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ABSTRACTDiarrhea is responsible for the death of approximately 900,000 children per year worldwide. In children, typical enteropathogenic Escherichia coli(EPEC) is a common cause of diarrhea and is associated with a higher hazard of death. Typical EPEC infection is rare in animals and poorly reproduced in experimental animal models. In contrast, atypical EPEC (aEPEC) infection is common in both children and animals, but its role in diarrhea is uncertain. Mortality in kittens is often attributed to diarrhea, and we previously identified enteroadherent EPEC in the intestines of deceased kittens. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and type of EPEC in kittens and whether infection was associated with diarrhea, diarrhea-related mortality, gastrointestinal pathology, or other risk factors. Kittens with and without diarrhea were obtained from two shelter facilities and determined to shed atypical EPEC at a culture-based prevalence of 18%. In contrast, quantitative PCR detected the presence of the gene for intimin (eae) in feces from 42% of kittens. aEPEC was isolated from kittens with and without diarrhea. However, kittens with diarrhea harbored significantly larger quantities of aEPEC than kittens without diarrhea. Kittens with aEPEC had a significantly greater severity of small intestinal and colonic lesions and were significantly more likely to have required subcutaneous fluid administration. These findings identify aEPEC to be prevalent in kittens and a significant primary or contributing cause of intestinal inflammation, diarrhea, dehydration, and associated mortality in kittens.

An aquaculture research facility experienced high mortality rates in white bass Morone chrysopsassociated with a monogenean infestation of the gills, but not in striped bass Morone saxatilisin the same facility. All mortalities had pale gills. Monogeneans, identified as Gamacallum macroura(MacCallum and MacCallum 1913) Unnithan 1971, were found on the gills. Pale-gilled and healthy white bass were selected with no particular attention to condition for venipuncture and euthanasia for postmortem examination, including parasite counts from gills. The median packed cell volume (PCV) of fish with gill pallor was 12.5% (range 9–37%) while PVC of fish with more normal color was 30% (27–33%). Association between the PCV and gill pallor score was statistically significant, as was the association between PCV and the number of monogeneans found on the gills of each fish. Median estimated white blood cell count of fish with gill pallor, at 12.05 × 103/µL (range 3.8–24.7), was significantly lower than of apparently healthy fish: 24.7 × 103/µL (17.3–31.5). Histopathology of the gill arches of pale-gilled fish revealed multifocal moderate to severe branchitis, focal areas of dilated hyperplastic lamellae occluded by fibrin, and monogeneans attached to the lamellae. Fish that were apparently healthy had grossly similar histologic lesions, but at lower frequency and severity. Received May 27, 2011; accepted July 12, 2012

From 2004 to 2008, 10% of Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchusexamined during a bycatch study of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay were infested with the trematode Nitzschia sturionison the skin and gills. The parasite intensity increased on 75% of infested fish 4–24 months after being placed in captivity. Mean parasite intensity increased to a greater extent on the skin (up to 100-fold) than on the gills (up to16-fold). Atlantic sturgeon that were infested with N. sturionisgained weight at a reduced rate or lost weight compared with uninfested fish. Skin lesions associated with N. sturionisprogressed from a few reddened foci to hemorrhagic ulcers and depigmentation, while gill lesions showed a less-dramatic progression. Host tissues identified in the intestinal ceca of N. sturionisconsisted primarily of malpighian cells, but small amounts of blood were also found in worms attached to lesions in the skin and gills. An Atlantic sturgeon infested with approximately 500 worms was successfully treated with a 3-h bath of praziquantel at 10 mg/L. This first report of N. sturionisfrom Chesapeake Bay extends the parasite's reported southern range in North America.