scholarly journals Hematological, clinical and epidemiological aspects of Hepatozoon canis infection by parasitological detection in dogs from the rural area of Sousa, Paraíba, Brazil

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Vinícius Silva de Oliveira ◽  
Radabley Rith Almeida de Oliveira ◽  
Émerson Timóteo de Alcântara ◽  
Felipe Boniedj Ventura Álvares ◽  
Thais Ferreira Feitosa ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: Hepatozoonosis is caused by protozoa of the genus Hepatozoon. In dogs, the infection is caused mainly by Hepatozoon canis, and there are a few descriptions of the prevalence of this infection in the Northeast region of Brazil, especially in the semi-arid region. Therefore, we aimed to determine the prevalence of Hepatozoon canis infection in dogs in the rural area of Sousa, Paraíba, Brazil, as well as to determine the possible clinical and epidemiological aspects of this infection. Ninety-eight dogs in the rural zone of the municipality of Sousa that were at least 4 months old were evaluated, regardless of their breed or gender. Clinical examinations were carried out, and samples of systemic and peripheral blood were collected to determine the presence of the parasite in blood smears and carry out hemograms. In addition, epidemiological questionnaires about animal health and food management were completed. The prevalence of H. canis infections in dogs was 8.1% (8/98). There were three main changes in the hematological status: thrombocytopenia, anemia and hyperproteinemia, mainly related to percentage of leukocyte infection ≥5%, and also to the presence of clinical signs such as mucopurulent secretion, lymphadenomegaly, dry skin, pale mucous membranes, and lean or cachectic body score.

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-140
Author(s):  
Ruttayaporn Ngasaman ◽  
◽  
Narissara Keawchana ◽  
Pirayu Rakwong ◽  
◽  
...  

Haemoparasites affect animal health and the production leading to economic losses and may have effects on human health. In Thailand, there are few reports of infections in the bullfighting cattle are for cultural fighting competitions. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the distribution of haemoparasites infection in bullfighting cattle in order to control the transmission of disease to the local domestic cattle. A total of 1906 blood samples were collected from the bullfighting cattle from eight provinces in southern Thailand from 2017 to 2020. Those cattle showed the clinical signs of gasping, pale mucous membrane, haematuria, anorexia, sneezing and weakness. Micro-haematocrit centrifugation and thin blood smears with Giemsa’s staining were used. The results indicated 42.50% (810/1906) of cases positive for haemoparasites infection. The most commonly found was Theileria spp. (38.20%, 728/1906) followed by microfilaria of Setaria spp. (2.68%, 51/1906), Trypanosoma spp. (1.21%, 23/1906), Babesia spp. (0.94%, 18/1906) and Anaplasma spp. (0.10%, 2/1906). Out of 810 positive samples, there was co-infection between Theileria spp. and Setaria spp. (1.36%, 11/810), Theileria spp. and Babesia spp. (0.99%, 8/810), and Theileria spp., Trypanosoma spp. and Setaria spp. (0.37%, 3/810). The distribution of haemoparasites infection in eight raising areas ranged from 39.71 to 75%, with no significantly differences. From this result is was determined that haemoparasites were of generalised distribution in southern Thailand. Therefore, there should be strict surveillance and control of movement of cattle into the fighting arena. Moreover, vector control and blood checking before fighting should be promoted.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 298
Author(s):  
Esther Dirks ◽  
Phebe de Heus ◽  
Anja Joachim ◽  
Jessika-M. V. Cavalleri ◽  
Ilse Schwendenwein ◽  
...  

A 23-year-old pregnant warmblood mare from Güssing, Eastern Austria, presented with apathy, anemia, fever, tachycardia and tachypnoea, and a severely elevated serum amyloid A concentration. The horse had a poor body condition and showed thoracic and pericardial effusions, and later dependent edema and icteric mucous membranes. Blood smear and molecular analyses revealed an infection with Theileria equi. Upon treatment with imidocarb diproprionate, the mare improved clinically, parasites were undetectable in blood smears, and 19 days after hospitalization the horse was discharged from hospital. However, 89 days after first hospitalization, the mare again presented to the hospital with an abortion, and the spleen of the aborted fetus was also PCR-positive for T. equi. On the pasture, where the horse had grazed, different developmental stages of Dermacentor reticulatus ticks were collected and subjected to PCR, and one engorged specimen was positive for T. equi. All three amplicon sequences were identical (T. equi genotype E). It is suspected that T. equi may repeatedly be transmitted in the area where the infected mare had grazed, and it could be shown that transmission to the fetus had occurred. Due to the chronic nature of equine theileriosis and the possible health implications of infection, it is advised to include this disease in the panel of differential diagnoses in horses with relevant clinical signs, including horses without travel disease, and to be aware of iatrogenic transmission from inapparent carrier animals.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. 65-65
Author(s):  
Julang Li ◽  
Nadeem Akhtar ◽  
Celina Osakowicz ◽  
Lauren Fletcher ◽  
Karmin O ◽  
...  

Abstract Intestinal disorders and colitis affect both animals and humans. The pathogenesis behind the inflammation is complex and not entirely understood. Furthermore, the significant rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria has emphasized an urgent need for alternative anti-infective therapies. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is one of the appealing alternative to antibiotics due to their antimicrobial activity, mode of actions, and potential role in tissue repair. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays an important role in intestinal proliferation and differentiation and thus promotes intestinal development. Using food grade microorganisms such as Lactococcus lactis and yeast as hosts, our laboratory has produced recombinant porcine protegrin-1 (PG-1), a pig originated antimicrobial peptide and EGF via fermentation. Oral administration of PG-1 reduced Citrobacter rodentium induced intestinal infection in mice. This was evidenced by reduced histopathological changes in the colon, prevention of body weight loss, milder clinical signs of disease, and ultimately more effective clearance of bacterial infection. On the other hand, animal trials using the recombinant EGF demonstrated that it enhances intestinal development and growth of early weaned pig fed with antibiotic-free diet. Moreover, piglets challenged with enterotoxigenic Escherchia coli (E. coli) K88 showed similar beneficial responses to EGF as those fed diets with antibiotic in terms of improving gain to feed ratio and lowering oxidative stress. Taken together, our findings suggest the potential for cost-effective production and application of recombinant bioactive proteins as alternatives to antibiotics in animal health and production.


2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1431-1439
Author(s):  
S.C. Duarte ◽  
J.A. Parente ◽  
O.J. Silveira Neto ◽  
V.S. Jayme ◽  
T.S.A. Bastos ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT More than 300 species have been described in the genus Hepatozoon, occurring in different vertebrates. Among these, only Hepatozoon canis and Hepatozoon americanum are seen in dogs. Different methods may be used for laboratory diagnosis. The most common of these is direct parasitological examination of parasite stages in blood smears. The aim of this investigation was to conduct a phylogenetic study on Hepatozoon isolates from symptomatic dogs in the city of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. Blood samples were obtained from 40 symptomatic dogs that had been referred to the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Goiás. Among these, only two samples were positive for Hepatozoon spp. using the direct parasitological method. These samples were then subjected to a DNA extraction process and amplification of a fragment of the 18S rRNA by means of PCR. Subsequently, the PCR products from each sample were purified and sequenced. The sequences obtained were then analyzed using the BLASTn algorithm, which identified both sequences of this study as Hepatozoon canis. By applying the Mega4 software, it was confirmed that these isolates of H. canis from dogs in Goiânia are similar to other reference isolates of the same species from other regions of Brazil and worldwide.


2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (8) ◽  
pp. 1549-1553
Author(s):  
João G. Simões ◽  
Rosane Maria T. Medeiros ◽  
Márcia A. Medeiros ◽  
Robério G. Olinda ◽  
Antônio Flávio M. Dantas ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: Three outbreaks of poisoning by Portulaca oleracea were reported in sheep and goats in Northeast Brazil. In the first outbreak, 8 out of 20 sheep were affected and later died. In the second outbreak, three goats and one sheep died out of a flock of 30 animals that included both species. In the third outbreak, two out of 19 sheep were affected, and they recovered after a treatment of 2% methylene blue at a dose of 4 mg/kg body weight. In the first and second outbreaks, the animals ingested P. oleracea after it was cut and offered in feeders. In the third outbreak, the flock was grazing in an area that had been invaded by the plant. To determine the toxicity, P. oleracea was administered experimentally at a dose of 80g/kg of body weight to seven sheep, weighing 19-30 kg. One control sheep received green grass. One to four hours after P. oleracea ingestion, the animals showed clinical signs of poisoning characterized by cyanotic mucous membranes, bloat, ruminal pH of 8-9, pollakiuria, aerophagia, involuntary movements of the upper lip, apathy, tachypnea and tachycardia. Five animals recovered, including one that was treated with 1% methylene blue, and two animals died. During necropsy, the mucous membranes were brownish, and the blood was dark brown. Diphenylamine tests of the plant and of rumen contents were positive for nitrates. Positive results for nitrates were also found in 24 samples of P. oleracea that were collected in different places in the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba. We conclude that P. oleracea accumulates nitrates at toxic levels and may cause poisoning in sheep and goats.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Brianne Henderson

During a strangles outbreak within a herd of minature horses, a six week old foal developed acute onset clinical signs of sepsis and neurological deficits. The foal was euthanized and submitted for post-mortem at the Animal Health Laboratories, Guelph Ontario. Gross <em>post-mortem</em> examination noted severe bronchopneumonia, hypopyon of the right eye and a singular cerebellar peduncle abscess. Culture of the lungs and cerebellum produced a pure growth of <em>Streptococcus equi</em> ssp. <em>equi</em>. <em>Streptococcus equi</em> ssp. <em>equi</em>, the causative agent of equine strangles, produces an acute pyrexia, purulent lymphadenopathy of submandibular and retropharyngeal lymph nodes. Commonly, lymph node abscesses rupture and resolve without complication. Rarely, complications may include: dissemination of the bacteria with diffuse abscess formation, immune mediated disease (purpura haemorrhagica), rarely abscess formation within the central nervous system (CNS) can occur. These can be managed medically with appropriate antibiotics and drugs to reduce intra-cranial pressure, however surgical drainage and debulking of the abscess has been attempted successfully in a few cases.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 784-788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuela Crispo ◽  
C. Gabriel Sentíes-Cué ◽  
George L. Cooper ◽  
Grace Mountainspring ◽  
Charles Corsiglia ◽  
...  

Infectious coryza, caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum, is an acute respiratory disease of poultry that can result in substantial morbidity, mortality, and economic losses. In March 2017, the Turlock branch of the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory system encountered an unusual clinical and pathologic presentation of infectious coryza in 6 live, 29-d-old, commercial broiler chickens that were submitted for diagnostic investigation. Antemortem evaluation revealed severe neurologic signs, including disorientation, torticollis, and opisthotonos. Swollen head–like syndrome and sinusitis were also present. Histologically, severe sinusitis, cranial osteomyelitis, otitis media and interna, and meningoencephalitis were noted, explaining the clinical signs described. A. paragallinarum was readily isolated from the upper and lower respiratory tract, brain, and cranial bones. Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was also detected by PCR, and IBV was isolated in embryonated chicken eggs. Based on sequencing analysis, the IBV appeared 99% homologous to strain CA1737. A synergistic effect between A. paragallinarum and IBV, resulting in exacerbation of clinical signs and increased mortality, may have occurred in this case. A. paragallinarum should be considered among the possible causes of neurologic signs in chickens. Appropriate media should be used for bacterial isolation, and the role of additional contributing factors and/or complicating agents should be investigated in cases of infectious coryza.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1193
Author(s):  
Andrea De Bonis ◽  
Mariasole Colombo ◽  
Rossella Terragni ◽  
Barbara Bacci ◽  
Simone Morelli ◽  
...  

Canine hepatozoonosis caused by Hepatozoon canis is an emerging disease in Europe. Clinical pictures vary from subclinical to life-threatening and non-specific clinical signs are predominantly reported. A 2-month-old female puppy originating from Southern Italy was adopted and moved to Northern Italy. Then, the dog was brought to a local veterinary practice for gastrointestinal signs, migrating lameness and pruritic dermatitis, and then tested positive for Hepatozoon spp. gamonts at the blood smear. After treatment with imidocarb dipropionate and doxycycline, the dog showed an initial clinical improvement. However, gastrointestinal signs recurred, and diffuse superficial pyoderma appeared on the thoracolumbar region, along with fever, lethargy, and weight loss. Eight months from the first onset of clinical signs, the dog was referred to a veterinary clinic and subjected to complete blood count, urine and fecal analysis, along with abdominal ultrasonography, whole-body CT and gastroduodenal endoscopy. Skin biopsies and blood samples were subjected to a PCR-coupled sequencing protocol, which scored both positive for H. canis. Alterations were consistent with a pre-existing cholangiohepatitis and multiple acquired extrahepatic shunts secondary to portal hypertension. The dog was euthanatized due to a clinical worsening two months later. The potential role of H. canis in the systemic disease observed, clinic-pathological findings and epizootiological implications are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 07008
Author(s):  
E.A. Vitomskova

In such a large region as the Far North-East of Russia, there is still no purposeful ichthyopathological study of fish diseases, which has epizootic and epidemiological significance. The material for the study was commercial fish caught in different seasons of 1995-2021. As a result of the research, individuals of natural populations and in aquaculture with clinical signs of infectious and parasitic diseases were found, and cultures of virulent strains of microorganisms were isolated. According to the results of the parasitological study, larvae of nematodes of the family Anisakidae and plerocercoids of cestodes Diphyllobothriidae, which have important epidemiological and epizootic significance, were registered. Based on long-term ichthyopathological studies, a retrospective review of own data was carried out. The analysis of infectious diseases of mature individuals of anadromous Pacific salmon of the genus Oncorhynchus, as well as long-term parasitological monitoring in a comparative aspect of the invasion of commercial fish by helminths dangerous to human and animal health, is presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 77 (05) ◽  
pp. 226-231
Author(s):  
WIESŁAW NIEDBALSKI ◽  
ANDRZEJ FITZNER ◽  
KRZYSZTOF BULENGER ◽  
ANDRZEJ KĘSY

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious and economically important, viral disease of small ruminants caused by the peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), which belongs to the genus Morbilivirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. PPR control is achieved mostly through vaccination and/or slaughter of susceptible animals coupled with clinical or laboratory-based diagnosis. Since clinical signs of PPR are not disease-specific and clinical diagnostics is not reliable, it should be confirmed by laboratory testing. Laboratory confirmation of clinical suspicions is made by detection of PPRV in blood, swabs or post-mortem tissues through classical virus isolation (VI), agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID)/agar gel precipitation test (AGPT), counter-immunoelectrophoresis (CIE), immunoperoxidase test (IPT) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assays. However, these conventional methods have been superseded by more rapid, sensitive and accurate molecular diagnostic techniques based on the amplification of parts of either nucleocapsid (N) or fusion (F) protein gene, such as RT-PCR, real-time RT-PCR, reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (RT-RPA) and Oxford nanopore MinION technology. Although these molecular diagnostic assays are accurate, rapid and sensitive, they have to be performed in laboratory settings, and samples must be transported under appropriate conditions from the field to the laboratory, which can delay the confirmation of PPRV infection. The recently developed immunochromatographic lateral flow device (IC-LFD) assay can be used in the field (“pen-side”) without the need for expensive equipment, so a well-established laboratory is not required. The control and eventual eradication of PPR is now one of the top priorities for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). In 2015, the international community agreed on a global strategy for PPR eradication, setting 2030 as a target date for elimination of the disease


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document