Toxoplasmosis is a widely distributed disease that infects birds and mammals, including humans. Acute clinical course of toxoplasmosis is considered to be rare among domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The aim of this study was to present the first report of fatal acute disease caused by Toxoplasma gondii type BrIII genotype, a typical Brazilian clonal lineage, in a domestic rabbit. T. gondii was identified in histological sections of spleen and liver tissue, and these tissues were also immunohistochemically positive for T. gondii. After the histopathological and immunohistochemical confirmation of T. gondii, the genotype of this pathogen was determined via PCR-RFLP with 11 markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, Apico, and CS3) and via microsatellite (MS) analysis with 15 markers (TUB2, W35, TgMA, B18, B17, M33, IV.1, X1.1, M48, M102, N60, N82, AA, N61, and N83). This study shows that type BrIII genotype, circulating in Brazil in different hosts, can cause acute disease in a naturally infected animal host. The described case also involves the first reported occurrence of the 291 allele for the typing marker TUB2 in a type BrIII strain, emphasizing the genetic diversity of T. gondii in Brazil.

Este estudo avaliou a participação de Neospora caninum em casos de abortos em bovinos provenientes de propriedades rurais da região sul de Minas Gerais por meio de análises histopatológicas, imuno-histoquímicas (IHQ) e pela reação em Cadeia de Polimerase (PCR). O material utilizado foi obtido de um estudo retrospectivo de casos de aborto recebidos pelo Setor de Patologia Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Lavras e de fetos necropsiados durante os anos de 2011 a 2013. De 60 fetos estudados, 30 (50%) tinham lesões microscópicas. Destes, 19 (63%) apresentaram lesões compatíveis com aborto por N. caninum, caracterizadas principalmente por encefalite não supurativa multifocal, necrose e gliose multifocal, assim como, miocardite e miosite não supurativa. Em 14 fetos chegou-se ao diagnóstico definitivo. Destes, cinco tiveram sua confirmação somente pela marcação IHQ e cinco foram positivos somente na PCR. Quatro fetos foram positivos tanto na IHQ quanto na PCR. Cinco fetos, provenientes do estudo retrospectivo apresentaram lesões compatíveis com N. caninum, mas a presença do protozoário não foi confirmada pela marcação IHQ. Os achados demonstram que o N. caninum é um importante agente associado ao aborto em bovinos na região sul de Minas Gerais. Para tanto, além das lesões microscópicas a associação entre a IHQ e a técnica de PCR foi essencial para a confirmação do diagnóstico.

RESUMO.-As enfermidades fúngicas são diagnósticos diferenciais de diversas morbidades de caráter infeccioso, degenerativo ou proliferativo neoplásico, principalmente em gatos, que é a espécie mais suscetível a estas. Este trabalho descreve os achados anatomopatológicos de doenças fúngi-cas em gatos no período de janeiro de 2005 a dezembro de 2015 pelo SPV-UFRGS. Foram revisados 1.274 protocolos de necropsia e encontrou-se 17 casos de micoses, correspondendo a 1,33% dos diagnósticos. Quanto às amostras provenientes de biopsias, foram verificados 2.615 protocolos e detectou-se 59 casos de doenças fúngicas, totalizando 2,25% dos diagnósticos, sendo revisados seus achados macroscópi-cos, microscópicos, colorações especiais e cultivo micológico. O principal diagnóstico encontrado foi esporotricose com 34 casos de biópsia e cinco de necropsia. Criptococose obteve seis diagnósticos na necropsia e 13 na biópsia. O pseudomicetoma dermatofítico possui cinco casos de biópsia e dois de necropsia. Histoplasmose obteve um diagnóstico na necropsia e dois na biópsia. Aspergilose teve dois casos diagnosticados na necropsia. Candidíase e feo-hifomicose obtiveram um caso cada. Em quatro ocasiões, não se pode identificar o agente envolvido na lesão e foram classificados conforme a alteração morfológica em: dermatite fúngica, enterite fúngi-ca, rinite micótica e dermatite e osteomielite fúngica. Através deste trabalho, pode-se identificar que a esporotricose foi o diagnóstico de doença fúngica mais frequente em felinos, seguido da criptococose e pseudomicetoma dermatofítico.

Equine multisystemic eosinophilic epitheliotropic disease (MEED) is a rare disease, characterized by eosinophilia and eosinophilic infiltration of several organs. A 5-year-old horse presented pruritus, areas of alopecia, and moderate eosinophilia. The horse was treated with corticosteroids and antibiotics without substantial improvement; and after the disease progressed to fever, diarrhea, gastric reflux and progressive weight loss. Due to poor prognosis the horse was euthanized. Necropsy revealed poor body condition, multiple to coalescing foci of alopecia, with epidermal ulcerations and crusts on the head and distal parts of the limbs. The proximal duodenum was enlarged, with 3 intraluminal nodules. Histopathological evaluation revealed eosinophilic granulomas in the skin, oral mucosa, duodenum, pancreas, and mesenteric lymph nodes, which were associated with infiltrates of eosinophils, lymphocytes, macrophages, multinucleated giant cells, and occasional plasma cells, along with fibrovascular connective tissue proliferation. MEED should be included in the differential diagnosis of horses with skin lesions concomitant with clinical signs of gastrointestinal illness.

BackgroundNeospora caninum is an apicomplexan protozoan that is considered one of the main agents responsible for abortion in ruminants. The lesions found in the central nervous system (CNS) of aborted fetuses show multifocal necrosis, gliosis, and perivascular cuffs of mononuclear cells, but the inflammatory and glial cells have not been immunophenotypically characterized. The lesions in the CNS of infected adult animals have rarely been described. Therefore, in this study, we characterized the lesions, the immunophenotypes of the inflammatory and glial cells and the expression of MHC-II and PCNA in the CNS of goats infected with N. caninum. The CNS of eight aborted fetuses and six adult male goats naturally infected with N. caninum were analyzed with lectin histochemistry (RCA1) and immunohistochemistry (with anti-CD3, −CD79α, −GFAP, −MHC-II, and -PCNA antibodies). All animals were the offspring of dams naturally infected with N. caninum.ResultsThe microscopic lesions in the CNS of the aborted fetuses consisted of perivascular cuffs composed mainly of macrophages (RCA1+), rare T lymphocytes (CD3+), and rare B lymphocytes (CD79α+). Multifocal necrosis surrounded by astrocytes (GFAP+), gliosis composed predominantly of monocytic-lineage cells (macrophages and microglia, RCA1+), and the cysts of N. caninum, related (or not) to the lesions were present. Similar lesions were found in four of the six male goats, and multinucleate giant cells related to focal gliosis were also found in three adult goats. Anti-GFAP immunostaining showed astrocytes characterizing areas of glial scarring. Cysts of N. caninum were found in three adult male goats. The presence of N. caninum was evaluated with histopathology, immunohistochemistry, and PCR. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated anti-PCNA labeling of macrophages and microglia in the perivascular cuffs and the expression of MHC-II by microglia and endothelial cells in the CNS of the aborted fetuses and adult male goats.ConclusionsMacrophages and microglia were the predominant inflammatory cells in the CNS of aborted fetuses and healthy adult male goats infected with N. caninum. Activated astrocytes were mainly associated with inflamed areas, suggesting that astrocytes were involved in the resolution of the lesions.