Bovine besnoitiosis is a debilitating infectious disease caused by Besnoitia besnoiti (Apicomplexa; Sarcocystidae). The disease is mainly characterized by cutaneous and systemic signs, infertility in bulls, and abortion in cows. The current study describes an autochthonous outbreak of bovine besnoitiosis in Sicily, Southern Italy, being the first report of B. besnoiti infection in the island so far. In a cattle farm located in Syracuse province, a 4-year-old Belgian blue bull born in Sicily displayed typical clinical signs of the sub-acute/chronic disease phase with thickening of the skin of the scrotum and testicular degeneration. Histological examination of scrotal biopsies revealed the presence of several tissue cysts of B. besnoiti. The serological analysis of the herd using a commercial ELISA revealed a high seroprevalence (45 out of 55; 82%) of antibodies against B. besnoiti. Few seropositive animals (5 out of 45; 11%) showed clinical signs, cysts in vestibulum vaginae (1 out of 31; 3.2%), and testicular degeneration (4 out of 14; 28.6%) assessed by ultrasonographic investigations. The paucity of clinical signs associated with the high seroprevalence in the farm led to hypothesize that bovine besnoitiosis is endemic in the area though further studies are needed. Local practitioners should be more aware of the disease to facilitate the early detection of cases, prevent the spread of infection, and avoid economic losses and animal health problem.

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This study aimed to investigate the morphological patterns of the genital tract after long-term treatment of deslorelin acetate in a female cat, a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist currently used in adult cats to obtain transient oestrus suppression. A 1-year-old Chartreux female cat was treated with 4.7 mg deslorelin acetate to suppress oestrus manifestations. The treatment was repeated for a total of × 3 every 2 years. After 8 years, the female cat came into oestrus again, but she was no more implanted, and an ovariohysterectomy was performed. Before surgery, an ultrasound examination was performed that showed a normal uterus and the presence of about 5 follicles in ovaries. Concentrations of oestradiol, progesterone, and vaginal smears were compatible with oestrus. During surgery, a very short ovarian pedicle was observed yet neither uterus nor ovaries presented appreciable alterations. At histology, the ovaries presented a juvenile appearance with numerous primordial and periovulatory follicles. The uterus showed marked endometrial hyperplasia with polypoid projection and atrophic myometrium. Based on this case report, deslorelin acetate is a powerful drug able to preserve ovarian function. However, the suppression of gonadotrophin, especially for a long period, has a detrimental atrophic effect on the target organs during treatment and, on the opposite, hyperplastic changes may occur after the restoring of normal cyclicity.

Neoplastic progression is influenced by the expression of tumour antigens that activate an anti-tumour immune response. Human medical studies show that this body defence is carried out in secondary lymphoid organs (SLOs) but also directly in the tumour through organized cellular aggregates that are called tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs). However, their occurrence has different meanings in different tumour types. For example, the presence of TLSs in breast cancer is associated with the most aggressive subtypes. This paper aimed to study TLSs in canine mammary simple carcinomas. A morphological assessment of the inflammatory infiltrate was performed on H&E sections of fifty cases. Immunohistochemistry was then carried out to typify the inflammatory cells in the tumour microenvironment. Results showed that, sometimes, inflammatory infiltrates were organized in follicles close to high-grade carcinomas, simulating a lymphoid organization, as in breast cancer. Therefore, we can assume that even in canine mammary tumours, TLSs exist and they are entities to consider due to their presence in the most aggressive histotypes or tumours with a high degree of malignancy.