Pythiosis is the disease caused by aquatic oomycetes of the genus Pythium. In dogs the typical course of the disease involves the gastrointestinal tract, characterized by transmural thickening of the stomach or intestines. However, infection by Pythium spp. has only rarely been recognized as a cause of esophagitis in dogs. Thus, the present reports a case of esophageal and gastric pythiosis in an eight-month-old female pit bull dog. The dog was attended at the hospital after two months presenting regurgitation and dyspnea. It was reported that the dog lived in an urban area and had no previous sanitary issues. At clinical examination it was noted that the dog presented crackling sounds at pulmonary auscultation. A support therapy accompanied by antibiotics has been employed; however, 22 days after hospitalization the clinical condition worsened, and the dog died. At necropsy, the wall of the distal segment of the esophagus and the cardia and part of the fundus of the stomach were expanded by a focal extensive irregular intramural annular mass. Additionally, there was a transmural esophageal fistula. At histology, the walls of the esophagus and stomach were extensively expanded by multifocal extensive areas of necrosis, associated with a pyogranulomatous infiltrate and abundant granulation tissue containing multiple negative images of hyphae that were highlighted by silver impregnation (Grocott). Furthermore, immunohistochemistry and PCR for P. insidiosum were both positive in samples of paraffin-embedded esophageal tissue.

RESUMO: Bócio é o aumento não inflamatório e não neoplásico da glândula tireoide em animais adultos e recém-nascidos. Uma das principais causas envolvidas é a deficiência nutricional de iodo. Relata-se neste trabalho, a ocorrência de três surtos de bócio em bovinos. Na primeira propriedade (Propriedade A), 60 bezerros foram afetados, sendo que 20 morreram logo após o nascimento, 30 recuperaram-se e 10 permaneceram doentes e tiveram remissão dos sinais apenas após tratamento parenteral com iodo. Na segunda propriedade (Propriedade B) uma vaca e seu feto foram acometidos e na terceira (Propriedade C) dois bezerros foram afetados. Os principais sinais clínicos observados nos bezerros foram aumento de volume bilateral na região cervical ventral, emagrecimento, dificuldade respiratória, hipotricose e desenvolvimento corpóreo retardado. Na propriedade A foi relatada ainda a ocorrência de abortamentos. Macroscopicamente, os bezerros e o feto apresentavam tireoide aumentada, vermelho-escura, com vascularização evidente e edema subcutâneo cervical. No surto dois também foi observado, à necropsia, aumento de volume da glândula tireoide da vaca. Microscopicamente, a tiroide dos bezerros e do feto apresentava folículos tireoidianos hiperplásicos, heterogêneos, destituídos de coloide e com interstício acentuadamente vascularizado. A tireoide da vaca era semelhante à dos bezerros, no entanto, possuía quantidade maior de coloide. Em todos os casos a suplementação mineral era realizada por meio da mistura de sal mineral com sal branco. Na Propriedade A o sal branco era não iodado e misturado em partes iguais com o sal mineral. Na Propriedade B o sal também era misturado a um sal branco não iodado na proporção e 1:2, respectivamente. Na Propriedade C o sal mineral e o sal branco não iodado eram ofertados em cochos separados no campo e, segundo relato do proprietário, os animais priorizavam o consumo do sal branco. Em todas as propriedades acompanhadas foi recomendada a interrupção da adição de sal branco na mistura mineral e a administração de iodo aos bezerros acometidos. Após essas medidas não foram observados novos casos nas propriedades. Apesar de ser uma enfermidade bem conhecida, ainda são poucos os relatados de casos de bócios em bovinos no Brasil. Além disso, pouco se sabe sobre as reais deficiências minerais de cada região, e que simples orientações de manejo nutricional ainda são necessárias.

Cutaneous pythiosis is an important disease affecting horses raised in regions with a hot climate and water stagnation, occurring throughout all regions of Brazil. The disease progresses rapidly, and treatment for chronic lesions is challenging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of fluconazole after surgical excision and electrocauterization of cutaneous lesions in horses naturally infected with Pythium insidiosum. We treated 10 horses with cutaneous pythiosis, whose diagnoses were confirmed by histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations. After surgical debridement of lesion, animals received fluconazole orally for 21 days, in combination with topical treatment for the wounds. After 7 days of therapy, there was decreased serosanguineous secretion and no kunkers in the wounds in all horses. All lesions healed completely after therapy, and there were no recurrences 10 months after discharge. When associated with surgical excision, oral fluconazole therapy was an effective treatment in clinical cases of equine cutaneous pythiosis.

In a dairy herd in the state of Goiás, Central-West Brazil, a cow died following an acute illness characterized by jaundice and hemoglobinuria. Necropsy revealed jaundice, dark-red urine and dark-red discoloration of the kidneys, and a diffusely copper-colored liver with two extensive, firm lesions surrounded by hyperemic halos in the right and left lobes. Histopathological analysis showed multifocal coagulative necrosis in the liver, accompanied by abundant intralesional bacillary structures and multifocal thrombosis. Renal lesions included tubular cell degeneration and necrosis, intracellular hyaline droplet accumulation, and occasional proteinaceous casts within the tubular lumen. PCR and sequencing confirmed the presence of Clostridium haemolyticum DNA in the liver lesions. Based on the characteristic clinical presentation and pathological findings, the diagnosis of bacillary hemoglobinuria was established, with further molecular evidence of the clostridial agent. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of bacillary hemoglobinuria in the Central-West region of Brazil, and an unusual report in the Tropical Zone in the country, especially in dairy cattle.

Sarcocystis sp.-induced disease is known especially in horses, in which S. neurona is the primary causative agent of Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis in the Americas. While horses are aberrant hosts, the range of susceptible species includes marine mammals, raccoons, and cats. Reports of clinical disease in dogs are rare, remaining unreported in South America. This study describes the clinical, pathological, and immunohistochemical findings of a naturally occurring, fatal case of meningoencephalomyelitis and myositis caused by Sarcocystis sp. in a dog in Brazil. A 5-year-old mixed-breed bitch presented with acute non-ambulatory tetraparesis, generalized muscle atrophy, and blindness. Despite supportive therapy, the patient deteriorated and was euthanized. Gross findings included enlarged lymph nodes, moderate splenomegaly and hepatomegaly, with multifocal mild fibrin deposition on the liver capsule, accompanied by multifocal mild hemorrhages in the pancreas. Histopathology demonstrated severe, multifocal necrotizing meningoencephalomyelitis, myositis, splenitis, lymphadenitis and interstitial pneumonia, associated with intralesional protozoal schizonts. Immunohistochemistry supported immunolabelling consistent with Sarcocystis sp. while excluding Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum . To the authors’ knowledge, this represents the first report of clinical canine sarcocystosis with this severity in South America supported by histopathological and immunohistochemical findings. These findings support that Sarcocystis sp. should be considered a differential diagnosis for canine progressive neurological disease, highlighting the potential role of wildlife reservoirs in the disease’s epidemiology.

In a beef cattle breeding farm located in northern Uruguay, an Aberdeen Angus calf was born with complex anomalies. The offspring was sired by one of the bulls of the farm. The calf died shortly after birth, displaying multiple malformations at external examination, including agenesis of the lumbar, sacral and coccygeal vertebrae and spinal cord and arthrogryposis of both pelvic limbs, characteristic of perosomus elumbis (PE). At necropsy there was also brachygnathia and muscle atrophy of the pelvic limbs, along with underdeveloped small intestines, atresia ani, ectopia of the left kidney and hypoplasia of the contralateral, testicular fusion and cryptorchidism. Molecular studies of the fetal tissues revealed infection with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV), an agent known for causing different malformations in cattle.