[Fanconi-Bickel-Syndrom: a novel genetic disease in Original Braunvieh]

INTRODUCTION

This case report describes a new genetic disease of the Braunvieh breed in Switzerland. The bovine disorder also occurs in German Fleckvieh, and corresponds to human Fanconi-Bickel syndrome which is an inherited glycogen storage disease caused by mutations of the SLC2A2 gene encoding the glucose transporter GLUT2. This case report describes a single affected Original Braunvieh calf genotyped as homozygous for the FH2-associated SLC2A2 frame shift mutation. The clinical examination showed stunted growth, polyuria and polydipsia, as well as poor claw horn and coat quality. Necropsy revealed a pale cortex of the kidneys and a unilateral renal hypoplasia. Histology showed tubulonephrosis of the proximal tubules with protein- and glucose-rich contents. Glycogen accumulation was not evident in any organ. This finding is different from the reported lesions in two previously described GLUT2-deficient Fleckvieh heifers. In the presented case, growth retardation mainly seems to be associated with renal dysfunction. A direct gene test is available to eliminate the mutant allele from the population.

Resting state perfusion in the language network is linked to formal thought disorder and poor functional outcome in schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

Formal thought disorder (FTD) is a core symptom in schizophrenia. Here, we focus on resting state cerebral blood flow (rCBF) linked to dimensions of FTD.

METHODS

We included 47 schizophrenia spectrum patients and 30 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. We assessed FTD with the assessment of thought, language, and communication (TLC) and imaging on a 3T MRI scanner. Within patients, we tested the association of FTD dimensions and in a subgroup (n = 27) the association of functional outcome after 6 months with whole brain rCBF.

RESULTS

Negative FTD was most prominently associated with perfusion within the superior temporal gyrus, while positive FTD was associated with perfusion within the supplementary motor area, and inferior frontal gyrus. Perfusion within the left supramarginal gyrus was associated with social functioning after 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Distinguishable associations of rCBF with FTD dimensions point to distinct underlying pathophysiology. The location of aberrant perfusion patterns suggests that negative FTD might reflect defective access to semantic memory while positive FTD likely reflects defective suppression of irrelevant information during increased speech production. Finally, the neural correlates of thought block were also predictive of poor functional outcome. Thus, functional outcome and distinct FTD dimensions may share some pathophysiology.

Steady-state and transient-state performance of a biotrickling filter treating chlorobenzene-containing waste gas

Biotrickling filter (BTF) technology was applied for the treatment of waste gas containing a mixture of chlorobenzene and 1,2-dichlorobenzene. An adapted microbial community was immobilised on a structured packing material. The strategy followed was to reach high removal efficiencies at initially low mass loading rates followed by an increase of the latter. This procedure was successful and resulted in a short start-up period of only 2 weeks. A 3-month operation under steady-state conditions showed good performance, with >95% removal efficiency at a mass loading rate of 1,800 g m(-3) day(-1). Dimensionless concentration profiles showed that the chlorobenzenes were simultaneously degraded. Low dissolved organic carbon of 15 mg l(-1) and stoichiometric chloride concentrations in the trickling liquid indicated complete mineralisation of the pollutant. Transient-state experiments with five times higher mass loading rates caused a decrease in the removal efficiency that recovered rapidly once the mass loading rate returned to its original steady-state level. A progressive increase of the mass loading rate in a long-term performance experiment showed that the removal efficiency could be kept stable between 95 and 99% at loads of up to 5,200 g m(-3) day(-1) over several days. Above this mass loading rate, the elimination capacity did not increase any further. These results demonstrated that with a well-adapted inoculum and optimal operation parameters, a BTF system with excellent performance and stability that efficiently removes a mixture of chlorobenzene vapours from air can be obtained.

Echinococcus multilocularis alkaline phosphatase as a marker for metacestode damage induced by in vitro drug treatment with albendazole sulfoxide and albendazole sulfone

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is caused by the metacestode stage of the fox tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. The disease affects the human liver and occasionally other organs and is fatal if treatment is unsuccessful. The present chemotherapy of AE is based on the administration of benzimidazole carbamate derivatives, such as mebendazole and albendazole. Albendazole treatment has been found to be ineffective in some cases, parasitostatic rather than parasiticidal, and the recurrence rate is rather high. Therefore, chemotherapy usually involves the lifelong uptake of massive doses of albendazole and new treatment options are urgently needed. In order to avoid costly and time-consuming animal experimentation, a first step in searching for novel parasiticidal compounds could be the in vitro drug screening of novel compounds by employing metacestode cultivation. However, presently used techniques (e.g., transmission electron microscopy) for determination of parasite viability involve costly equipment and time-consuming preparation of rather large amounts of parasite material. We therefore searched for a parasite marker which can be easily traced and the presence or absence of which is indicative of parasite viability. In this study we show that the increase of E. multilocularis alkaline phosphatase activity in culture supernatants during in vitro drug treatment with albendazole derivatives correlates with the progressive degeneration and destruction of the metacestode tissue. The inexpensive and rapid assay presented here will serve as an ideal tool for performing first-round in vitro tests on the efficacy of a large number of antiparasitic compounds.

Detection of IgM antibodies against a recombinant nucleocapsid protein of canine distemper virus in dog sera using a dot-blot assay

A dot-blot assay for the detection of IgM antibodies (ABs) against canine distemper virus (CDV) in canine serum is described. The diagnostic potential of this technique was evaluated by analysing sera from three test groups: (i) specific pathogen-free (SPF) beagle dogs experimentally infected with virulent CDV; (ii) SPF dogs immunized with a combined vaccine containing CDV, and (iii) SPF dogs immunized with a CDV-free vaccine. As antigen for the dot-blot assay we used the recombinant nucleocapsid protein (N protein) of the virulent A75/17 CDV strain. All 12 dogs of group 1, infected with virulent CDV, showed detectable CDV-specific IgM levels in their serum. All dogs of group 2 were also positive for anti-CDV IgM after the first immunization with the CDV-containing vaccine. The four dogs immunized with a CDV-free vaccine (group iii) remained negative throughout the course of the experiment. From these results, we conclude that the IgM detection test, which requires only a single serum sample, is a useful method for diagnosing current or recent CDV infection in CDV-infected or CDV-immunized dogs under experimental conditions.

Determinants of persistence in canine distemper viruses

Viral persistence in the central nervous system is the driving force behind the chronic progressive disease caused by natural canine distemper virus (CDV) infection in dogs. Persistence of CDV is associated with non-cytolytic spread and impaired viral budding. Since budding is to a large extend dependent on the nucleocapsid-(N) and matrixproteins (M) of the virus, we analyzed the nucleotide- and deduced amino acid sequences of the corresponding genes of a spectrum of CDV strains, that differ with respect to virulence and persistence in vivo and in vitro. The wild type CDV (A75/17), which is capable of causing a persistent infection in vivo was compared to two tissue culture adapted CDV strains (passaged A75/17-CDV and Rockborn-CDV), which CDV strains, that differ with respect to virulence and persistence in vivo and in vitro. The wild type CDV (A75/17), which is capable of causing a persistent infection in vivo was compared to two tissue culture adapted CDV strains (passaged A75/17-CDV and Rockborn-CDV), which retain a residual virulence and the capacity to spontaneously persist in vitro. A modified distemper virus (Snyder Hill-CDV), which is neurovirulent but not capable of causing a persistent infection in vivo, and an avianized virus (Onderstepoort-CDV) which is completely apathogenic and spreads by budding in cell cultures were also examined. Differences were found in the C-terminal of the nucleocapsid protein, which--comparing the two extremes of the spectrum (wild A75/17-CDV and OP-CDV)--lead to changes of the predicted protein structure. Such changes could affect the budding process and thus play a role in persistence. Marked changes in the M-gene were found in its non-coding region: the nucleotide sequences of the SH-CDV and OP-CDV differed considerably from the other three strains. Moreover, an additional second open reading frame was detected in the 'non-coding' region of the M gene in the wild A75-CDV, the two tissue culture adapted CDV strains and SH-CDV, but not in OP-CDV. The presence of this additional open reading frame correlated with the ability to cause a spontaneous persistent infection in vitro. Our findings support the notion that both N- and M-genes of CDV harbor determinants of viral persistence.

Nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the nucleocapsid protein of the virulent A75/17-CDV strain of canine distemper virus

Virus persistence is essential in the chronic inflammatory canine distemper virus (CDV)-induced demyelinating disease. In the case of CDV there is a close association between persistence and virulence. Virulent CDV isolated from dogs with distemper shows immediate persistence in primary dog brain cell cultures (DBCC) and in different cell lines. We have evidence that the nucleocapsid (NP) protein plays an important role in the development of persistence. The NP-protein, the most abundant structural virus protein, also influences virus assembly and has some regulatory functions in virus transcription and replication. In this study we compared the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequence of a virulent CDV strain (A75/17-CDV) to a culture-attenuated non-virulent strain (OP-CDV). Viral RNA was extracted from DBCC infected with virulent CDV. Virulent CDV retains its in vivo properties, such as virulence and ability to cause demyelination, when propagated in these DBCC. The viral RNA was reverse transcribed and the resulting cDNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction for subsequent cloning. The nucleotide sequences of these clones were determined by the dideoxy chain termination method. The number of nucleotides and the putative NP-protein of the virulent strain matched the attenuated CDV strain. We observed a total of 105 nucleotide differences. Three were localised within the 3' and five within the 5' non-coding region of the NP-gene. The 97 nucleotide changes within the coding region resulted in 22 amino acid differences. 10 of these amino acid (AA) modifications were within the N-terminal region (AA 1 to 159) and 12 within the C-terminal area (AA 351 to 523).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Spermatozoal head defect as a cause of infertility in a stallion

A 9-year-old Arabian stallion with a 3-year history of infertility was evaluated for breeding soundness. Both testes were small. Ultrasonography revealed a small amount of free fluid between the tunics of both testes. Results of cytologic examination of the fluid were unremarkable. On semen examination, progressive motility was 10%, and total number of spermatozoa in the ejaculate was 6.6 x 10(9), of which 92% were abnormal. Predominant abnormalities were head defects (75%): 57% of the heads had single or multiple vacuoles, and 60% also had midpiece swelling or bending.