72723 - General Pathology 2 and Pathological Anatomy of Laboratory Animals

Learning outcomes

This course will focus on the application of new technologies to the study of genetic disorders and cancer. The Students will acquire the appropriate knowledge of some animal models for cancer analysis.

The course will focus also on necroscopy techniques, cadaveric phenomenology, sampling techniques for cytological and histological microscopic examinations. The student acquires knowledge on the main diseases of mice, rats, rabbits. At the end of the course the student is able to perform a necroscopy, to detect cadaveric phenomena and to recognize and describe a lesion macroscopically.

Course contents

Part I-Introduction to classic cytogenetics.

Transgenic mice. Murine models for solid cancers. Zebrafish and Drosophila as models for cancer analysis.

Cell culture techniques and setup of metaphasic plates. Culture synchronization. Generic and specific banding techniques. High resolution banding techniques. Applications of classic cytogenetics to chromosomal diseases diagnosis. Molecular Cytogenetics. Hybridization and "extractive" techniques. Principles and applications. SKY, Multifish and Array techniques. Pre-analytic evaluation in molecular diagnostic techniques. Expression analysis.

 

Part II-Necropsy techniques of laboratory animals.

Necroscopy techniques applied to laboratory animals. Sampling techniques for microscopic cytological and histological examinations. Terminology in pathological anatomy. Mouse pathology: mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), murine encephalomyelitis, lymphocytis coryomeningitis, mousepox (ectromelia) virus, lactate-dehydrogenase-raising virus, epizootic diarrhea of infant Mice (EDIM), Helicobacter infection, colon murine hyperplasia by Citrobacter rodentium; "Scaly skin" by Corynebacterium bovis, Pneumocystis infection, amiliodosis, acidophilic macrophage pneumonia, ringtail, barbering, neoplasms. Rat pathology: sialodacrydenitis, parvovirus infection, Sendai virus, mycoplasmosis, cilia associated respiratory bacillus, Tyzzer's disease, corynebacteriosis, chronic progressive nephropathy, polyarteritis nodosa, malocclusion, auricular chondritis, neoplasms. Rabbit pathology: mixomatosis, Shope fibroma, viral haemorrhagic disease, clostridiosis, pasteurellosis, encephalitozoonosis, hepatic coccidiosis, mucoid enteropathy, mange, foot skin ulcers, malocclusion.

Readings/Bibliography

Part I

Lectures will be supplied on informatic supports ( http://campus.unibo.it/). Review articles suggested by the professor.

 

Part II

• • Barthold SW, Griffey SM, Percy DH: Pathology of laboratory rodents and rabbits. Fourth edition, Blackwell, 2016
  • McGavin DM, Zachary JF. Patologia Sistematica Veterinaria. Quarta ed., Elsevier Srl, 2010, Milano.

Files available at Alm@ DL

 

Teaching methods

Video projector and PC for room lectures, autopsy room for practical lessons.
Necropsy room, laboratories and microscopes for practice.

Assessment methods

Part I

The final exam aims at verifying the achievement of the following teaching purposes:
- To be familiar with the applications of the up-to-date technologies to cytogenetics and study of genome;
- To be acquainted with the most important effects of pathologies on cell and tissue morphology and organismal functionality.

The final grade is defined through a test (15 multiple choice questions and 2 open questions) about topic covered in the course. The evaluation will consider also the capability to explain the contents in a synthetic and complete fashion.

 

Part II

a) Practical test: the purpose of this part is to assess the adequate manual ability of the student to perform necropsy and to use the proper instruments. The student applies the necropsy techniques and assess the post-mortem phenomena.

b) Oral test: the student should demonstrate his knowledge on the pathological features of the diseases considered for mouse, rat and rabbit.

 

The final grade will be given by the average of the evaluations obtained in the two individual modules. In order to pass the exam you must have obtained at least a pass mark (18/30) in both modules.

Teaching tools

Digital slides. Lectures will be supplied on informatics support.

Office hours

See the website of Dario De Biase

See the website of Giancarlo Avallone