectral fingerprint to be obtained from whole inactivated mycoplasmal cells. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of Mycoplasma by comparison with standard sequence analysis of 16S rRNA. We developed the first database of MALDI-TOF MS profiles of Mycoplasma species, containing Mycoplasma pulmonis, M. arthritidis, and M. neurolyticum, which are the most common pathogens in mice and/or rats, and species-specific spectra were recorded. Using the database, 6 clinical isolates were identified. Six tracheal swabs from 4 mice and 2 rats were cultured on PPLO agar for 4 to 7 days, and the colonies were directly applied to analyze the protein profiles. Five strains were identified as M. pulmonis, and 1 strain from a mouse was identified as M. neurolyticum (spectral scores were >2.00); the results were consistent with the results of the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis (homologies>97.0%). These data indicate that MALDI-TOF MS can be used as a clearly rapid, accurate, and cost-effective method for the identification of M. pulmonis isolates, and this system may represent a serious alternative for clinical laboratories to identify Mycoplasma species.

著者

Masanori HASHINO Suk KIM Masato TACHIBANA Takashi SHIMIZU Masahisa WATARAI

出版者

JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

雑誌

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (ISSN:09167250)

巻号頁・発行日

pp.1203310803, (Released:2012-04-06)

被引用文献数

2 5

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The mechanisms of abortion and sterility induced by bacterial infection are largely unknown. In the present study, we found that Brucella abortus, a causative agent of brucellosis and facultative intracellular pathogen, caused sterility in pregnant mice. We have recently established a mouse model for abortion induced by B. abortus infection and high rates of abortion are observed for bacterial infection on day 4.5 of gestation, but not for other days. Infected newborn (first generation) mice showed poor growth compared with uninfected newborn mice and bacterial replication in the spleen of the former was observed over a long period. When infected first generation female mice were mated to infected first generation male mice, the number of fetuses was significantly less than that in uninfected first generation mice. These infected second generation mice also showed poor growth. These results suggest that vertical transmission of B. abostus causes sterility in pregnant mice and our mouse model would be useful for the investigating of brucellosis.