A presumptive case of cerebral babesiosis in a dog in Poland caused by a virulent Babesia canis strain

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (05) ◽  
pp. 367-371
Author(s):  
M Górna ◽  
P. Klimiuk ◽  
M Kalinowski ◽  
S. Winiarczyk ◽  
L. Adaszek

SummaryThe aim of this paper was to present the first case of cerebral canine babesiosis due to infection by Babesia canis in a dog in Poland. A 5-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier was presented with an unusual clinical manifestation of acute babesiosis that included neurological signs and pancytopenia. Despite treatment the dog died. Diagnosis was based on microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears (detection of piroplasms in red blood cells) and post mortem examination of the brain by histopathology and PCR method. The amplified segment of the Babesia 18S RNA gene was sequenced. This enabled to determine that the cause of the disease had been the strain 18S RNA-B EU622793. This is one of two B. canis strains found endemically in Poland, which reveals a greater virulence than the strain 18S RNA-A EU622792. The described case indicates that this form of canine babesiosis should be taken into account in differential diagnosis in dogs exhibiting neurological symptoms, especially in the tick activity season.

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 39-42
Author(s):  
K. Řeháčková ◽  
M. Haláková ◽  
B. Víchová ◽  
A. Kočišová

Abstract This epizootiological study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of canine babesiosis in southwestern Slovakia. The study focused on the proportion of the species of ticks serving as babesia vectors of babesiosis in the ticks collected from selected locations close to Komárno, in southwestern Slovakia. Additionally, observations were made on the health and overall clinical signs in dogs suspected of having babesiosis. In 2014 we collected ticks from vegetation by the drag cloth (flagging) method and also directly from dogs. A totally of 622 ticks were collected: 491 Dermacentor reticulatus and 131 Ix-odes ricinus. Representative samples of ticks (n = 103) were examined by the molecular method and the presence of Babesia spp. DNA was identified in 12.5 % of the Ixodes ricinus ticks collected by flagging and in 9.5 % of the Ixodes ricinus ticks collected from the dogs. Babesia canis (KU681325) with 90 bp sequence, 100 % identical with Babesia canis isolates from dogs for example from: Turkey (KF499115), Rumania (HQ662634), Croatia (FJ209025), Poland (EU622792) and Russia (AY962186), was confirmed after sequencing in one Ixodes ricinus female obtained from a dog. This was the first confirmation of the occurrence of B. canis in Ixodes ricinus ticks in Slovakia. In 2.2 % of the Dermacentor reticulatus ticks obtained from vegetation by flagging, we were able to diagnose the DNA of Babesia canis. In 4.8 % of the Dermacentor reticulatus ticks collected from dogs, the presence of Babesia spp. was confirmed. Thirty three dogs with suspicion of babesiosis were observed in an ambulance by their health and clinical signs. The loss of appetite was observed in 22 patients (66.7 %), apathy in 19 cases (57.6 %), and fever in 19 cases. Closer specification indicating babesiosis was finding engorged ticks on the dog bodies which occurred in 21 cases (63.6 %), haematuria in 8 cases (24.2 %), anaemia in 4 cases (12.1 %), and tremor in 6 cases (18.2 %). Other non-specific signs, such as diarrhoea, vomitus, slowed-down movement, ataxia and lacrimation were also observed in less than 18 % of the examined dogs. On the basis of the specific clinical signs, blood was withdrawn from 33 dogs for preparation of blood smears and in 19 of them (57.6 %) babesia in erythrocytes were confirmed microscopically.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hani Abdelsalam ◽  
Mohammed Elywa

This study aimed to highlight the influence of exposure to different applied magnetic fields (MFs) on SOD, MDA and GSH levels in the liver, LDH and CPK activities in the muscle and γ-aminobutyric acid levels in the brain, as well as some haematological parameters. Adult male albino Swiss mice were divided into 5 equal groups (n = 6), the control group (untreated) and four exposure groups that were exposed to MFs of 20, 40, 60 and 80 Gauss for 5 min/day for 5 days.: Exposure to MFs induced significant decreases in total GSH levels and SOD activity but a significant increase in MDA levels in the liver. By contrast, SMF exposure significantly increased total LDH and total CPK activities in the muscle. The results revealed a significant increase in GABA levels in the brain, as well as decreases in haemoglobin, haematocrit, and red blood cell counts, in addition to platelet counts, after exposure to 20, 40, 60 and 80 Gauss MFs. After exposure to a 40 Gauss MF, the mice showed pathological changes in red blood cells, including changes to the outer membrane of the red blood cells (micronucleus and a serrated edge, with a mild incidence of echinocytes). In the group exposed to a 60 Gauss MF, examination of blood smears clearly showed changes in cell size, with the emergence of abnormal forms, including many areas with no red blood cells (rouleaux formation). With increasing intensity of exposure (80 Gauss), the red blood cells appeared completely different from their natural form and took the form of ovalocytes and bi-micronucleated erythrocytes, which appear in patients with anaemia.: MF exposure caused different metabolic and haematological effects, which appeared to be related to the intensity of SMF exposure. The changes in the biochemical parameters of SMF-exposed mice probably reflect hepatic damage and anaemia caused by kidney failure. Further studies are needed to obtain a better understanding of the effects of MF on biological systems.


Author(s):  
Kosuke Ueda ◽  
Hiroto Washida ◽  
Nakazo Watari

IntroductionHemoglobin crystals in the red blood cells were electronmicroscopically reported by Fawcett in the cat myocardium. In the human, Lessin revealed crystal-containing cells in the periphral blood of hemoglobin C disease patients. We found the hemoglobin crystals and its agglutination in the erythrocytes in the renal cortex of the human renal lithiasis, and these patients had no hematological abnormalities or other diseases out of the renal lithiasis. Hemoglobin crystals in the human erythrocytes were confirmed to be the first case in the kidney.Material and MethodsTen cases of the human renal biopsies were performed on the operations of the seven pyelolithotomies and three ureterolithotomies. The each specimens were primarily fixed in cacodylate buffered 3. 0% glutaraldehyde and post fixed in osmic acid, dehydrated in graded concentrations of ethanol, and then embedded in Epon 812. Ultrathin sections, cut on LKB microtome, were doubly stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate.


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.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 3204-3212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingo Borggraefe ◽  
Jie Yuan ◽  
Sam R. Telford ◽  
Sanjay Menon ◽  
Rouette Hunter ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Babesia microti is a tick-borne red blood cell parasite that causes babesiosis in people. Its most common vertebrate reservoir is the white-footed mouse. To determine whether B. microti invades reticulocytes, as does the canine pathogen B. gibsoni, we infected the susceptible inbred mouse strains C.B-17.scid and DBA/2 with a clinical isolate of B. microti. Staining of fixed permeabilized red blood cells with 4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole or YOYO-1, a sensitive nucleic acid stain, revealed parasite nuclei as large bright dots. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that parasite DNA is primarily found in mature erythrocytes that expressed Babesia antigens but not the transferrin receptor CD71. In contrast, CD71-positive reticulocytes rarely contained Babesia nuclei and failed to express Babesia antigens. Accordingly, the frequency of YOYO-1-positive, CD71-negative cells strongly correlated with parasitemia, defined as the frequency of infected red blood cells assessed on Giemsa-stained blood smears. Importantly, the absolute numbers generated by the two techniques were similar. Parasitemia was modest and transient in DBA/2 mice but intense and sustained in C.B-17.scid mice. In both strains, parasitemia preceded reticulocytosis, but reticulocytes remained refractory to B. microti. In immunocompetent C.B-17 mice, reticulocytosis developed early, despite a marginal and short-lived parasitemia. Likewise, an early reticulocytosis developed in resistant BALB/cBy and B10.D2 mice. These studies establish that B. microti has a tropism for mature erythrocytes. Although reticulocytes are rarely infected, the delayed reticulocytosis in susceptible strains may result from parasite or host activities to limit renewal of the mature erythrocyte pool, thereby preventing an overwhelming parasitemia.


Author(s):  
Leonardo Bibbiani ◽  
Sara Canal ◽  
Daiana Marabese ◽  
Maria T. Mandara ◽  
Greta Foiani ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Human hypothalamic neuronal hamartomas are rare, nonprogressive, congenital malformations of the hypothalamus that do not expand or metastasize to other locations. A 1 yr old female vizsla was presented for progressive intracranial multifocal neurological signs already present since adoption at 3 mo of age. MRI of the brain showed an ill-defined, intra-axial, space-occupying, nonenhancing lesion located in the ventral middle cranial fossa. Histopathological examination was consistent with hypothalamic neuronal hamartoma. This is the first report describing clinical, imaging, and histopathological features of a hypothalamic neuronal hamartoma in a dog. These findings are compared with the human counterparts.


Author(s):  
Taïssia Lelekov-Boissard ◽  
Guillemette Chapuisat ◽  
Jean-Pierre Boissel ◽  
Emmanuel Grenier ◽  
Marie-Aimée Dronne

The inflammatory process during stroke consists of activation of resident brain microglia and recruitment of leucocytes, namely neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages. During inflammation, microglial cells, neutrophils and macrophages secrete inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and phagocytize dead cells. The recruitment of blood cells (neutrophils and macrophages) is mediated by the leucocyte–endothelium interactions and more specifically by cell adhesion molecules. A mathematical model is proposed to represent the dynamics of various brain cells and of immune cells (neutrophils and macrophages). This model is based on a set of six ordinary differential equations and explores the beneficial and deleterious effects of inflammation, respectively phagocytosis by immune cells and the release of pro-inflammatory mediators and nitric oxide (NO). The results of our simulations are qualitatively consistent with those observed in experiments in vivo and would suggest that the increase of phagocytosis could contribute to the increase of the percentage of living cells. The inhibition of the production of cytokines and NO and the blocking of neutrophil and macrophage infiltration into the brain parenchyma led also to the improvement of brain cell survival. This approach may help to explore the respective contributions of the beneficial and deleterious roles of the inflammatory process in stroke, and to study various therapeutic strategies in order to reduce stroke damage.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 3801
Author(s):  
Clairton Marcolongo-Pereira ◽  
Bruna Da Rosa Curcio ◽  
Douglas Pacheco Oliveira ◽  
Ana Carolina Barreto Coelho ◽  
Bianca Lemos Santos ◽  
...  

A case of T small cell type lymphoma in the brain of a horse is described. A 20-year-old female Crioulo equine showed neurological signs characterized by ataxia, circling and partial loss of smell and sight. During necropsy, a whitish, firm, unencapsulated mass compressing the structures of the nervous tissue was observed, extending from the olfactory bulb to the internal capsule of the right telencephalon. Microscopic examination showed the proliferation of round cells with a small to moderate amount of eosinophilic cytoplasm. Nuclei were centrally located, irregularly round and occasionally cleaved and hyperchromatic. Immunohistochemistry for CD3 showed a moderate diffuse cytoplasmic staining. This is a rare primary central nervous system lymphoma in horses, with few reports in the veterinary literature. Nevertheless, it should be considered as a differential diagnosis in equines with neurological signs.


2010 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Natan Grinapel Frydman ◽  
Adenilson de Souza da Fonseca ◽  
Vanessa Câmara da Rocha ◽  
Monica Oliveira Benarroz ◽  
Gabrielle de Souza Rocha ◽  
...  

This work evaluated the effect of in vitro and in vivo treatment with ASA on the morphology of the red blood cells. Blood samples or Wistar rats were treated with ASA for one hour. Blood samples or animals treated with saline were used as control group. Blood smears were prepared, fixed, stained and the qualitative and quantitative morphology of red blood cells were evaluated under optical microscopy. Data showed that the in vitro treatment for one hour with ASA at higher dose used significantly (p<0.05) modified the perimeter/area ratio of the red blood cells. No morphological alterations were obtained with the in vivo treatment. ASA use at highest doses could interfere on shape of red blood cells.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 735-739
Author(s):  
Dejan Kostic ◽  
Biljana Brkic-Georgievski ◽  
Aleksandar Jovanovski ◽  
Smiljana Kostic ◽  
Drazen Ivetic ◽  
...  

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is characterized by the following symptoms: seizures, impaired consciousness and/or vision, vomiting, nausea, and focal neurological signs. Diagnostic imaging includes examination by magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT), where brain edema is visualized bi-laterally and symmetrically, predominantly posteriorly, parietally, and occipitally. Case report. We presented a 73-year-old patient with the years-long medical history of hipertension and renal insufficiency, who developed PRES with the symptomatology of the rear cranium. CT and MR verified changes in the white matter involving all lobes on both sides of the brain. After a two-week treatment (antihypertensive, hypolipemic and rehydration therapy) clinical improvement with no complications occurred, with complete resolution of changes in the white matter observed on CT and MR. Conclusion. PRES is a reversible syndrome in which the symptoms withdraw after several days to several weeks if early diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment started without delay.


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