An unusual mortality event (UME) involving primarily common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus of all size classes stranding along coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, USA, started in early 2010 and continued into 2014. During this northern Gulf of Mexico UME, a distinct cluster of perinatal dolphins (total body length <115 cm) stranded in Mississippi and Ala- bama during 2011. The proportion of annual dolphin strandings that were perinates between 2009 and 2013 were compared to baseline strandings (2000�2005). A case-reference study was con- ducted to compare demographics, histologic lesions, and Brucella sp. infection prevalence in 69 UME perinatal dolphins to findings from 26 reference perinates stranded in South Carolina and Florida outside of the UME area. Compared to reference perinates, UME perinates were more likely to have died in utero or very soon after birth (presence of atelectasis in 88 vs. 15%, p < 0.0001), have fetal distress (87 vs. 27%, p < 0.0001), and have pneumonia not associated with lungworm infection (65 vs. 19%, p = 0.0001). The percentage of perinates with Brucella sp. infec- tions identified via lung PCR was higher among UME perinates stranding in Mississippi and Ala- bama compared to reference perinates (61 vs. 24%, p = 0.01), and multiple different Brucella omp genetic sequences were identified in UME perinates. These results support that from 2011 to 2013, during the northern Gulf of Mexico UME, bottlenose dolphins were particularly susceptible to late-term pregnancy failures and development of in utero infections including brucellosis.

/pdf/fetal-distress-and-in-utero-pneumonia-in-perinatal-dolphins-1xkbctyw6p.pdf

Fetal distress and in utero pneumonia in perinatal dolphins during the Northern Gulf of Mexico unusual mortality event

The One Health concept promotes integrated evaluation of human, animal, and environmental health questions to expedite advances benefiting all species. A recognition of the multi-species impact of mastitis as a painful condition with welfare implications leads us to suggest that mastitis is an ideal target for a One Health approach. In this review, we will evaluate the role of the mammary microenvironment in mastitis in humans, ruminants and rabbits, where appropriate also drawing on studies utilising laboratory animal models. We will examine subclinical mastitis, clinical lactational mastitis, and involution-associated, or dry period, mastitis, highlighting important anatomical and immunological species differences. We will synthesise knowledge gained across different species, comparing and contrasting disease presentation. Subclinical mastitis (SCM) is characterised by elevated Na/K ratio, and increased milk IL-8 concentrations. SCM affecting the breastfeeding mother may result in modulation of infant mucosal immune system development, whilst in ruminants notable milk production losses may ensue. In the case of clinical lactational mastitis, we will focus on mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Understanding of the pathogenesis of involution-associated mastitis requires characterization of the structural and molecular changes occurring during involution and we will review these changes across species. We speculate that milk accumulation may act as a nidus for infection, and that the involution 'wound healing phenotype' may render the tissue susceptible to bacterial infection. We will discuss the impact of concurrent pregnancy and a 'parallel pregnancy and involution signature' during bovine mammary involution.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs10911-018-9395-1.pdf

The Mammary Microenvironment in Mastitis in Humans, Dairy Ruminants, Rabbits and Rodents: A One Health Focus

Effect of uterine size on fertility of lactating dairy cows

Clostridium chauvoei causes blackleg in cattle. The disease has been reported worldwide, and although it can be prevented by vaccination, sporadic cases and occasional outbreaks still occur. We describe a case of blackleg in a 2-y-old, pregnant Gyr cow with in utero transmission to the fetus. The cow had characteristic gross and microscopic lesions of blackleg including widespread necrohemorrhagic and emphysematous skeletal and myocardial myositis, and fibrinous pericarditis. Her uterus contained a near-term, markedly emphysematous fetus with skeletal muscle and myocardial lesions similar to those seen in the dam. Histopathology of dam and fetal tissues revealed numerous gram-positive bacilli, many of them with sub-terminal spores, in multiple tissues. These bacilli were identified as C. chauvoei by immunohistochemistry. Anaerobic culture and fluorescent antibody tests performed on skeletal muscle from both the dam and fetus were positive for C. chauvoei, confirming a diagnosis of blackleg. Blackleg is a so-called endogenous infection, and the currently accepted pathogenesis involves ingestion of spores that are transported to muscle tissues where they lie dormant until anaerobiosis prompts germination. Germinating bacteria are histotoxic, producing severe, local necrosis and ultimately lethal toxemia. This model, however, has not been confirmed experimentally and also fails to explain some cases of the disease. A presumptive diagnosis of blackleg is based on clinical, gross, and histologic findings. Diagnostic confirmation necessitates the detection of C. chauvoei by culture, PCR, or immunodetection methods.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1040638717713796

Blackleg in cattle: A case report of fetal infection and a literature review:

Presence and localization of bacteria in the bovine endometrium postpartum using fluorescence in situ hybridization.

• SEER Extent of Disease 1988: Codes and Coding Instructions (3rd Edition, 1998) (https://seer.cancer.gov/archive/manuals/EOD10Dig.3rd.pdf) • SEER Summary Staging Manual-2000: Codes and Coding Instructions (https://seer.cancer.gov/tools/ssm/ssm2000/) • Collaborative Stage Data Collection System, version 02.05: https://cancerstaging.org/cstage/Pages/default.aspx • Chapter 50 Vulva, in the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual, Eighth Edition (2017) published by Springer International Publishing. Used with permission of the American College of Surgeons, Chicago, Illinois.

Robert A. Foster

Papers

Chapter 4 – Female Genital System