In this study we describe the epidemiology, clinical signs, and pathology of an outbreak of avian aspergillosis in alternative breeding in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Between the fifth and tenth day of life, 360 chicks from a flock of 4000 developed unspecific clinical signs and died. The birds were housed in a reused aviary litter, without previous treatment. In 11 six-day-old female ISA Brown chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus), necropsy revealed firm, yellowish-white, multinodular lesions extending from the pleura to the lung parenchyma. Histologically, a granulomatous, multifocal to coalescent pneumonia was observed. Granulomas were characterized by central necrosis, with heterophil and epithelioid macrophage infiltration and presence of countless Y-shaped intralesional septate hyphae morphologically compatible with Aspergillus spp. The diagnosis through isolation confirmed Aspergillus fumigatus. We highlight the importance of aspergillosis as a primary cause of diseases in the respiratory tract of young birds in alternative breeding. Measures to prevent aspergillosis mainly regarding the reuse of aviary litter are essential in poultry husbandry to prevent economic losses, reduce environmental contamination and mitigate the potential risk to public health.

We characterized the immunohistochemical expression profiles of dysgerminomas from a 16-y-old maned wolf and 13 domestic dogs using the following biomarkers: Sal-like protein 4 (SALL4), octamer-binding transcription factor 3/4 (OCT3/4), placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), c-kit, and vimentin. The maned wolf had nonspecific and long-standing clinical signs of lethargy, anorexia, and weight loss, and was euthanized because of poor prognosis. At autopsy, the left ovary was effaced by a 12 × 8 × 6 cm mass, comprised of anaplastic cells with a mitotic count of 20 mitoses in 10 high power fields. Dysgerminomas from 7 of 13 domestic dogs had nuclear expression of SALL4. Dysgerminomas from the maned wolf and 2 domestic dogs had both nuclear and cytoplasmic expression of SALL4. Cytoplasmic expression of PLAP and OCT3/4 was present in dysgerminomas from the maned wolf and 3 (PLAP) or 4 (OCT3/4) domestic dogs. All dysgerminomas expressed vimentin. Membranous c-kit expression was rare in the dysgerminoma from the maned wolf, and variable in dysgerminomas from 4 domestic dogs. A dysgerminoma from a domestic dog had cytoplasmic expression of c-kit. SALL4 is a useful marker to confirm germ cell origin of dysgerminoma in canids.

This study aimed to verify the occurrence of Dioctophyme renale in stray dogs in the city of Pelotas, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The Laboratório Regional de Diagnóstico of the Universidade Federal de Pelotas received 146 wandering dogs for necropsy, sent by the City Hall of Pelotas from March 2012 to January 2020. Among the necropsied animals, seventeen dogs (11.64%) were diagnosed with dioctophymosis. Among these dogs, 11 were parasitized with one specimen in the right kidney, two dogs presented two specimens in the right kidney, and in other two dogs, the parasites were in the abdominal cavity. In one dog, two parasites were found in the left kidney; in another dog, both kidneys were parasitized, with two parasites in the right kidney and one in the left kidney. The data obtained in this study showed that the occurrence of D. renale in stray dogs in the city of Pelotas is high, and D. renale mainly parasitizes the right kidney.

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Background: Xanthium spp., the cockleburs, are invasive plants found on riverbanks, lakeshores, and floodplains. Ingestion of Xanthium sprouts or fruit causes cocklebur toxicosis, which is characterized clinically and pathologically by acute liver failure. The main lesion observed is an accentuation of the lobular pattern of the liver (nutmeg appearance), which is microscopically characterized by coagulation necrosis in the centrilobular region, hepatocyte degeneration in other regions of the hepatic parenchyma, and sinusoidal congestion. The objective of this study was to describe an outbreak of spontaneous cattle poisoning by ingestion of Xanthium spp. sprouts in the southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.Case: In September 2018, a beef cattle farm located in Rio Grande county, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, reported significant mortality of cattle in a short period of time. There were 700 cattle on the property, divided by class into three different herds, all kept under extensive conditions in native wetlands. All fields were heavily infested by cocklebur, with most plants in the budding stage. Twenty animals developed muscle tremors, salivation, aggression, and recumbency. The clinical course lasted 24 to 48 hours, with a lethal outcome in all cases. An 18-month-old male crossbreed bovine was sent to the Regional Diagnostic Laboratory of the Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel) School of Veterinary Medicine for necropsy. Gross examination revealed ascites and accentuation of the lobular pattern of the liver. Organ fragments were harvested and fixed in 10% buffered formalin. Microscopically, the liver exhibited marked coagulation necrosis in the centrilobular region and vacuolization of the hepatocyte cytoplasm in the midzonal and periportal regions. In the brain, there was perineuronal edema, cytoplasmic shrinkage and basophilia, gliosis, and satellitosis.Discussion: In the present case, the diagnosis of cocklebur toxicosis was based on clinical and epidemiological data as well as macroscopic and microscopic histopathology findings, and was confirmed by the presence of Xanthium spp. in the grazing sites of the affected animals. The detection and identification of Xanthium spp. are essential for correct etiologic diagnosis, since the pathological lesions observed in cocklebur toxicosis are similar to those described in poisoning by other hepatotoxic plants (Cestrum parqui, Cestrum corymbosum, Cestrum intermedium, Dodonea viscosa, Trema micranta) and by Perreya flavipes larvae. Central nervous system (CNS) symptoms were the main clinical manifestation observed in this outbreak, and the CNS lesions observed on necropsy were similar to those described in previous cases of cocklebur toxicosis. The predominance of nervous signs in this condition often misdirects the clinical diagnosis toward diseases such as rabies and cerebral babesiosis, which are endemic in southern Rio Grande do Sul and important causes of mortality in cattle herds. In these cases, careful attention to epidemiology, necropsy findings, and histopathology are fundamental for establishing the definitive diagnosis of cocklebur toxicosis and thus preventing further cases from being missed. The description of this outbreak emphasizes the importance of cocklebur toxicosis as an underreported cause of acute mortality in cattle in southern Brazil.