gastrointestinal tract 1-2 (intro, oral cavity)

Question 1

Answer 1

Question 2

Answer 2

Question 3

Answer 3

Question 4

Answer 4

expectoration - coughing

Question 5

how can you tell the difference between vomiting and regurgitation?

Answer 5

Question 6

true or false - that some species cannot vomit, such as horses, rodents and rabbits. These animals have the brainstem nuclei and motor systems necessary for vomiting, but lack the complex synaptic interactions between the nuclei and viscera that is required for a coordinated reflex.

Answer 6

true

Question 7

The suffix -itis denotes….

Answer 7

inflammation, and various prefixes are used depending on the part of the GI tract affected e.g. gingivitis (gums), stomatitis (mouth), laryngitis (larynx), oesophagitis (oesophagus), rumenitis/reticulitis/omasitis/abomasitis/gastritis (forestomachs/stomach), enteritis (intestine), pancreatitis (pancreas), typhlitis (caecum), colitis (colon). Combinations of these words are also often used, such as gingivostomatitis and gastroenteritis.

Question 8

Atrophy and hypoplasia refer to…

Answer 8

organs or tissues that are smaller than normal

Question 9

what is the difference between metaplasia and hyperplasia?

Answer 9

metaplasia - the transformation of one cell type into another
hyperplasia - the enlargement of an organ due to an increase in the number of cells

Question 10

what is atresia?

Answer 10

the absence or closure of a lumen (eg lambs with no bumhole)

Question 11

what does stenosis mean?

Answer 11

narrowing

Question 12

What is the difference between atrophy and hypoplasia?

Answer 12

atrophy - an organ or tissue that has “shrunk” after reaching normal size
hypoplasia - an organ or tissue that has failed to grow to normal size in the first place

Question 13

The entire length gastrointestinal tract is lined by epithelium. what is the difference between erosion and ulceration?

Answer 13

erosion - when the epithelium is damaged but not all the layers are lost
ulceration - when all the epithelial layers are damaged down to the basement membrane

Question 14

what is stomatitis?

Answer 14

generalised inflammation of the mouth, not stomach lol
*see alpaca mouth in picture

Question 15

Diarrhoea: Diarrhoea is the presence of excess water in faeces - this is classified into small or large bowel diarrhoea. which is which?
a. infrequent passage of large amounts of fluid faeces
b. frequent passage of small amounts of fluid faeces

Answer 15

a. small bowel diarrhoea
b. large bowel diarrhoea

Question 16

which can be due to increased secretion of fluid, decreased absorption of fluid (due to shortening of villi, reducing the surface area for absorption) or increased permeability of the mucosa?
a. small bowel diarrhoea
b. large bowel diarrhoea

Answer 16

a. small bowel diarrhoea (infrequent passage of large amounts of fluid faeces)

Question 17

what is melaena?

Answer 17

digested blood from the stomach/proximal GIT in the faeces, has a black and tarry appearance

Question 18

what is haematochezia?

Answer 18

undigested, bright red blood in the faeces - this will be from the lower GI tract (colon, rectum, or anus)

Question 19

what is haematemesis?

Answer 19

blood in vomit - normally due to an upper GIT bleed, looks like coffee grounds if blood is digested

Question 20

what is dysphagia?

Answer 20

Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing, and may be seen with oral, oesophageal or generalised neuromuscular diseases.

Question 21

which cells form HCL?

Answer 21

chief cells - in the stomach or abomasum respectively

Question 22

true or false? Continual turnover of epithelium occurs in the intestinal mucosa, with complete replacement of the surface mucosa every 36-48 hours

Answer 22

yup - cells grow at the base and move up the villi (seems very quick to be turning over cells though)

Question 23

what is gingivitis?

Answer 23

inflammation of the gums

Question 24

what is gastritis?

Answer 24

inflammation of the stomach

Question 25

what is enteritis?

Answer 25

inflammation of the intestine

Question 26

what is typhlitis?

Answer 26

inflammation of the caecum

Question 27

what is colitis?

Answer 27

inflammation of the colon

Question 28

what does GALT stand for?

Answer 28

gut-associated lymphoid tissue

Question 29

what are peyer's patches?

Answer 29

specialized clusters of lymphoid tissue found in the lining of the small intestine

Question 30

Any disease causing irritation of the intestinal mucosa can result in increased secretion of mucus from.... a. goblet cells b. chief cells

Answer 30

a. goblet cells (chief cells secrete HCL)

Question 31

what change is being depicted by the green arrow on this horse oesophagus? a. atresia b. typhlitis c. stenosis d. melaena

Answer 31

c. stenosis - narrowing, in this instance of the oesophagus

Question 32

In chronic intestinal disease resulting in protein loss, would you expect albumin, globulin, or both to be decreased in serum? a. Albumin b. Globulin c. Both

Answer 32

c. Both - both can be lost through damaged mucosa

Question 33

You want to collect an intestinal sample for bacterial culture. Which type of sample pottle would be suitable for this? a. left b. right

Answer 33

b. right - the formalin on the left is only used for histology samples *bacterial culture, PCR and ELISA tests all need to be performed on fresh samples

Question 34

where would be the best place to store an intestinal sample needed for bacterial culture it until it can be sent to the lab? a. In your vet ute b. At room temperature in the clinic c. In the fridge d. In the freezer

Answer 34

c. In the fridge - samples need to be kept cool and moist

Question 35

What ratio of tissue to formalin do you need in your histology sampling jar? a. 1:1 (equal parts tissue and formalin) b. 1:2 (1 part tissue to 2 parts formalin) c. 1:10 (1 part tissue to 10 parts formalin) d. 1:20 (1 part tissue to 20 parts formalin)

Answer 35

c. 1:10 (1 part tissue to 10 parts formalin)

Question 36

Below are two images of horse intestines at PM, which are filled with gas. Do these images show postmortem accumulation of gas or a pathologic process leading to intestinal dilation? a. PM change on the left, pathologic change on the right b. PM change on the right, pathologic change on the left c. Both images show PM changes only d. Both images show pathologic changes only

Answer 36

a. PM change on the left, pathologic change on the right

Question 37

The images below are of a 5 day old lamb at postmortem. Are the intestines dilated due to a postmortem or pathologic change? a. Postmortem dilation b. Pathologic dilation

Answer 37

b. Pathologic dilation - lamb suffering from atresia (no bumhole). the amount of dilation is more severe than expected for a PM change too

Question 38

The intestines of a puppy are shown on the right. What is the orange-yellow colour (black arrow) due to? a. bile imbibition b. haemoglobin imbibition c. putrefaction d. pseudomelanosis

Answer 38

a. bile imbibition *imbibition - the absorption of one substance by another

Question 39

Is the dark area (white arrow) an area of... a. pseudmelanosis b. compromised blood supply

Answer 39

b. compromised blood supply - pseudomelanosis would usually be darker and more patchy, and you can also see that the blood vessels are congested here

Question 40

what congenital defect is this? a. Cleft palate (palatoschisis) b. cleft or hare lip (cheiloschisis)

Answer 40

b. cleft or hare lip (cheiloschisis)

Question 41

what congenital defect is this? a. Cleft palate (palatoschisis) b. cleft or hare lip (cheiloschisis)

Answer 41

a. Cleft palate (palatoschisis)

Question 42

What clinical signs would you expect the puppy in this image to present with?

Answer 42

difficulty eating/drinking - often milk coming out their nose - poor growth over time - often die of aspiration pneumonia

Question 43

The cause of cleft palate and hare lip is unknown in most cases, but what are some of the incriminated causes so far?

Answer 43

cattle - teratogenic plants (e.g. hemlock, lupins) cats - drugs eg griseofulvin dogs - genetic causes

Question 44

what is Brachygnathia?

Answer 44

the congenital shortening of the jaw - brachygnathia superior (short maxilla) - brachygnathia inferior (short mandible)

Question 45

what is wrong with this bulldog? a. brachygnathia superior b. brachygnathia inferior

Answer 45

a. brachygnathia superior - congenital shortening of the maxilla

Question 46

Does the ewe have: a. brachygnathia superior, or b. brachygnathia inferior and do you think this would affect the ewe's feed intake?

Answer 46

b. brachygnathia inferior (congenital shortening of the mandible, aka "parrot mouth") - as sheep only have lower incisors and a dental pad at the top, she'd struggle to eat low pasture covers as she wouldn't be able to get her mandible low enough in the grass to take a bite

Question 47

what is enamel hypoplasia caused by?

Answer 47

cattle - in calves infected with BVD in eutero, or fluorine poisoning in adults dogs - post distemper (a morbillivirus infection) as puppies *basically any systemic disturbance that affects the function of ameloblasts (enamel making cells) can interfere with enamel formation in young animals.

Question 48

true or false - abnormal pigmentation of teeth can occur after the administration of tetracycline antibiotics to young growing animals (or a pregnant dam)?

Answer 48

true *Tetracycline is chelated by calcium and incorporated with it into the enamel, causing permanent yellow to grey discolouration, and bright yellow fluorescence under ultraviolet light.

Question 49

true or false - black pigmentation of cheek teeth is a NORMAL finding in ruminants

Answer 49

true - it's due to the staining of mineral salts with chlorophyll from herbage

Question 50

what does dental attrition mean? a. teeth growing too fast b. the normal wearing process of teeth with age c. teeth falling out

Answer 50

b. the normal wearing process of teeth with age

Question 51

which of the following is NOT a cause of abnormal dental attrition (wear)? a. malocclusion of teeth b. abnormal softness of teeth (due to nutritional, metabolic or toxic diseases) c. tetracycline use in utero d. abnormal chewing movements (e.g. due to pain) e. loss of an opposing tooth (i.e. no wear) f. abrasive diets (e.g. ingesting large amounts of soil)

Answer 51

c. tetracycline use in utero - everything else does

Question 52

A client tells you they've seen an advertisement for 'anaesthesia-free dentals' on Facebook, and are considering it for their old dog with periodontal disease as it would avoid the risk of a general anaesthetic and the before and after photos look great. What would you advise them about this?

Answer 52

NO - plaque accumulates below the gumline as well as above, only a cosmetic improvement Inflammation of the teeth and periodontal tissue - see image

Question 53

Common causes of oral inflammation and/or ulceration include all of these except... a. trauma b. UV damage c. uraemia d. allergic/autoimmune disease e. viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases f. drinking milk

Answer 53

f. drinking milk lolllll

Question 54

how does UV light cause oral cavity damage?

Answer 54

a. Cows can develop erosions on the ventral midline of their tongue with diseases causing photosensitisation (exposed to sunlight when the cow licks) b. Animals (especially pigs) eating celery and parsnip can develop vesicles and ulcers on their snout and lips as these plants contain compounds that react with UV light

Question 55

What clinical sign would you expect to see in a dog that had chewed this plant? a. Drooling b. Dyspnoea c. Regurgitation d. Vomiting

Answer 55

a. Drooling - this is the most common symptom of oral irritation and trauma *Some common houseplants, like the popular Monstera plant, contain calcium oxalate crystals that can embed themselves in the oral cavity if an animal chews on the leaves

Question 56

what is Necrobacillosis (calf diptheria), and what are it's predisposing factors?

Answer 56

- a bacterial (due to Fusobacterium necrophorum) infection in ruminants - caused by damage to the caudal pharynx mucosa (eg tube feeding or drenching) which creates an anaerobic environment for this bacteria

Question 57

what is Actinobacillosis (“woody tongue”), and what are it's predisposing factors?

Answer 57

- bacterial disease (caused by Actinobacillus lignieresi - part of normal oral flora. gram negative). creates a pyogranulomatous (mixed neutrophils and macrophages) inflammatory response, firm from all the fibrin around the inflammation - trauma to the mouth (thistles, rough feed, tooth eruption) allows bacteria to enter

Question 58

what is Actinomyces (“lumpy jaw”) and it's predisposing factors?

Answer 58

- bacterial disease (caused by Actinomyces bovis, gram positive, part of normal oral flora), similar to woody tongue except also invades bone resulting in pyogranulomatous infection in the maxilla and mandible - similar to woody tongue, breaks in the oral skin (thistles, rough feed, tooth eruption)

Question 59

what is Candidiasis (thrush), and it's predisposing factors?

Answer 59

- fungal disease (due to Candida albicans), it's the superficial inflammation of the stratified squamous epithelium (of the mouth, even stomach/rumen). basically a brown/white layer of excessive, partly keratinised epithelium and exudate over affected area - usually happens after prolonged antibiotic therapy that alters the oral microflora to favour fungi, or another mild disease allowing excess epithelial debris to build up

Question 60

As a new graduate vet, you are called to examine 2 young cows in a dairy replacement mob that presented with increased salivation. The tongue of one cow is pictured on the left. What would you do next?

Answer 60

call MPI just in case - looks like blisters/vesicles. vesicles - could be foot and mouth, or other bad exotic viral diseases (read image)

Question 61

revision question: What does hyperplasia refer to? a. Increased numbers of cells b. Increased size of cells

Answer 61

a. Increased numbers of cells either benign or malignant:

Question 62

what does metastasis mean?

Answer 62

the process by which cancer cells break away from their original tumour and spread to other parts of the body, forming new tumours

Question 63

Epulis is a general clinical term for....

Answer 63

tumour-like masses on the gingiva (gums). It does not imply a specific diagnosis and has been used to describe a range of hyperplastic, reactive and tumour-like lesions involving the gums. eg, the image below:

Question 64

Malignant oral neoplasia - cats. is the information below relating to... a. fibrosarcoma b. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

Answer 64

b. squamous cell carcinoma - doesn't metastasise to the lungs, does invade local soft tissue and bone a lot

Question 65

Malignant oral neoplasia - cats. is the information below relating to... a. fibrosarcoma b. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)

Answer 65

a. fibrosarcoma - metastisises to lungs/lymph nodes - does attach to and invade underlying bone

Question 66

Patches is a 12-year-old Domestic Short Hair cat who has presented to you with the oral mass pictured below. 1. what clinical signs would you expect patches to present with? 2. what technique would you use to collect a cytology sample from this mass?

Answer 66

1. difficulty eating/reduced appetite - leads to weight loss (owners don't check mouth much) 2. sedate cat and collect a FNA if deep enough, or scraping if too shallow

Question 67

Malignant oral neoplasia - dogs is the information below relating to... a. fibrosarcoma b. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) c. melanoma

Answer 67

c. melanoma grow rapidly and may ulcerate and invade bone. In most cases, metastasis to the regional lymph nodes, lungs or other distant sites has occurred by the time of diagnosis - probs will die in 2-3 months even with treatment

Question 68

Malignant oral neoplasia - dogs: is the information below relating to... a. fibrosarcoma b. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) c. melanoma

Answer 68

b. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) - tonsil edition metastises - gum edition mostly invades local tissue/bone

Question 69

Malignant oral neoplasia - dogs: is the information below relating to... a. fibrosarcoma b. squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) c. melanoma

Answer 69

a. fibrosarcoma - young large breed dogs, grows rapidly, will probably come back after removal

Question 70

oral masses in dogs - match the cytology case with the correct diagnosis: a. melanoma b. squamous cell carcinoma c. fibrosarcoma

Answer 70

b. squamous cell carcinoma - these cells are clustering (epithelial) and show signs of malignancy. neutrophils likely secondary to ulceration, and a few RBCs in the background giving the red/brown colour

Question 71

oral masses in dogs - match the cytology case with the correct diagnosis: a. melanoma b. squamous cell carcinoma c. fibrosarcoma

Answer 71

c. fibrosarcoma - these are spindle shaped cells (mesenchymal), and variability associated with malignancy = sarcoma. the fibro part is a guess based on location and likelihood (oral cavity of a dog)

Question 72

oral masses in dogs - match the cytology case with the correct diagnosis: a. melanoma b. squamous cell carcinoma c. fibrosarcoma

Answer 72

a. melanoma - round cells, show signs of malignancy (anisocytosis, anisokaryosis, large nucleoli). green/black nuclear material = melanin

Question 73

oral inflammation and ulcers: what's the missing word? - hint... it's a WBC

Answer 73

Eosinophilic (indolent) ulcers