We describe a fatal kidney disease in green iguanas (Iguana iguana), associated with severe nephromegaly. Affected animals have enlarged kidneys, which fill the pelvic cavity, leading to compression of adjacent organs, obstipation and, ultimately, death. The pathological features of this disease have been poorly described and its aetiology is unknown. We performed detailed gross and histological analyses of 17 green iguanas with a clinical diagnosis of nephromegaly, and compared the results with those of eight healthy controls. Grossly, the kidneys of all 17 individuals were markedly enlarged and the distal colons were distended and overfilled with faecal contents. Histopathological examination revealed that these enlarged kidneys consisted mainly of tubular hyperplasia, resembling poorly developed proximal segments. The nephrogenic zones were either poorly developed or absent. There was a reduction in the density of glomeruli and the distal segments were reduced in number. There was no histological evidence of an aetiology for the nephron disruption and nephromegaly.
Most pleurodont lizard families (anoles, iguanas and their relatives), with the exception of the basilisks and casquehead lizards (family Corytophanidae), share homologous XX/XY sex chromosomes, syntenic with chicken chromosome 15. Here, we used a suite of methods (i.e. RADseq, RNAseq and qPCR) to identify corytophanid sex chromosomes for the first time. We reveal that all examined corytophanid species have partially degenerated XX/XY sex chromosomes, syntenic with chicken chromosome 17. Transcriptomic analyses showed that the expression of X-linked genes in the corytophanid, Basiliscus vittatus, is not balanced between the sexes, which is rather exceptional under male heterogamety, and unlike the dosage-balanced sex chromosomes in other well-studied XX/XY systems, including the green anole, Anolis carolinensis. Corytophanid sex chromosomes may represent a rare example of a turnover away from stable, differentiated sex chromosomes. However, because of poor phylogenetic resolution among pleurodont families, we cannot reject the alternative hypothesis that corytophanid sex chromosomes evolved independently from an unknown ancestral system.
Mites of the family Pterygosomatidae are usually infesting lizards, geckos and iguanas. In this family, the genus Geckobiella Hirst, 1917 comprises 12 species including Geckobiella donnae Paredes-León, Klompen et Pérez, 2012. We collected 48 mites of G.donnae from 10 captive iguanas Ctenosaura bakeri Stejneger (Reptilia: Iguanidae) out of 23 examined individuals (prevalence 43% ) in Iguana Research and Breeding Station on Isla de Utila, Islas de la Bahía, Honduras on 1 September 2014. Males of G. donnae occurred together with females. The male of G. donnae is described here for the first time. We speculated that G. donnae is autochthonous on Isla de Utila with C. bakeri as a natural host or that it was transmitted to C. bakeri from Iguana iguana (Linnaeus) native to Utila or introduced to Utila from the North American/Central American mainland by a host kept as a pet.
- MeSH
- Mite Infestations epidemiology parasitology veterinary MeSH
- Iguanas * MeSH
- Prevalence MeSH
- Mites anatomy & histology physiology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Honduras MeSH
Once believed to be restricted only to endotherms (mammals and birds), several poikilothermic amniote lineages have recently been documented to possess long-term evolutionary stability in their sex chromosomes. However, many important lineages were not included in these tests. Previously, based on molecular evidence, we documented the homology of well-differentiated sex chromosomes among seven families of iguanas (Pleurodonta), with basilisks (Corytophanidae) being the only exception, as the tested genes linked to X, but missing on the Y chromosome, in other iguanas were autosomal or pseudoautosomal in basilisks. In this study, we test the homology of sex chromosomes in the remaining, previously unstudied iguana families (Hoplocercidae, Leiosauridae, Liolaemidae, Polychrotidae) and in the basilisk genus Corytophanes. Our results show that 12 currently recognized families of iguanas share X-specific gene content conserved from the common ancestor living in the Cretaceous period. However, the results in the genus Corytophanes indicate the loss of the ancestral differentiated sex chromosomes from the ancestor of basilisks. Our new data further confirm the extensive stability of sex chromosomes in iguanas, thus enabling molecular sexing based on the comparison of the number of X-specific genes by quantitative PCR (qPCR) in all but one family of this widely diversified clade.
- MeSH
- X Chromosome genetics MeSH
- Phylogeny MeSH
- Gene Dosage genetics MeSH
- Karyotype MeSH
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction veterinary MeSH
- Iguanas genetics MeSH
- Sex Chromosomes genetics MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
BACKGROUND: Melioidosis caused by Burkholderia (B.) pseudomallei is an endemic zoonotic disease mainly reported from northern Australia and Southeast Asia. In Europe, cases of human melioidosis have been reported only from patients travelling to endemic regions. Besides humans, B. pseudomallei has a very broad host range in domestic and wild animals. There are some reports about importation of B. pseudomallei-infected animals from endemic areas into Europe. The present report describes the first case of B. pseudomallei infection of a pet iguana in Europe. CASE PRESENTATION: In a 5-year-old pet Iguana iguana living in a private household in Prague, Czech Republic, B. pseudomallei was isolated from pus of an abscess. The isolate VB976100 was identified by Vitek®2, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and polymerase chain reaction as B. pseudomallei. The molecular typing resulted in multi-locus sequence type 436 hitherto, which has been found only once worldwide in a B. pseudomallei strain isolated in the USA and originating from Guatemala. The identification as internal transcribed spacer type G indicates a close relatedness to strains mainly isolated in the Western Hemisphere. These findings support the hypothesis that the iguana became infected in this region or in a breeding facility through contact to other infected animals. CONCLUSIONS: The present case highlights the risk of importation of the highly pathogenic and zoonotic B. pseudomallei into non-endemic regions through animal trade. Therefore, veterinarians treating animals from these areas and physicians examining patients owning such animals should include melioidosis in differential diagnosis whenever specific symptoms appear. Furthermore, veterinary authorities responsible for supervision of traders and pet shops should be aware of this risk of zoonotic transmission.
- MeSH
- Burkholderia pseudomallei genetics isolation & purification pathogenicity MeSH
- Pets microbiology MeSH
- Iguanas microbiology MeSH
- Melioidosis microbiology veterinary MeSH
- Molecular Sequence Data MeSH
- Base Sequence MeSH
- Zoonoses microbiology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Case Reports MeSH
- Geographicals
- Czech Republic MeSH
Vertebrates possess diverse sex-determining systems, which differ in evolutionary stability among particular groups. It has been suggested that poikilotherms possess more frequent turnovers of sex chromosomes than homoiotherms, whose effective thermoregulation can prevent the emergence of the sex reversals induced by environmental temperature. Squamate reptiles used to be regarded as a group with an extensive variability in sex determination; however, we document how the rather old radiation of lizards from the genus Anolis, known for exceptional ecomorphological variability, was connected with stability in sex chromosomes. We found that 18 tested species, representing most of the phylogenetic diversity of the genus, share the gene content of their X chromosomes. Furthermore, we discovered homologous sex chromosomes in species of two genera (Sceloporus and Petrosaurus) from the family Phrynosomatidae, serving here as an outgroup to Anolis. We can conclude that the origin of sex chromosomes within iguanas largely predates the Anolis radiation and that the sex chromosomes of iguanas remained conserved for a significant part of their evolutionary history. Next to therian mammals and birds, Anolis lizards therefore represent another adaptively radiated amniote clade with conserved sex chromosomes. We argue that the evolutionary stability of sex-determining systems may reflect an advanced stage of differentiation of sex chromosomes rather than thermoregulation strategy.
- MeSH
- Adaptation, Physiological genetics MeSH
- Genetic Variation MeSH
- Iguanas genetics physiology MeSH
- Evolution, Molecular * MeSH
- Sex Chromosomes genetics MeSH
- Sex Determination Processes genetics MeSH
- Genetic Speciation * MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- MeSH
- Follicular Phase * MeSH
- Laparotomy MeSH
- Iguanas * surgery MeSH
- Anorexia MeSH
- Animal Diseases diagnosis surgery radiography MeSH
- Ovariectomy MeSH
- Ovarian Follicle * surgery pathology MeSH
- Reproductive Physiological Phenomena MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Case Reports MeSH
Many poikilothermic vertebrate lineages, especially among amphibians and fishes, possess a rapid turnover of sex chromosomes, while in endotherms there is a notable stability of sex chromosomes. Reptiles in general exhibit variability in sex-determining systems; as typical poikilotherms, they might be expected to have a rapid turnover of sex chromosomes. However, molecular data which would enable the testing of the stability of sex chromosomes are lacking in most lineages. Here, we provide molecular evidence that sex chromosomes are highly conserved across iguanas, one of the most species-rich clade of reptiles. We demonstrate that members of the New World families Iguanidae, Tropiduridae, Leiocephalidae, Phrynosomatidae, Dactyloidae and Crotaphytidae, as well as of the family Opluridae which is restricted to Madagascar, all share homologous sex chromosomes. As our sampling represents the majority of the phylogenetic diversity of iguanas, the origin of iguana sex chromosomes can be traced back in history to the basal splitting of this group which occurred during the Cretaceous period. Iguanas thus show a stability of sex chromosomes comparable to mammals and birds and represent the group with the oldest sex chromosomes currently known among amniotic poikilothermic vertebrates.
- MeSH
- Phylogeny MeSH
- Iguanas genetics MeSH
- Evolution, Molecular * MeSH
- Sex Chromosomes genetics MeSH
- Polymerase Chain Reaction MeSH
- Sex Determination Processes genetics MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
Autoři uvádějí pozorování dvou nemocných s profesionálním bronchiálním astmatem – u prvního pacienta byla jako etiologické agens identifikována makovina, u druhé nemocné pak materiál z leguána. K objasnění etiologie přispěl u obou nemocných laboratorní bronchoprovokační test.
The authors present the observations of two patients with professional bronchial asthma – the etiological agent was the poppy in the first patient and the iguana in the second one. The etiology was proved in both patients by laboratory bronchoprovocation test.
- MeSH
- Allergens MeSH
- Asthma diagnosis etiology therapy MeSH
- Bronchial Provocation Tests MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Immunoglobulin E blood MeSH
- Iguanas MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Occupational Diseases diagnosis etiology therapy MeSH
- Plant Extracts MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Case Reports MeSH
- Review MeSH