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Ferri F, Ferro S, Porporato F, Callegari C, Guglielmetti C, Mazza M, Ferrero M, Crinò C, Gallo E, Drigo M, Coppola LM, Gerardi G, Schulte TP, Ricagno S, Vogel M, Storni F, Bachmann MF, Vogt AC, Caminito S, Mazzini G, Lavatelli F, Palladini G, Merlini G, Zini E. AA-amyloidosis in cats (Felis catus) housed in shelters. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281822. [PMID: 36989207 PMCID: PMC10057811 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Systemic AA-amyloidosis is a protein-misfolding disease characterized by fibril deposition of serum amyloid-A protein (SAA) in several organs in humans and many animal species. Fibril deposits originate from abnormally high serum levels of SAA during chronic inflammation. A high prevalence of AA-amyloidosis has been reported in captive cheetahs and a horizontal transmission has been proposed. In domestic cats, AA-amyloidosis has been mainly described in predisposed breeds but only rarely reported in domestic short-hair cats. Aims of the study were to determine AA-amyloidosis prevalence in dead shelter cats. Liver, kidney, spleen and bile were collected at death in cats from 3 shelters. AA-amyloidosis was scored. Shedding of amyloid fibrils was investigated with western blot in bile and scored. Descriptive statistics were calculated. In the three shelters investigated, prevalence of AA-amyloidosis was 57.1% (16/28 cats), 73.0% (19/26) and 52.0% (13/25), respectively. In 72.9% of cats (35 in total) three organs were affected concurrently. Histopathology and immunofluorescence of post-mortem extracted deposits identified SAA as the major protein source. The duration of stay in the shelters was positively associated with a histological score of AA-amyloidosis (B = 0.026, CI95% = 0.007-0.046; p = 0.010). AA-amyloidosis was very frequent in shelter cats. Presence of SAA fragments in bile secretions raises the possibility of fecal-oral transmission of the disease. In conclusion, AA-amyloidosis was very frequent in shelter cats and those staying longer had more deposits. The cat may represent a natural model of AA-amyloidosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Ferri
- AniCura Istituto Veterinario di Novara, Granozzo con Monticello, Novara, Italy
- Studio Veterinario Associato Vet2Vet di Ferri e Porporato, Orbassano, Torino, Italy
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Silvia Ferro
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Sciences, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Federico Porporato
- AniCura Istituto Veterinario di Novara, Granozzo con Monticello, Novara, Italy
- Studio Veterinario Associato Vet2Vet di Ferri e Porporato, Orbassano, Torino, Italy
| | - Carolina Callegari
- AniCura Istituto Veterinario di Novara, Granozzo con Monticello, Novara, Italy
| | - Chiara Guglielmetti
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, SC Diagnostica Specialistica, Torino, Italy
| | - Maria Mazza
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, SC Diagnostica Specialistica, Torino, Italy
| | - Marta Ferrero
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, SC Diagnostica Specialistica, Torino, Italy
| | - Chiara Crinò
- Department of Clinical Science and Services, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Enrico Gallo
- Department of Comparative Biomedicine and Food Sciences, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Michele Drigo
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Luigi Michele Coppola
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Gabriele Gerardi
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
| | - Tim Paul Schulte
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Milan, Italy
| | - Stefano Ricagno
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico San Donato, Milan, Italy
- Departments of Biosciences, La Statale, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Monique Vogel
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Federico Storni
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of Visceral Surgery and Medicine, University Hospital of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Martin F Bachmann
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Anne-Cathrine Vogt
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Department of BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Serena Caminito
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giulia Mazzini
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo and University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Palladini
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo and University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giampaolo Merlini
- Amyloidosis Research and Treatment Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo and University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Eric Zini
- AniCura Istituto Veterinario di Novara, Granozzo con Monticello, Novara, Italy
- Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova, Legnaro, Padova, Italy
- Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Weyrich A, Guerrero-Altamirano TP, Yasar S, Czirják GÁ, Wachter B, Fickel J. First Steps towards the Development of Epigenetic Biomarkers in Female Cheetahs ( Acinonyx jubatus). LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12060920. [PMID: 35743950 PMCID: PMC9225391 DOI: 10.3390/life12060920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Free-ranging cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) are generally healthy, whereas cheetahs under human care, such as those in zoological gardens, suffer from ill-defined infectious and degenerative pathologies. These differences are only partially explained by husbandry management programs because both groups share low genetic diversity. However, mounting evidence suggests that physiological differences between populations in different environments can be tracked down to differences in epigenetic signatures. Here, we identified differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between free-ranging cheetahs and conspecifics in zoological gardens and prospect putative links to pathways relevant to immunity, energy balance and homeostasis. Comparing epigenomic DNA methylation profiles obtained from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from eight free-ranging female cheetahs from Namibia and seven female cheetahs living in zoological gardens within Europe, we identified DMRs of which 22 were hypermethylated and 23 hypomethylated. Hypermethylated regions in cheetahs under human care were located in the promoter region of a gene involved in host-pathogen interactions (KLC1) and in an intron of a transcription factor relevant for the development of pancreatic β-cells, liver, and kidney (GLIS3). The most canonical mechanism of DNA methylation in promoter regions is assumed to repress gene transcription. Taken together, this could indicate that hypermethylation at the promoter region of KLC1 is involved in the reduced immunity in cheetahs under human care. This approach can be generalized to characterize DNA methylation profiles in larger cheetah populations under human care with a more granular longitudinal data collection, which, in the future, could be used to monitor the early onset of pathologies, and ultimately translate into the development of biomarkers with prophylactic and/or therapeutic potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Weyrich
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany; (T.P.G.-A.); (S.Y.)
- Correspondence: (A.W.); (B.W.); (J.F.)
| | - Tania P. Guerrero-Altamirano
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany; (T.P.G.-A.); (S.Y.)
- Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Selma Yasar
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany; (T.P.G.-A.); (S.Y.)
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Gábor Á. Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany
- Correspondence: (A.W.); (B.W.); (J.F.)
| | - Jörns Fickel
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany; (T.P.G.-A.); (S.Y.)
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
- Correspondence: (A.W.); (B.W.); (J.F.)
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Abstract
Nine cases of amyloidosis in caracals (Caracal caracal) from three different institutions in Europe were reviewed and evaluated histopathologically. The six males and three females died between 2008 and 2018 at an age of 6 yr ± 2.5 mo (median ± interquartile range). In two out of nine (2/9) animals, amyloidosis was an incidental postmortem finding; the animals died of bronchopneumonia and gastric ulceration due to Helicobacter spp., respectively. Seven (7/9) animals suffered from acute renal failure due to amyloidosis, one of them additionally of cardiac decompensation. The predominant clinical signs were weight loss, lethargy, dys- or anorexia, dehydration, increased BUN and creatinine, and azotemia. The main gross lesion was a pale renal cortex on cut surface; in two animals, the kidneys appeared enlarged. Histologically, glomerular amyloid was present in every animal (9/9), and was the predominant renal manifestation of amyloidosis. Additional findings included splenic amyloid (8/8), amyloid in the lamina propria of the intestine (5/5), and amyloid in the lingual submucosa (4/4). Gastric mineralization was present in four animals suffering from renal failure. In the animal dying from bronchopneumonia, severe pancreatic amyloid deposits mainly affecting the exocrine pancreas (1/5) were identified. Immunohistochemistry was employed to identify amyloid AA in eight cases; only in the caracal dying from bronchopneumonia AA was amyloid confirmed. In several organs, especially in those where only small amyloid deposits were detected, a Congo red stain was often necessary to confirm the deposition. The etiology of the amyloidosis remains unknown. Three caracals were related within two generations, another three within four generations, so one might hypothesize a familial trait. In conclusion, amyloidosis should be considered as a significant disease in the caracal. Particularly in cases with renal disease, it should be included as a major differential diagnosis.
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Nakagun S, Watanabe K, Tajima Y, Yamada TK, Kobayashi Y. Systemic Amyloid A Amyloidosis in Stejneger's Beaked Whales ( Mesoplodon stejnegeri). Vet Pathol 2020; 57:437-444. [PMID: 32202230 DOI: 10.1177/0300985820914079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Stejneger's beaked whales (Mesoplodon stejnegeri) are one of the lesser known species of mammals, with little information available on their population status or incidence of diseases. Recent pathologic investigations on stranded and bycaught wild cetaceans around Hokkaido, Japan, revealed an unusually high incidence of systemic amyloidosis in this species, warranting further investigation. The objective of this study was to further characterize the systemic amyloidosis of Stejneger's beaked whales by retrospective histopathologic analyses of tissues from animals that stranded in Japan between 1994 and 2018. Various tissues from 35 individuals were examined histologically with hematoxylin and eosin, Congo red, and immunohistochemistry for amyloid A (AA), in which 12 (34%) were diagnosed with systemic amyloidosis. The organs with the highest severity of amyloid deposition were the stomach and intestine. The type of amyloid was confirmed as AA of approximately 9 kDa by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis with extracted amyloid from the liver and subsequent Western blotting with an antiserum against AA peptide. There were no statistically significant associations between amyloidosis and sex, body condition of the whales, or the presence of chronic inflammation. The high prevalence of this disease might be of concern for overall population numbers, and continued pathologic monitoring of stranded animals is necessary throughout its distributional range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shotaro Nakagun
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan.,United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
| | - Kenichi Watanabe
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Yuko Tajima
- National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tadasu K Yamada
- National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yoshiyasu Kobayashi
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
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Abstract
The sustainability of captive cheetah populations is limited by high mortality due to chronic renal disease. This necropsy study, conducted on 243 captive cheetahs from one institution, investigated the relationships between focal palatine erosions, gastritis, enterocolitis, glomerulosclerosis, chronic renal infarcts, renal cortical and medullary fibrosis, and renal medullary amyloidosis at death. Associations between the individual renal lesions and death due to chronic renal disease and comparisons of lesion prevalence between captive bred and wild born and between normal and king coated cheetahs were also assessed. All lesions were significantly positively correlated with age at death. Renal medullary fibrosis was the only lesion associated with the likelihood of death being due to chronic renal disease, and cheetahs with this lesion were younger, on average, than cheetahs with other renal lesions. Alimentary tract lesions were not associated with amyloidosis. All lesions, except for palatine erosions, were more common in wild born than in captive bred cheetahs; the former were older at death than the latter. Having a king coat had no clear effect on disease prevalence. These results suggest that age and renal medullary fibrosis are the primary factors influencing the pathogenesis of chronic renal disease in captive cheetahs. Apart from amyloidosis, these findings are analogous to those described in chronic renal disease in domestic cats, which is postulated to result primarily from repetitive hypoxic injury of renal tubules, mediated by age and stress. Cheetahs may be particularly susceptible to acute renal tubular injury due to their propensity for stress and their extended life span in captivity, as well as their adaptation for fecundity (rather than longevity) and adrenaline-mediated high speed prey chases. The presence of chronic renal disease in subadult cheetahs suggests that prevention, identification and mitigation of stress are critical to the successful prevention of chronic renal disease in captive cheetahs.
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Schmidt-Küntzel A, Dalton DL, Menotti-Raymond M, Fabiano E, Charruau P, Johnson WE, Sommer S, Marker L, Kotzé A, O’Brien SJ. Conservation Genetics of the Cheetah: Genetic History and Implications for Conservation. CHEETAHS: BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION 2018. [PMCID: PMC7149701 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-804088-1.00006-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
From allozymes in 1983 to whole genomes in 2015, genetic studies of the cheetah have been extensive. In this chapter we provide an overview of the available literature. Overall, patterns of genetic variation provided evidence of low variability and suggest this loss occurred thousands of years ago. Differences between published subspecies were supported genetically. At a local scale, populations were generally considered panmictic with minor genetic structure. Although cheetahs have persisted despite low genetic variability, important questions arise from these findings: Does the cheetah have the ability to adapt to and evolve with future changes in environmental and infectious pressure? How would cheetahs cope with further loss of genetic diversity? Connectivity in the wild should be maintained via prevention of habitat loss, while management of small isolated populations may require reestablishing gene flow. Genetics could assist captive-breeding decisions and provide forensic evidence as to the geographical origin of illegally traded animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Desiré L. Dalton
- National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa,University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | | | | | | | - Warren E. Johnson
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, United States
| | | | | | - Antoinette Kotzé
- National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa,University of Free State South Africa, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Stephen J. O’Brien
- St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia,Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States
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Terio KA, Mitchell E, Walzer C, Schmidt-Küntzel A, Marker L, Citino S. Diseases Impacting Captive and Free-Ranging Cheetahs. CHEETAHS: BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION 2018. [PMCID: PMC7148644 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-804088-1.00025-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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9
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Gillis-Germitsch N, Vybiral PR, Codron D, Clauss M, Kotze A, Mitchell EP. Intrinsic factors, adrenal gland morphology, and disease burden in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) in South Africa. Zoo Biol 2016; 36:40-49. [PMID: 28026881 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Adrenal gland weight (AW) and corticomedullary ratio (ACMR) are used as indicators of stress in animals. Captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) have higher ACMRs than free-ranging ones and stress has been linked to gastritis, amyloidosis, glomerulosclerosis, and myocardial fibrosis. We reviewed age, sex, body weight (BW), kidney weight (KW), and left AW and ACMR with necropsy findings in 51 South African captive cheetahs. Eleven common histopathologic lesions were counted for each animal as measure of its disease burden. Adrenal corticomedullary hyperplasia was significantly correlated with left AW and ACMR. Males had significantly higher AWs than females; other parameters showed no difference between the sexes. Disease burden, gastritis, and myocardial fibrosis were moderately correlated with adrenal morphology supporting prior evidence that gastritis and myocardial fibrosis are linked to stress. Glomerulosclerosis was not correlated with adrenal morphology and neither kidney nor liver amyloidosis contributed significantly to variation in AW or ACMR on multivariate analyses. Interstitial nephritis showed much stronger correlations with kidney and liver amyloidosis than gastritis. All three adrenal parameters were correlated with age; age was the only significant variable affecting ACMR on the multivariate analyses; and disease burden as well as systemic amyloidosis and kidney disease (except for fibrosis) showed moderate correlations with age. Age may, therefore, be important in the pathogenesis of disease in captive cheetahs, particularly of amyloidosis and kidney disease. None of the intrinsic measurements or adrenal parameters were sufficiently closely linked to disease to be used as ante-mortem proxies for disease burden or specific diseases. Zoo Biol. 36:40-49, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Gillis-Germitsch
- Vetsuisse Faculty, Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Pamela-Rose Vybiral
- Vetsuisse Faculty, Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daryl Codron
- Vetsuisse Faculty, Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Florisbad Quaternary Research, National Museum, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Marcus Clauss
- Vetsuisse Faculty, Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Antoinette Kotze
- National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.,Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Emily P Mitchell
- National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa.,Faculty of Veterinary Science, Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Onderstepoort, South Africa
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Affiliation(s)
- P. M. Gaffney
- Departments of Pathology and Medicine, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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