Molly Church

University of Pennsylvania | UP · Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine

Neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD) is a group of inherited neurodegenerative disorders characterized primarily by the presence of spheroids (swollen axons) throughout the central nervous system. In humans, NAD is heterogeneous, both clinically and genetically. NAD has also been described to naturally occur in large animal models, such as dogs. A newly rec...

The diagnosis of primary and secondary CNS neoplasms of dogs and cats relies on histologic examination of autopsy or biopsy samples. In addition, many neoplasms must be further characterized by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for a more refined diagnosis in specific cases. Given the many investigations assessing the diagnostic and prognostic IHC profile...

Background Fibrocartilaginous embolic myelopathy (FCE) is a well‐documented condition in dogs although rarely reported in chondrodystrophic breeds. Genetic associations have not been defined. Objectives Define the association of the chondrodystrophy‐associated FGF4L2 retrogene with histopathologically confirmed cases of FCE. Animals Ninety‐eight...

Distinct patterns of local infiltration are a common feature of canine oligodendroglioma and astrocytoma, and typically involve the surrounding neuroparenchyma, ventricles, or leptomeninges. Infiltration of adjacent extraneural sites is rare and has not been well documented in veterinary medicine. Here we describe 6 canine gliomas with cribriform p...

Leptomeningeal gliomatosis (LG) is characterized by extensive dissemination of neoplastic glial cells in the subarachnoid space either without an intraparenchymal glioma (primary LG or PLG) or secondary to an intraparenchymal glioma (secondary LG or SLG). Given the low frequency of LG in human and veterinary medicine, specific diagnostic criteria a...

Case summary A 15-year-old male castrated domestic shorthair cat originally presented to its primary care veterinarian with a chief complaint of a multi-month history of decreased appetite, weight loss and mild weight-bearing lameness. On physical examination, over the right scapula there was mild-to-moderate muscle wasting and a palpable firm, bon...

Case summary An adult male neutered Russian Blue cat presented for a right-sided nasal mass with bilateral retropharyngeal and right mandibular lymphadenomegaly. Medial retropharyngeal lymph node excision with nasal mass biopsy revealed eosinophilic sclerosing lymphadenitis and eosinophilic and lymphoplasmacytic rhinitis, respectively. Bacterial cu...

Intracranial extra‐axial histiocytic sarcoma shares common MRI features with meningioma. As histiocytic sarcoma carries a generally worse prognosis than meningioma, the ability to differentiate between these two neoplasms is of clinical value. The aim of this retrospective diagnostic accuracy and observer agreement study was to evaluate the accurac...

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an idiopathic demyelinating disease in which meningeal inflammation correlates with accelerated disease progression. The study of meningeal inflammation in MS has been limited because of constrained access to MS brain/spinal cord specimens and the lack of experimental models recapitulating progressive MS. Unlike induced m...

Canine gastrointestinal sarcomas, a group of tumors that includes leiomyosarcomas (LMSAs), gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and other rarer sarcomas, comprise about 10‐30% of all gastrointestinal tumors. This study aims to characterize the histologic characteristics and clinical behavior in order to identify prognostic factors predictive of...

The concerted actions of the CNS and the immune system are essential to coordinate the outcome of neuroinflammatory responses. Yet, the precise mechanisms involved in this crosstalk and their contribution to the pathophysiology of neuroinflammatory diseases largely elude us. Here, we show that the CNS-endogenous hedgehog pathway, a signal triggered...

Mixed germ cell tumours occur rarely in veterinary species. This report describes a case of metastatic mixed germ cell tumour in a female Eurasian harvest mouse (Micromys minutus). The tumour was extensive in one ovary and the uterus, and was characterized by two distinct tumour cell populations with features typical of embryonal carcinoma (EC) and...

Leptospirosis is a globally important, fatal disease of humans, and over 160 species of animals are associated with more than 250 bacterial serovars in 64 species, but its ecology varies regionally and has changed over time with expansion of human development on previously agricultural and wild land. Sporadic human cases and clusters of canine lept...

The cover image is based on the SHORT COMMUNICATION Clinical outcomes, ultrastructure and immunohistochemical features of canine high‐grade olfactory neuroblastoma by Molly E. Church et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/vco.12512. The cover image is based on the SHORT COMMUNICATION Clinical outcomes, ultrastructure and immunohistochemical features of ca...

Olfactory neuroblastoma (ONB) is a rare intranasal neoplasm in both dogs and humans. Similar clinical presentation and overlapping histologic and immunohistochemical features of ONB with other intranasal neoplasms can make diagnosis and treatment of intranasal neoplasia challenging. Furthermore, in part because of their rarity, there is a lack of r...

Pathologic features of 12 cats with naturally acquired systemic hypertension and concomitant hypertensive encephalopathy were analyzed. All cats demonstrated acute onset of signs localized to the forebrain and/or brainstem, including stupor, coma, and seizures. All cats had systemic hypertension, ranging from 160 to 300 mm Hg. Gross lesions were id...

To investigate cases of acute oxalate nephrosis without evidence of ethylene glycol exposure, archived data and tissues from cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) from North America (n = 297), southern Africa (n = 257), and France (n = 40) were evaluated. Renal and gastrointestinal tract lesions were characterized in a subset of animals with (n = 100) and wi...

Raccoon polyomavirus 1 (RacPyV1) is the suspected cause of an outbreak of fatal brain tumors among raccoons (Procyon lotor) in the western United States. Spleen samples from Georgia raccoons were screened for polyomaviruses. Although RacPyV1 was not detected, a previously unknown polyomavirus, which we designate RacPyV2, was identified and sequence...

Polyomavirus infection often results in persistence of the viral genome with little or no virion production. However, infection of certain cell types can result in high viral gene transcription and either cytolysis or neoplastic transformation. While infection by polyomavirus is common in humans and many animals, major questions regarding viral per...

Polyomavirus (PyV) infections are widespread in human populations and, although generally associated with silent persistence, rarely cause severe disease. Among diseases convincingly associated with natural PyV infections of humans, there are remarkably different tissue tropisms and outcomes, including progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, tr...

There is evidence that raccoon polyomavirus is causative for neuroglial brain tumors in the western United States. It is unknown if infection is limited to geographic locales where tumors have been reported or is widespread, like human polyomaviruses. We demonstrate raccoons in western, eastern and midwestern states have been exposed to RacPyV by d...

Here we describe the methods for production of a recombinant viral capsid protein and subsequent use in an indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and for use in production of a rabbit polyclonal antibody. These reagents were utilized in development and optimization of an ELISA, which established the extent of exposure of free ranging r...

Canine distemper virus commonly infects free-ranging, terrestrial mesopredators throughout the United States. Due to the immunosuppressive effects of the virus, concurrent opportunistic infections are also common. Among these, secondary systemic protozoal infections have been described in a number of species. We report an unusual presentation of ne...

Unlabelled: Raccoon polyomavirus (RacPyV) is associated with 100% of neuroglial tumors in free-ranging raccoons. Other tumor-associated polyomaviruses (PyVs), including simian virus 40 (SV40), murine PyV, and Merkel cell PyV, are found integrated in the host genome in neoplastic cells, where they constitutively express splice variants of the tumor...

A 5-week-old foal was evaluated for fever and hematuria of 3 days duration. Cystoscopy localized the blood to be originating from the left ureter. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed left hydronephrosis, hydroureter, and omphaloarteritis of the left umbilical artery with abscess formation that communicated with an arterial structure. Computed tomogr...

Objective: To determine the effects of meloxicam on values of hematologic and plasma biochemical analysis variables and results of histologic examination of tissue specimens of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Animals: 30 adult Japanese quail. Procedures: 15 quail underwent laparoscopic examination of the left kidneys, and 15 quail underwen...

Endangered species recovery programs seek to restore populations to self-sustaining levels. Nonetheless, many recovering species require continuing management to compensate for persistent threats in their environment. Judging true recovery in the face of this management is often difficult, impeding thorough analysis of the success of conservation p...

The endangered California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) was reduced to a total population of 22 birds by the end of 1982. Their captive-bred descendants are now being released back into the wild in California, Arizona, and Baja California, where monitoring indicates they may accumulate lead to toxic levels. Fragments of ammunition in the carcass...

We used carbon and nitrogen isotopes to investigate changes in the diet of California condors from the Pleistocene to the recent. During the Pleistocene, condors from California fed on both terrestrial megafauna and marine mammals. Early accounts reported condors feeding on the carcasses of marine mammals, but by the late 1700s, condor diets had sh...

Clinical pathology provides a noninvasive means to elucidate health status in wildlife species. The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is an endangered species that has been reintroduced into the wild due to successful captive breeding. Condors are periodically recaptured from the wild in order to evaluate battery function on wing-tag radi...