2006 - 75 (6)

A case of verrucous endocarditis of the mitral valve was diagnosed in a domestic tomcat. The animal appeared to have died of cardiac failure and/or septicemic shock as septic emboli were present in multiple organs such as the liver and kidneys. The mitral valve was covered with multiple yellow/grey cauliflower-like nodules. Culture of these nodules revealed Pasteurella multocida after isolation and identification.

The PrP genotyping of sheep for selection from the population of individuals with scrapie resistant genotypes has become a very important component of the scrapie eradication strategy. However, a limited number of sheep did not seem to possess a standard “two allele” genotype, but rather three or more PrP (prion protein) alleles (complex genotypes). One hypothesis is that these animals are blood chimerisms, due to exchange of blood with their co-twin during gestation. In this study, blood from sheep with different genotypes was deliberately mixed (mimicking chimerism in vitro) and genotyped using real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism – Denaturating Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (RFLP-DGGE). At certain mixture ratios, complex genotypes were detected. This experiment shows that if the complex genotypes diagnosed in vivo are due to blood chimerism, they can to a certain extent be detected by these techniques.

Serum samples from 100 horses in Flanders with no clinical evidence of Lyme disease were examined for the presence of IgG antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato using an indirect ELISA. In 36 of the samples antibodies against this bacterium were detected, indicating that infections with B. burgdorferi sl regularly occur in horses in Flanders. These findings also indicate the potential exposure of humans to this spirochete in this region.