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Objective: In this study, we aim to determine if machine learning can reduce manual smear review (MSR) rates while meeting or exceeding the performance of traditional MSR criteria., Method: 9938 automated CBCs with paired MSRs were performed on samples from rhesus and cynomolgus macaques. The definition of a positive (abnormal) smear was determined. Two expert-derived MSR criteria were created: criteria adapted from published, standardized human laboratory criteria (Adapted International Consensus Guidelines[aICG]) and internally generated criteria (Center Consensus Guidelines [CCG]). An ensemble machine learning model was trained on an independent subset of the data to optimize the balanced accuracy of classification, a combined measure of sensitivity and specificity. The resulting machine learning model and the two expert-derived MSR criteria were applied to a test dataset, and their performance compared., Results: aICG criteria demonstrated high sensitivity (80.8%) and MSR rate (74.2%) while CCG criteria demonstrated lower sensitivity (57.1%) and MSR rate (36.1%). The machine learning model integrated with CCG criteria had a superior combination of both sensitivity (76.8%) and MSR rate (45.1%) achieving a false negative rate of 1.6%., Conclusion: Machine learning in combination with expert-derived criteria can optimize the selection of samples for MSR thus decreasing MSR rates and labor efforts required for CBC performance., (© 2024 The Author(s). Veterinary Clinical Pathology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

An 11-year-old female spayed German Wirehaired Pointer with a 1-week history of lethargy, hyporexia, diarrhea, and coughing presented with pericardial effusion causing cardiac tamponade. An echocardiogram revealed no structural cause for pericardial effusion. The pericardial effusion was an exudate with mixed macrophagic and neutrophilic inflammation. Morulae occasionally were found within neutrophils. The pericardial fluid and blood were qPCR and cPCR positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (NC State University, Vector-borne Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Raleigh, NC). The dog's blood was negative by ELISA (Vetscan Flex4 Rapid Test, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ) for A. phagocytophilum antibodies at initial presentation and subsequently positive (SNAP4DxPlus, IDEXX, Westbrook, ME) 7 days later. After pericardiocentesis and administration of doxycycline (5 mg/kg PO q12h for 14 days), a repeat echocardiogram performed 1 month later showed no recurrence of pericardial effusion., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

Climate change is influencing polar bear (Ursus maritimus) habitat, diet, and behavior but the effects of these changes on their physiology is not well understood. Blood-based biomarkers are used to assess the physiologic health of individuals but their usefulness for evaluating population health, especially as it relates to changing environmental conditions, has rarely been explored. We describe links between environmental conditions and physiologic functions of southern Beaufort Sea polar bears using data from blood samples collected from 1984 to 2018, a period marked by extensive environmental change. We evaluated associations between 13 physiologic biomarkers and circumpolar (Arctic oscillation index) and regional (wind patterns and ice-free days) environmental metrics and seasonal and demographic co-variates (age, sex, season, and year) known to affect polar bear ecology. We observed signs of dysregulation of water balance in polar bears following years with a lower annual Arctic oscillation index. In addition, liver enzyme values increased over time, which is suggestive of potential hepatocyte damage as the Arctic has warmed. Biomarkers of immune function increased with regional-scale wind patterns and the number of ice-free days over the Beaufort Sea continental shelf and were lower in years with a lower winter Arctic oscillation index, suggesting an increased allocation of energetic resources for immune processes under these conditions. We propose that the variation in polar bear immune and metabolic function is likely indicative of physiologic plasticity, a response that allows polar bears to remain in homeostasis even as they experience changes in nutrition and habitat in response to changing environments., (© 2023 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.)

Accurate reference intervals (RIs) for commonly measured blood-based analytes are essential for health monitoring programmes. Baseline values for a panel of analytes can be used to monitor physiologic and pathophysiologic processes such as organ function, electrolyte balance and protein catabolism. Our reference population includes 651 serum samples from polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ) from the southern Beaufort Sea (SB) subpopulation sampled in Alaska, USA, between 1983 and 2016. To establish RI for 13 biochemical analytes, we defined specific criteria for characterizing the reference population and relevant subgroups. To account for differences in seasonal life history characteristics, we determined separate RI for the spring and fall seasons, when prey availability and energetic requirements of bears differ. We established RI for five subgroups in spring based on sex, age class and denning status, and three subgroups in fall based on sex and age class in females only. Alkaline phosphatase activities were twice as high in subadult as in adult polar bears in spring ( z males  = 4.08, P males  < 0.001, z females  = 3.90, P females  < 0.001) and did not differ between seasons. Denning females had significantly higher glucose concentrations than non-denning females ( z  = 4.94, P  < 0.001), possibly reflecting differences in energy expenditure during lactation. A total of 10 of the 13 analytes differed significantly between seasons in either males or females; however, the physiologic importance of these differences may be minimal. Establishing these RIs allows for temporal monitoring of polar bear health in the SB and may prove useful for assessing and monitoring additional polar bear subpopulations in a changing Arctic environment.

Female reproductive disorders, such as chronic egg laying, are common in captive psittacine birds. While a disease diagnosis related to reproductive disorders can often be accomplished by physical examination and diagnostic imaging, monitoring of the response to environmental modification and medical treatment is more challenging. Monitoring ideally would involve measurement of luteinizing hormone or estrogen to assess ovarian activity. However, the amount of blood required for hormone analysis is greater than the small sample size that one can collect from these birds. Additionally, the lack of reference intervals limits their use as a diagnostic tool. Because plasma triglyceride increases during sustained estrogen release from the ovary, it may be used as an alternative method for assessing ovarian activity in birds. Point-of-care (POC) analyzers for measuring lipids in human plasma use very small sample volumes and have been used for measuring triglycerides in animals, including chickens. The authors therefore performed a method comparison study with 2 POC analyzers and a reference analyzer and plasma and whole blood from psittacine birds to determine whether these meters are suitable for triglyceride measurement in a known population of psittacine birds. Correlation, Deming regression, and Bland-Altman analyses were used to assess performance, and the total observed error for each meter relative to the reference analyzer was calculated. One of the meters exhibited fair performance and, with species-specific reference intervals, is likely to be clinically useful for triglyceride measurement in psittacine birds. The other meter demonstrated poor performance with unacceptable error, and its use for this purpose is strongly discouraged.

A 10-year-old female spayed Miniature Schnauzer was presented for investigation of an intra-nasal mass. The mass was diagnosed by histopathologic examination as an undifferentiated round cell neoplasm with an infiltrate of segmented leukocytes, interpreted as neutrophilic inflammation. The mass was treated with palliative radiation and systemic chemotherapy due to the presence of regional lymph node metastasis. During subsequent monitoring over several months, the peripheral leukocyte concentration was repeatedly within reference intervals to slightly increased with low numbers of toxic neutrophils. Four months after the initial diagnosis, there was a significant leukocytosis of 66 100 cells/μL, and 39 700 cells/μL of the leukocytes had variably mature, lobulated, and hypolobulated nuclei, and grey cytoplasm with clear vacuoles, resembling grey eosinophils. To further characterize these cells, peripheral blood smears from the patient and a canine control with eosinophilia were stained for alkaline phosphatase (AP), peroxidase, and esterase activities, and with Luxol fast blue (LFB). Histopathologic sections of the nasal mass were stained with LFB and immunohistochemically for tryptase. On blood smears, the cytoplasm of the suspected grey eosinophils stained for AP and granules stained with LFB confirmed that there was an eosinophilic lineage. Peroxidase staining was weak, and esterase staining was absent. On histopathologic sections from the nasal mass, the segmented leukocytes contained LFB-staining granules, indicating an eosinophilic infiltrate was present. Neoplastic cells expressed tryptase, which confirms a mast cell lineage. Our findings suggest that grey eosinophils might be under-recognized and interpreted incorrectly as toxic neutrophils. This report expands the canine breeds in which these eosinophils have been identified., (© 2019 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

Captive-bred rhesus macaques of Indian origin represent one of the most important large animal models for infectious disease, solid organ transplantation, and stem cell research. There is a dearth of information defining hematopoietic development, including neutrophil leukocyte differentiation in this species using multicolor flow cytometry. In the current study, we sought to identify cell surface markers that delineate neutrophil progenitor populations with characteristic immunophenotypes. We defined four different postmitotic populations based on their CD11b and CD87 expression pattern, and further refined their immunophenotypes using CD32, CD64, lactoferrin, and myeloperoxidase as antigenic markers. The four subsets contained myelocyte, metamyelocyte, band, and segmented neutrophil populations. We compared our flow cytometry-based classification with the classical nuclear morphology-based classification. We found overlap of immunological phenotype between populations of different nuclear morphology and identified phenotypically different subsets within populations of similar nuclear morphology. We assessed the responsiveness of these populations to stimulatory signals, such as LPS, fMLP, or PMA, and demonstrated significant differences between human and rhesus macaque neutrophil progenitors. In this study, we provided evidence for species-specific features of granulopoiesis that ultimately manifested in the divergent immunophenotypes of the fully differentiated segmented neutrophils of humans and rhesus macaques. Additionally, we found functional markers that can be used to accurately quantify neutrophil progenitors by flow cytometry. Although these markers do not coincide with the classical nuclear-morphology-based grading, they enable us to perform functional studies monitoring immunophenotypic markers., (©2018 Society for Leukocyte Biology.)

Disorders of the avian reproductive tract are common, yet monitoring their resolution presents a diagnostic dilemma. Reproductive hormones such as luteinizing hormone or estrogen are the best reflection of reproductive status, but the required sample volumes and lack of reference intervals limit their clinical utility. An alternative analyte is blood triglyceride, the concentration of which rises markedly during sustained estrogen release from the ovary. Portable meters for measuring human blood triglyceride concentration offer the advantage of using minimal sample volumes, but these have not been validated for use in birds. We assessed the precision and accuracy of 2 portable meters for measuring blood triglyceride concentration in pooled whole blood and plasma from chickens ( n = 42), and performed method comparison using a reference analyzer and determined total error. Within-run repeatability was fair-to-excellent using whole blood and plasma (range: 2.5-11.5%), and between-run repeatability using plasma was similar (3.1-12.2%). The meters performed well in recovery and dilution studies in which almost all readings fell within the preset requirement of 75-125%. Correlations between each meter, using whole blood and plasma, and the reference analyzer, using plasma only, were high to very high (0.86-0.98). Bias determined by Bland-Altman analysis was similar between whole blood and plasma for each meter, yet markedly different between the meters. The calculated total observed error was consequently within our pre-set total allowable error of 25% for one meter but not the other, indicating the requirement for a meter-specific reference interval.

Biomarker responses and histopathological lesions have been documented in laboratory mammals exposed to elevated concentrations of lead and cadmium. The exposure of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to these metals and the potential associated toxic effects were examined at three contaminated sites in the Southeast Missouri Lead Mining District and at a reference site in MO, USA. Mice from the contaminated sites showed evidence of oxidative stress and reduced activity of red blood cell δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD). Histological examinations of the liver and kidney, cytologic examination of blood smears, and biomarkers of lipid peroxidation and DNA damage failed to show indications of toxic effects from lead. The biomagnification factor of cadmium (hepatic concentration/soil concentration) at a site with a strongly acid soil was 44 times the average of the biomagnification factors at two sites with slightly alkaline soils. The elevated concentrations of cadmium in the mice did not cause observable toxicity, but were associated with about a 50% decrease in expected tissue lead concentrations and greater ALAD activity compared to the activity at the reference site. Lead was associated with a decrease in concentrations of hepatic glutathione and thiols, whereas cadmium was associated with an increase. In addition, to support risk assessment efforts, we developed linear regression models relating both tissue lead dosages (based on a previously published a laboratory study) and tissue lead concentrations in Peromyscus to soil lead concentrations.

Objective: To establish the reference interval for colloid osmotic pressure (COP) in neonatal and adult cattle and to investigate associations between COP and total protein, albumin, or globulin in the two populations sampled., Design: Cross-sectional observational study., Setting: Animals were sampled on commercial dairy farms in Southern Wisconsin, and samples were processed and analyzed in a clinical pathology laboratory at a university teaching hospital., Animals: Forty adult lactating Holstein cows between 2 and 4 years of age and 40 healthy Holstein calves of both sexes between 2 and 7 days of age., Interventions: Adult cows were sampled by coccygeal venipuncture into standard heparinized vacutainer tubes, calves were sampled by jugular venipuncture also into heparinized vacutainer tubes., Measurements and Main Results: For adult cows, the mean COP was 22.52 mm Hg, with a standard deviation of 1.0. For calves, the mean COP was 19.6 mm Hg, with a standard deviation of 1.9. Good correlation was demonstrated in adults between COP and albumin concentrations (r(2) = 0.72) and between COP and both total protein concentration (r(2) = 0.74) and globulin (r(2) = 0.65) in calves. For adults, regression plots established best fit relationships of COP = 0.472 (albumin) + 6.49, whereas for calves, two regression equations could be described; COP = 0.305 (globulin) + 8.62, and 0.268 (total plasma protein) + 2.73., Conclusions: Suggested normal ranges (mean ± 2 standard deviations) for COP in adult lactating dairy cows and calves between 2 and 7 days of age were 21-25 mm Hg and 17-23 mm Hg, respectively., (© Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society 2016.)

Sarcocystidae is a family of coccidian protozoa from the phylum Apicomplexa that includes Toxoplasma, Neospora, Sarcocystis, Hammondia, and Besnoitia spp. All species undergo a 2-host sexual and asexual cycle. In the definitive host, replication is enteroepithelial, and infection is typically asymptomatic or less commonly causes mild diarrhea. Clinical disease is most frequently observed in the intermediate host, often as an aberrant infection, and is mostly associated with neurologic, muscular, or hepatic inflammation. Here, we review the literature regarding intestinal Sarcocystidae infections in dogs and cats, with emphasis on the life cycle stages and the available diagnostic assays and their limitations. We also report the diagnostic findings for an 11-year-old dog with acute neutrophilic hepatitis, biliary protozoa, and negative biliary culture. Although Toxoplasma and Neospora IgG titers were both high, PCR for these 2 organisms was negative for bile. The organisms were identified by 18S rDNA PCR as most consistent with Hammondia, either H heydorni or H triffittae. This is the first report of presumed Hammondia organisms being found in canine bile., (© 2016 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

This report details a case of reversible cold agglutinins in a dog with Mycoplasma cynos pneumonia. An 11-month-old female spayed Rhodesian Ridgeback was presented for lethargy and cough. Thoracic radiographs revealed an alveolar pattern present bilaterally in the cranioventral lung lobes. Septic neutrophilic inflammation with suspected Mycoplasma sp. organisms was noted on cytologic examination of a trans-tracheal wash, and the dog was treated empirically with IV ampicillin/sulbactam and enrofloxacin pending culture results. Red blood cell agglutination was noted unexpectedly on several blood film reviews during hospitalization; however, the dog never developed clinical or laboratory evidence of hemolysis. Cold agglutinins were demonstrated based on the results of a saline dilution and cold agglutinin test that showed agglutination at 4°C but not at room temperature (21°C) or 37°C. Based on a positive culture for M cynos, the dog was treated for 8 weeks with oral enrofloxacin. After clinical and radiographic resolution of the pneumonia, repeated saline dilution and cold agglutinin tests of peripheral blood were negative at all temperatures. Reversible, asymptomatic cold agglutinins are common in human patients with mycoplasma pneumonia, but this is the first reported case in a dog., (© 2015 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

Background: People donating blood more than twice annually are at risk of developing iron deficiency. Little is known about the iron status of dogs enrolled in blood donor programs., Hypothesis: Dogs donating blood ≥6 times annually will show evidence of iron deficiency based on their reticulocyte indices., Animals: Thirteen dogs enrolled in a blood donor program donating ≥6 times over the preceding 12 months and 20 healthy nondonor control dogs., Methods: Prospective observational study. Mature red blood cell (RBC) indices, reticulocyte indices, serum iron, serum ferritin, and total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) were compared between groups., Results: Packed cell volume (median 47%, range 40-52%, P < .01), hematocrit (median 46.4%, range 40.3-52.5%, P < .01), and reticulocyte count (median 16,000/μL, range 9,000-38,000/μL, P < .01) were significantly lower in the blood donor dogs. No statistically significant differences were noted in the mature RBC indices between groups. Both reticulocyte mean corpuscular volume (median 88.8 fL, range 83.4-95.5 fL, P = .03) and reticulocyte hemoglobin content (median 24.6 pg, range 23.1-26.6 pg, P < .01) were significantly lower in the blood donor group. Serum iron and ferritin were similar between groups; however, TIBC was significantly higher in the control group (median 403 μg/dL, range 225-493 μg/dL, P = .02)., Conclusions: The findings in dogs donating ≥6 times annually suggest the presence of iron-deficient erythropoiesis in this population., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine.)

Background: Established breed-specific reference intervals (RI) are an important tool for monitoring the health of horses. There is a lack of published work on breed-specific RI for Friesian horses., Objectives: The goal of this project was to determine hematologic and biochemical RI for Friesian horses residing in North America., Methods: Strict inclusion and exclusion criteria were established for selection of reference subjects and for blood specimen collection and handling. Blood samples from 123 healthy, adult (range 3-18 years, median 8 years) Friesian horses of both sexes (70 mares, 45 geldings, and 8 stallions) were used to determine RI. Complete blood counts (CBC) and biochemistry profiles were performed on the Sysmex XT-2000iV hematology and Olympus AU400 biochemistry analyzers, respectively, at IDEXX Laboratories Inc. (Columbus, OH, USA). Results were analyzed using Reference Value Advisor. According to the guidelines of the ASVCP, nonparametric RI with 90% confidence intervals were determined., Results: IDEXX equine RI are transferrable to Friesian horses for 30 of 36 analytes. Friesian-specific RI (medians) are recommended for the following variables: RBC 5.02-8.74 × 10(6) /μL (6.66), HCT 27-42% (34), HGB 9.0-14.3 g/dL (11.4), lactate dehydrogenase 299-866 U/L (493), direct bilirubin 0.3-0.7 mg/dL (0.5), and anion gap 7-18 mEq/L (12)., Conclusions: The RI established in this study provide a useful baseline for the assessment of hematologic and biochemical data in Friesian horses residing in North America., (© 2015 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

Prior to introduction of a new method to the diagnostic laboratory, analytical performance must be validated to ensure operation within the manufacturer's specifications and/or within predetermined quality requirements. In addition, the new method may require diagnostic performance assessment to ensure it differentiates between diseased and nondiseased individuals as intended. These 2 phases of assessment, while complementary, are not equivalent and require a different set of experiments, statistical analyses, and interpretation. Studies of analytical performance typically include a method comparison experiment, the purpose of which is to identify bias (inaccuracy) of the "test" (or "index") method (new method) relative to a "comparative method" (established method). Analysis of method comparison data is facilitated by commercial software programs that present the statistical significance of identified bias; however, the clinical relevance of any bias also should be considered. Studies of diagnostic performance should not be pursued until analytical performance is fully characterized and may not be required for well-established tests or for those for which results are nonspecific (ie, not referable to a specific disease or condition). Diagnostic performance assessment may include assessment of sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, odds ratios, and/or likelihood ratios. The purpose of this review is to clarify differences between the assessment of analytical and diagnostic performance, and to explore the method comparison study and bias assessment from a perspective not addressed in prior veterinary articles., (© 2014 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

Reference intervals (RI) are an integral component of laboratory diagnostic testing and clinical decision-making and represent estimated distributions of reference values (RV) from healthy populations of comparable individuals. Because decisions to pursue diagnoses or initiate treatment are often based on values falling outside RI, the collection and analysis of RV should be approached with diligence. This report is a condensation of the ASVCP 2011 consensus guidelines for determination of de novo RI in veterinary species, which mirror the 2008 Clinical Laboratory and Standards Institute (CLSI) recommendations, but with language and examples specific to veterinary species. Newer topics include robust methods for calculating RI from small sample sizes and procedures for outlier detection adapted to data quality. Because collecting sufficient reference samples is challenging, this document also provides recommendations for determining multicenter RI and for transference and validation of RI from other sources (eg, manufacturers). Advice for use and interpretation of subject-based RI is included, as these RI are an alternative to population-based RI when sample size or inter-individual variation is high. Finally, generation of decision limits, which distinguish between populations according to a predefined query (eg, diseased or non-diseased), is described. Adoption of these guidelines by the entire veterinary community will improve communication and dissemination of expected clinical laboratory values in a variety of animal species and will provide a template for publications on RI. This and other reports from the Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards (QALS) committee are intended to promote quality laboratory practices in laboratories serving both clinical and research veterinarians., (© 2012 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

An 8-year-old male neutered Labrador Retriever was referred to the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital with a presumptive diagnosis of leukemia. Hematologic abnormalities included normal neutrophil count with a left shift, monocytosis, eosinophilia, thrombocytopenia, and circulating immature mononuclear cells. Bone marrow was effaced by immature hematopoietic cells of various morphologic appearances. In addition, large multinucleated cells were observed frequently. Flow cytometric analysis of nucleated cells in blood revealed 34% CD34(+) cells, consistent with acute leukemia. By immunocytochemical analysis of cells in blood and bone marrow, some mononuclear cells expressed CD18, myeloperoxidase, and CD11b, indicating myeloid origin; some, but not all, large multinucleated cells expressed CD117 and CD42b, the latter supporting megakaryocytic lineage. The diagnosis was acute myeloblastic leukemia without maturation (AML-M1). To identify genetic aberrations associated with this malignancy, cells from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded bone marrow were analyzed cytogenetically by multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Co-localization of bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) containing BCR and ABL was evident in 32% of cells. This confirmed the presence of the canine BCR-ABL translocation or Raleigh chromosome. In people, the analogous translocation or Philadelphia chromosome is characteristic of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and is rarely reported in AML. BCR-ABL translocation also has been identified in dogs with CML; however, to our knowledge this is the first report of AML with a BCR-ABL translocation in a domestic animal., (© 2012 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

In December 2009, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards committee published the updated and peer-reviewed ASVCP Quality Assurance Guidelines on the Society's website. These guidelines are intended for use by veterinary diagnostic laboratories and veterinary research laboratories that are not covered by the US Food and Drug Administration Good Laboratory Practice standards (Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Chapter 58). The guidelines have been divided into 3 reports: (1) general analytical factors for veterinary laboratory performance and comparisons; (2) hematology, hemostasis, and crossmatching; and (3) clinical chemistry, cytology, and urinalysis. This particular report is one of 3 reports and provides recommendations for control of preanalytical and analytical factors related to hematology for mammalian and nonmammalian species, hemostasis testing, and crossmatching and is adapted from sections 1.1 and 2.3 (mammalian hematology), 1.2 and 2.4 (nonmammalian hematology), 1.5 and 2.7 (hemostasis testing), and 1.6 and 2.8 (crossmatching) of the complete guidelines. These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive; rather, they provide minimal guidelines for quality assurance and quality control for veterinary laboratory testing and a basis for laboratories to assess their current practices, determine areas for improvement, and guide continuing professional development and education efforts., (© 2012 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

In December 2009, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards committee published the updated and peer-reviewed ASVCP Quality Assurance Guidelines on the Society's website. These guidelines are intended for use by veterinary diagnostic laboratories and veterinary research laboratories that are not covered by the US Food and Drug Administration Good Laboratory Practice standards (Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Chapter 58). The guidelines have been divided into 3 reports: (1) general analytical factors for veterinary laboratory performance and comparisons; (2) hematology, hemostasis, and crossmatching; and (3) clinical chemistry, cytology, and urinalysis. This particular report is one of 3 reports and documents recommendations for control of preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical factors related to urinalysis, cytology, and clinical chemistry in veterinary laboratories and is adapted from sections 1.1 and 2.2 (clinical chemistry), 1.3 and 2.5 (urinalysis), 1.4 and 2.6 (cytology), and 3 (postanalytical factors important in veterinary clinical pathology) of these guidelines. These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive; rather, they provide minimal guidelines for quality assurance and quality control for veterinary laboratory testing and a basis for laboratories to assess their current practices, determine areas for improvement, and guide continuing professional development and education efforts., (© 2012 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

Owing to lack of governmental regulation of veterinary laboratory performance, veterinarians ideally should demonstrate a commitment to self-monitoring and regulation of laboratory performance from within the profession. In response to member concerns about quality management in veterinary laboratories, the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) formed a Quality Assurance and Laboratory Standards (QAS) committee in 1996. This committee recently published updated and peer-reviewed Quality Assurance Guidelines on the ASVCP website. The Quality Assurance Guidelines are intended for use by veterinary diagnostic laboratories and veterinary research laboratories that are not covered by the US Food and Drug Administration Good Laboratory Practice standards (Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Chapter 58). The guidelines have been divided into 3 reports on 1) general analytic factors for veterinary laboratory performance and comparisons, 2) hematology and hemostasis, and 3) clinical chemistry, endocrine assessment, and urinalysis. This report documents recommendations for control of general analytical factors within veterinary clinical laboratories and is based on section 2.1 (Analytical Factors Important In Veterinary Clinical Pathology, General) of the newly revised ASVCP QAS Guidelines. These guidelines are not intended to be all-inclusive; rather, they provide minimum guidelines for quality assurance and quality control for veterinary laboratory testing. It is hoped that these guidelines will provide a basis for laboratories to assess their current practices, determine areas for improvement, and guide continuing professional development and education efforts., (©2010 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.)

Background: Canine histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is an aggressive malignancy. Hyperferritinemia has been documented in dogs with HS and could serve as a tumor marker aiding in diagnosis and treatment. In people, hyperferritinemia is found in inflammatory diseases, liver disease, and hemolysis, and thus may occur in dogs with these conditions., Objective: To determine if serum ferritin concentration is a tumor marker for canine HS., Animals: Dogs with HS (18), inflammatory diseases (20), liver disease (24), immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) (15), and lymphoma (23)., Methods: Prospective, observational, cohort study: Serum ferritin concentration was measured at initial diagnosis. Parametric methods were used to compare mean log ferritin concentrations among disease categories. Receiver-operating characteristic curves and likelihood ratios were used to evaluate serum ferritin concentration as a tumor marker., Results: Varying proportions of dogs with IMHA (94%), HS (89%), liver disease (79%), lymphoma (65%), and inflammatory diseases (40%) had hyperferritinemia. Dogs with IMHA had significantly higher mean ferritin concentration than dogs in all other categories. Dogs with HS had significantly higher mean ferritin concentration than those in the inflammatory disease and lymphoma categories. Mean serum ferritin concentration was not significantly different between dogs with HS and those with liver disease. Decision thresholds were determined to distinguish IMHA and HS from the other diseases associated with hyperferritinemia., Conclusion: Hyperferritinemia is common in dogs with HS and, after IMHA is ruled out, the degree of hyperferritinemia may be useful in differentiating dogs with HS from dogs with inflammatory diseases, liver disease, and lymphoma.

Mild nonregenerative anemia was detected in a 9-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat during a routine examination. Bone marrow core biopsy revealed erythroid hyperplasia; however, a specific cause was not identified. Over the next 8 months the anemia progressed, eventually becoming mildly regenerative, and moderate thrombocytopenia developed. On ultrasonographic examination, marked splenomegaly, mild hepatomegaly, and abdominal lymphadenopathy were found. Cytologic evaluation of splenic aspirates revealed increased numbers of mildly to moderately pleomorphic histiocytes that frequently had phagocytosed RBCs, leukocytes, and occasionally platelets. Histopathologic examination of the spleen and liver revealed effacement of splenic architecture by a histiocytic sarcoma (HS), and neoplastic histiocytes in hepatic sinusoids. A second bone marrow aspirate revealed neoplastic infiltration by similar cells. The histiocytes in all tissues were mildly to moderately pleomorphic and markedly erythrophagocytic. The immunophenotype of histiocytes in the spleen was CD1c(-)/CD11b(+)/CD18(+)/MHC-II(+), supporting a macrophage cell lineage. The clinical, pathologic, and immunophenotypic findings in this cat were similar to those in hemophagocytic HSs in dogs. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a HS of purported macrophage phenotype in a cat.

Objective: To describe and characterize histiocytic sarcoma (HS) first detected in the eyes of dogs using the large database at the comparative ocular pathology laboratory of Wisconsin (COPLOW)., Methods: Cases diagnosed as HS were selected from the COPLOW database. Slides were reviewed to describe the cellular morphology, localize the tumor within the globe, record the tumor distribution and measure the size of the tumor. Further sections were taken to perform immunohistochemistry for Melan-A, CD18 and S-100, and for ferric iron staining. The following clinical information was recorded: breed, age, gender, laterality, clinical signs upon presentation and follow-up information obtained by response to a mailed survey and phone contact., Results: Twenty-six cases were confirmed as being HS according to the immunohistochemical results (CD18 positive and Melan-A negative). The most prevalent breed was Rottweiler (eight cases), followed by Retriever breeds (seven Golden Retrievers and five Labrador Retrievers). The mean age was 8.61 +/- 2.43 years. There were three intact male, eight castrated male, one intact female and 14 spayed female dogs. In 15 dogs there were no concurrent systemic clinical signs at the time of diagnosis. Sixteen of 19 dogs with follow-up information available died as a result of causes related to the tumor, although only three of them received a necropsy. Survival time varied between 5 days and 6 months after enucleation. Three of the dogs were alive at the time the information was gathered. Mean tumor surface was 0.613 +/- 0.38 cm(2). S-100 was diffusely positive in 10 cases, isolated positive cells were found in 11 cases and five cases were completely negative. Seven of the cases were positive for ferric iron., Conclusions: Histiocytic sarcoma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of dogs with intraocular masses, especially in Rottweilers and Retriever breeds. Because it carries poor prognosis, it must be distinguished from melanoma. A good discriminator for this purpose in paraffin-embedded tissues is finding CD18-positive cells and no reactivity against Melan-A. S-100 and ferric iron staining does not seem to be useful. Ocular HS is considered to be a manifestation of a systemic disease even when the disease is first recognized in the eye.

Background: Comprehensive quality control (QC) procedures are necessary to ensure accurate analytic method performance. Highly automated systems typically have inherent QC programs that facilitate performance and maintenance of QC procedures; however, for bench-top analyzers that lack internal systems, independent QC programs must be used., Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the adaptability of an independent QC program, EZ Runs (Westgard QC Inc, Madison, WI, USA), to the maintenance of QC procedures for a mechanical, bench-top coagulation unit and to compare the results with our current, manual, QC method in a qualitative way., Methods: A QC application file for activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) performed on a STart4 (Diagnostica Stago, Parsippany, NJ) was created in EZ Runs. Results were recorded and interpreted using this software package as well as the current, manual, QC method., Results: EZ Runs was adaptable to QC monitoring for the bench-top analyzer, and the program permitted identification of both random and systematic errors not detected by the manual QC system., Conclusions: EZ Runs improved the performance and maintenance of QC procedures for this bench-top coagulation analyzer. The results indicated the need to improve staff training in assay performance and QC interpretation. In addition, use of the software program indicated that a multirule QC design was needed to monitor assay performance.

Canine and feline joint disease can be a primary disorder limited to joints or a manifestation of multisystemic disease. Collection and analysis of joint fluid provides valuable information for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of diseases that affect the joint space. The cytologic recognition of the cellular components and infectious agents in synovial fluid categorizes the cell response and differentiates inflammatory and noninflammatory joint disorders. This information is supported by the cell counts, protein content, mucin clot test, bacterial culture, and serologic tests for infectious or immune-mediated disease. These results are integrated with the clinical history, physical examination, radiographic findings, and ancillary test results to arrive at a diagnosis and treatment plan.