Project description:Here, we report the metagenomic analysis of the gut of Atelerix albiventris, an animal typically kept as a pet in Kazakhstan. In this case, shotgun metagenomic sequencing of the RNA and DNA viral community was performed.
Project description:Didelphis albiventris is a well-known and common marsupial. Due to its high adaptability, this very widespread generalist species occurs under various environmental conditions, this even including protected regions and disturbed urban areas. We studied a 653 bp fragment of cytochrome oxidase c (COI) from 93 biological samples from seven Brazilian localities, with linear distances ranging between 58 and about 1800 km to analyze the effects of geographic distances on variability and genetic differentiation. The haplotype network presented nine haplotypes and two genetic clusters compatible with the two most distant geographic areas of the states of Minas Gerais, in the southeast, and Rio Grande do Sul, in the extreme south. As each cluster was characterized by low nucleotide and high haplotype diversities, their populations were obviously composed of closely related haplotypes. Surprisingly, moderate to high F(ST) differentiation values and a very weak phylogeographic signal characterizes interpopulation comparisons within Minas Gerais interdemes, these being correlated with the presence of privative haplotypes. On a large rgeographic scale, a comparison between demes from Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul presented high F(ST) values and a robust phylogeographic pattern. This unexpected scenario implies that mtDNA gene flow was insufficient to maintain population cohesion, reflected by the observed high differentiation.
Project description:Previous reports of leukemia in hedgehogs are limited. We describe clinicopathologic features of leukemia in 9 hedgehogs, including eosinophilic leukemia (n = 3) and acute leukemia/leukemic phase of lymphoma (n = 6). All 3 hedgehogs with eosinophilic leukemia were older than 2 years of age; in contrast, 4 of 6 cases of acute leukemia/lymphoma were <2 years old. Hedgehogs presented for non-specific clinical signs of anorexia and lethargy. On hematologic testing, hedgehogs with eosinophilic leukemia had a marked leukocytosis, consisting mostly of eosinophilic precursors with fewer mature eosinophils, whereas there were 43-97% immature cells (blasts) in the blood of hedgehogs with acute leukemia/lymphoma. Anemia (n = 6) and/or thrombocytopenia (n = 6) were concurrent findings. Increased liver enzyme activities (alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase) and hypoalbuminemia were the common findings on biochemical panels. All cases of eosinophilic leukemia and 4 cases of acute leukemia/lymphoma died shortly after diagnosis (median 7 days, range 0-41 days), whereas 2 cases of acute leukemia/lymphoma lived for 94 or 101 days. Postmortem examination in 5 cases (1 eosinophilic leukemia, 4 acute leukemia/lymphoma) showed bone marrow infiltrates, confirming eosinophilic leukemia and acute leukemia in 1 and 3 cases, and bone marrow necrosis in 1 animal with acute leukemia/lymphoma. Immunohistochemical staining of bone marrow sections confirmed a T-cell acute leukemia in 1 case. Several hedgehogs had concurrent carcinomas. Hedgehogs suffer from eosinophilic leukemia and acute leukemia/lymphoma. However, classification of acute leukemia by lineage was not possible due to lack of hedgehog cross-reactive or species-specific reagents.