Contents page of the issue May 2008




EQUINE
B. Fazekas, E. Bajmócy, E. Orosz, R. Glávits, G. Sályi: Italian cocklebur (Xanthium italicum) poisoning of horses / 259

SMALL ANIMALS
R. S. Mueller: Feed intolerance in cats / 264
von Klopmann, Th., Tipold, A.: Inflammatory diseases of the peripheral nervous system and muscles / 270
K. Henneveld, W. Beck, R. S. Müller: Storage mites in commercial dry dog foods and in the environment, and their veterinary significance / 274
F. Villier: Diagnosis of canine leukaemia with morphology and immunophenotyping / 279

PET ANIMALS
J. Gál, I. Pásztor, K. Lefler, Á. Hegyi: Causes of mortality in juvenile mandarin rat snakes [Euprepiophis (Elaphe) mandarinus] due to improper captive maintenance / 283

FOOD-HYGIENE
M. Kopecsnik, I. Baghy, A. Lukács: Dioxins in the foods. Part 1. Literature review / 287

DIAGNOSTICS
Cs. Jakab, J. Halász., A. Kiss, Zs. Schaff, Á Szabára, M. Rusvai, J. Kulka: Examination of claudin-5 protein expression of the endothelial cells of lymph vessels in canine mammary glands and mammary gland carcinoma by immunohistochemical methods / 296
Th. W. Vahlenkamp: Previous and newer examination methods of infections diseases in the small animal practice / 305

ACADEMIC REPORTS, 2008
Veterinary research in 2007, in the light of academic reports. Part 1 / 309

EVENTS
Veterinary Memorial Day in Fejér County (Székesfehérvár, 7 December 2007) (A. Szabó) / 269

JUBILEE
Acta Veterinaria Hungarica is 60 years old (J. Mészáros) / 315

IN MEMORIAM
Ferenc Katona (G. Szita) / 318
György Pethes (1926–2008) (L. Solti) / 319

B. Fazekas – E. Bajmócy – E. Orosz – R. Glávits – G. Sályi:
ITALIAN COCKLEBUR (XANTHIUM ITALICUM) POISONING OF HORSES

The authors diagnosed poisoning in a stock of horses in Northern Hungary, caused by Italian cocklebur. 11 of the 23 horses in the stock suddenly died. During the clinical examination of the sick animals, colicky restlessness, rolling on the ground and symptoms of dyspnoe were observed. The pathological examination revealed expanded stomachs full to the point of stretching with relatively dry content consisting of rough fodder, maize, wheat, chaff, sunflower screenings and the crop of Italian cocklebur (Xanthium italicum Mor.), as well as enlarged and pale brown coloured livers and pulmonary oedema. In the course of histopathological examination, vacuolar degeneration and in some places the necrosis of liver cells (acute liver dystrophy) were observed. Infectious diseases and poisoning by pesticides were excluded by way of microbiological and toxilogical examinations. The fodder fed to the horses consisted in 6.9% of Italian cocklebur. Laboratory mice were fed on the stomach content of the horses, the fodder and crop of Italian cocklebur, and were also inoculated with the bacterium free filtrate of the aqueous extract from the crop. The inoculated mice died in 1 day, while those fed on the above material, between 1 and 9 days. Severe, extensive, acute centrilobular dystrophy (centrilobular hepatocellular necrosis) was found in the livers of the dead mice. The type of liver damage in the horse corpses was identical with the liver degeneration found in the experimental animals, which confirmed the diagnosis of Italian cocklebur poisoning.

J. Gál – I. Pásztor – T. Tóth – K. Lefler – Á. Hegyi:
CAUSES OF MORTALITY IN JUVENILE MANDARIN RAT SNAKES [EUPREPIOPHIS (ELAPHE) MANDARINUS] DUE TO IMPROPER CAPTIVE MAINTENANCE

In the present study the authors summarize health problems associated with captive maintenance of juvenile medium-sized colubrid snakes originating from mountaine forests in Asia, that are rather difficult to keep. During raising juveniles the air temperature in the enclosure must be maintained at 25 oC or lower, as mandarin rat snakes refuse to take food at higher temperatures (temperature dependent anorexia). Even at optimum care young mandarin rat snakes frequently refuse food intake. At such instances a hibernation period shorter than normal (so-called pseudohibernation) should be offered, after which the animals often spontaneously start eating. Those juveniles that eat well, however, can become obese with degenerated livers upon intense feeding. To avoid this problem a low-key feeding is recommended here (one proper-sized prey animal per 7 to 10 days). This species is to be kept in a humid terrarium, which requires more frequent cleaning as bacteria are likely to accumulate in the faeces deposited on the bottom, and cause dermatitis.
The authors recommend to keep the young snakes at 17–25 oC temperature in a terrarium with humid peat as bottom substrate, and to feed them less frequently than, normal as compared with other colubrid species.

M. Kopecsnik – I. Baghy – A. Lukács:
DIOXINS IN THE FOODS. PART 1. LITERATURE REVIEW

The authors working in the field of food hygiene summarise their own experience with reference to the dioxin contamination that created a scandal all over Europe. In the first part of the article the history, chemistry, origin, biological effects and laboratory detection of dioxins are reviewed.

Cs. Jakab – J. Halász. – A. Kiss – Zs. Schaff – Á. Szabára – M. Rusvai – Sz. Szatmári – J. Kulka:
EXAMINATION OF CLAUDIN-5 PROTEIN EXPRESSION OF THE ENDOTHELIAL CELLS OF LYMPH VESSELS IN CANINE MAMMARY GLANDS AND MAMMARY GLAND CARCINOMA BY IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL METHODS

The authors shortly summarize the anatomy, histology and clinico-pathological parameters of canine mammary gland tumors. The regulatory effects of the tight junction (TJ) proteins and the most important features of claudins are also discussed. According to our knowledge, this is the first publication in veterinary oncology, which describes the claudin-5 (tight junction) protein expression of the endothelial cells of the lymph vessels in the normal canine mammary gland, based on immunohistochemical methods. Samples excised from intact inguinal mammary glands of eighteen adult (1–13 years old) non-fertilized bitches were examined. The endothelial cells of the interstitial lymph vessels, small arteries and veins localized between the glandular tissue showed intensive, partial membrane and partial cytoplasm positive (red colored) reaction after incubation with monoclonal mouse anti-claudin-5 antibody (1:120 dilution, Zymed Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA).
They made the immunohistochemistry method with anti-claudin-5 in cases of 15 grade III solid simple carcinomas with peritumoral lymphogen invasion of mammary gland in canines. Grade III solid simplex mammary carcinomas with prominent peritumoral lymph vessel invasion turned out to be negative for claudin-5 in all reactions, while the positive claudin-5 reaction was observed in the endothelial cells of the lymph vessels containing the tumor-emboli.