Listeriosis is a disease that affects several animal species, including humans, and has three different forms of presentation: encephalic, reproductive, or septicemic. The nervous form is caused mainly by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. In Brazil, this disease has already been described in sheep, goats, and cattle. There are no reports of the disease in buffaloes in Brazil and worldwide. The objective of this study was to describe an outbreak of listeric meningoencephalitis in buffaloes in the state of Pará, Brazil. The outbreak occurred in a property located in the municipality of Bujaru, in the eastern Amazon, from May to July 2016. In a herd of 47 buffaloes, three animals (Cases 1, 2 and 3), aged <40 days, presented a neurological condition with locomotion difficulty characterized by paralysis of the four limbs, hypoesthesia, lateral recumbency, and death. Morbidity was 6.38% and lethality was 100%. At necropsy, no significant macroscopic lesions were found. Samples of the central nervous system were collected, fixed in 10% buffered formalin, and routinely processed for histopathological analysis. The main microscopic changes observed were unilateral microabscesses in the brainstem composed predominantly of mononuclear cells, with fewer polymorphonuclear cells, and perivascular cuffs composed mostly of mononuclear cells and few neutrophils. Samples of Cases 1 and 2 revealed Gram-positive bacteria in the areas of necrosis by the Gram’s stain technique. Samples of Case 1 were positive in immunohistochemistry for L. monocytogenes. Diagnosis of the nervous form of listeriosis was based on epidemiological data, clinical profile, and immunostaining for Listeria monocytogenes. Results showed that listeriosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis in buffaloes with nervous signs.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi caracterizar os sistemas de produção de ovinos e caprinos na microrregião de Castanhal - Pará. Entre março de 2014 a maio de 2015 foram realizadas visitas a 60 propriedades criadoras de ovinos e caprinos da microrregião de Castanhal - PA, onde aplicou-se um questionário epidemiológico para obtenção de dados relacionados ao manejo produtivo, nutricional, sanitário e reprodutivo do rebanho, infraestrutura e gerenciamento das propriedades. O tipo de criação predominante era extensivo, com pastejo contínuo, com suplementação mineral somente em 46,6% das propriedades. Em 93,4% das propriedades o reprodutor era mantido junto com as fêmeas o ano inteiro, enquanto em apenas 3,4% utilizavam estação de monta e em 3,4% faziam monta controlada. As doenças relatadas como frequentes foram: parasitoses gastrointestinais (90%), afecções podais (80%), mortalidade de cordeiros (48,4%), linfadenite caseosa (31,7%), mastites (25%) e dermatite alérgica (20%). Também foram relatados abortos (10%), problemas respiratórios (6,7%), alterações nervosas (8,4%), ceratoconjuntivite (13,4%) e ectima contagioso (13,4%). A bovinocultura era a principal atividade desenvolvida pela maioria das propriedades do estudo e a ovinocaprinocultura secundária. Em 88,3% das propriedades não eram comercializados animais para o abate ou os reprodutores. Os resultados deste trabalho demonstraram que o nível de organização das criações de pequenos ruminantes era precário, sem utilização de técnicas de manejo e não possuíam assistência técnica, apresentando elevados índices de mortalidade, principalmente, pelas parasitoses gastrointestinais e problemas podais.

A pig was in left lateral recumbency with limb spasticity, accentuated prostration, and strabismus, and was euthanized. During autopsy, yellowing of the leptomeninges at the ventral pons to medulla oblongata was noted. In the cerebellar peduncles, there was a focally extensive black-to-yellow area at the level of the vestibular nuclei. Histologic examination revealed a cross-section of a nematode larva, consistent with Stephanurus dentatus, bordered by edema and marked infiltration of mononuclear cells, plasma cells, and a few eosinophils. Vacuolation of the neuropil, with rare gitter cells and axonal spheroids, was also observed. We diagnosed parasitic encephalitis caused by S. dentatus migration based on the pathology findings and characterization of the parasite.