Elise M. Yamasaki

Ocorrência de paratuberculose em búfalos (Bubalus bubalis) em Pernambuco

Paratuberculosis (PTB) is a disease of great economical importance for ruminant in several countries and represents a threat to the development of Brazilian livestock. The contagious disease caused by chronic PTB leads to incurable granulomatous enterocolitis of difficult control. PTB is caused by the Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). No record on the occurrence of paratuberculosis in buffaloes in Brazil could be found. Five of 100 buffaloes in a herd in Pernambuco-Brazil showed clinical signs characteristic of PTB. At necropsy, of two animals the lesions were restricted to the small intestine with thickening and corrugation of the mucosa, increase of mesenteric lymph nodes and prominent lymph vessels. Histopathology revealed granulomatous inflammation infiltrated with numerous epithelioid macrophages, Langhans type giant cells, and clusters of Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) positive organisms within the intestinal mucosa. In the mesenteric lymph nodes there was thickening of the capsule and marked granulomatous inflammation. Smears of feces and scrapping smears were prepared from intestinal mucosa and cut surface of mesenteric lymph nodes and, stained by the Ziehl-Neelsen method for research of acid fast bacilli, with positive results. Lymph nodes and intestinal mucosa revealed at IS900 specific polymerase chain reaction amplification of a fragment of about 110pb, confirmed by the comparison with other sequences of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis available in GenBank.

Paratuberculose em ruminantes no Brasil

Paratuberculosis also known as Johnes disease, is a granulomatous enteritis caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), an acid-fast bacillus that preferentially resides within host intestinal macrophages. The condition is most commonly seen in domestic ruminants, however MAP can also infect other mammalian species. Paratuberculosis shows a global distribution and is considered endemic in some regions. The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE, Office International des Epizooties), have classified paratuberculosis as a notificable disease; considered to be of socio-economic and/or public-health importance, the control of which is necessary for the international trade of animal and animal products. The importance of paratuberculosis is related primarily to economic losses in the animal industry and also because of a potential role for this bacterium in the pathogenesis of Crohn´s disease, a debilitating condition affecting the digestive tract of humans. In Brazil, paratuberculosis has been reported in a variety of ruminant species and shows a broad geographic distribution. The reported incidence of natural cases in Brazil has been limited, but it is believed that interespecific transmission of MAP and dissemination of the agent is driven by the commercialization of infected animals. The main objective of this paper was to collate the published epidemiological, clinic-pathological and diagnostic information in relation to paratuberculosis in cattle, buffaloes, goats and sheep in Brazil. Moreover, it served as a platform to emphasize the requirement to implement sanitary policies for control of MAP in the county, which may serve to improve the quality and value of animal products on international markets.

Intoxicação experimental com as folhas de Jatropha gossypifolia (Euphorbiaceae) em ovinos

Fresh green leaves of Jatropha gossypifolia (Euphorbiaceae) were lethal for sheep in single administrations of 40g/kg. The dose of 5g/kg did not cause poisoning, but intermediate doses caused death in part of the animals. The clinical course of poisoning was 6 to 22 days. The clinic and pathological picture in the experimental sheep was characterized by digestive, lung and heart disturbances, and also by slight microscopic liver and renal regressive alterations. These findings are similar to those observed in experiments with the seeds of Jatropha curcas in goats, sheep and calves, and with the fruits and leaves of Jatropha glauca and Jatropha aceroides in goats, performed by other authors. A comparison indicates that, independently of the plant species, the leaves of Jatropha spp. contain toxic compounds similar to those found in the seeds.

Surto de encefalomielite equina Leste na Ilha de Marajó, Pará

Nove casos de encefalomielite equina foram estudados na Ilha de Marajo, estado do Para, Brasil. Os equinos apresentavam dificuldade em se manter em estacao, andavam em circulo, tinham acentuada depressao, palpebras cerradas, paralisia da lingua, tremores musculares, bruxismo, anorexia e desidratacao. Alguns apresentavam diminuicao dos reflexos auricular, palpebral, de ameaca, diminuicao do tonus da lingua e taquicardia. Posicao de auto-auscultacao foi observada com frequencia. Os animais muitas vezes eram encontrados apoiados em troncos e cercas para se manterem em estacao. A necropsia verificou-se hemorragia das leptomeninges e da medula, alguns apresentaram ainda aderencia das leptomeninges. A histopatologia verificou-se encefalite difusa que afetava principalmente a substância cinzenta, com meningite e coroidite. Foi observada perivasculite mononuclear. Em dois equinos identificou-se o virus da encefalomielite equina Leste pela reacao de Semi-Nested transcricao reversa de polimerase em cadeia (Semi-Nested RT-PCR).

Aspectos clínico-patológicos e controle da paratuberculose em rebanho bovino leiteiro

Paratuberculosis (Johnes disease) is a granulomatous enteritis of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Epidemiology, clinic-pathological and laboratorial aspects of paratuberculosis in a dairy cattle herd are described. The disease was diagnosed from 2006 to 2009 in eight cows that presented chronic-intermittent diarrhea and chronic weight loss, in the Rio Claro municipality, Rio de Janeiro. At necropsy, the subserosal lymphatic vessels were proeminent and dilated, mesenteric nodes were enlarged and intestinal mucosa was corrugated, thickened and of microgranular aspect. From duodenum to the rectum, histopathology revealed severe and diffuse granulomatous inflammation of the lamina propria and submucosa, broadened and distorted villi, dilatation of the lymphatic vessels in their apex, lymphangioectasia and granulomatous lymphangitis in the submucosa. Ziehl-Neelsen stain showed variable amounts of acid-fast bacilli in macrophages, in Langhans giant cells and freely in the mucosa and submucosa of the small intestine, colon and lymphnodes. In some cows, the lamina propria presented severe hypertrophy, mainly in the jejunum and ileum. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis was isolated through bacterial cultivation of samples taken from feces, intestinal mucosa and milk, and identified through IS900 PCR. From 298 cows older than three years, the percentage of reactive animals was 40% by indirect ELISA test. The diagnosis of paratuberculosis was based on clinic-epidemiological data, serology, bacterial isolation in Herrold egg yolk medium with micobactin and on IS900 PCR. After the adoption of control measures, as slaughter of cows with clinical signs, selective slaughter of seropositive cows, removal of the calf from the dam at birth, and use of the colostrum bank, we observed a reduction from six clinical cases to only one case per year, in the last three years of the study.

Intoxicação acidental por monensina em ovinos no Estado do Rio de Janeiro

An outbreak of monensin poisoning in sheep in the State of Rio de Janeiro is described. From 180 animals, eight died after they had been fed with ration containing the ionophore. The poisoning had a variable course and was clinically characterized by apathy, heart arrhythmia, myoglobinuria, incoordenation, incapacity of getting up, and sternal decubitus; one sheep aborted. The macroscopic lesions consisted of pale areas in the myocardium, hydroperitoneum, hydrothorax, and pulmonary edema. Histopathological examination revealed degenerative-necrotic alterations in heart and skeletal muscles. In the myocardium lesions were more severe and were characterized by multifocal necrosis with substitution of the myofibres by fibrous tissue and interstitial mononuclear infiltration. Proliferation of satellite cells and mononuclear inflammatory reaction in skeletal muscles were also verified. It seems that the exaggerated addition of sodic monensin, eventually associated with improper homogenization of monensin in the ration, was responsible for the excessive ingestion of monensin by some animals.

Immunohistochemical study of genital and extragenital forms of canine transmissible venereal tumor in Brazil

Aiming to provide insight and discussing the problems related to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT), especially in its extragenital form, immunohistochemical evaluation was performed and a comparison was established by analysis of the microscopic appearance of 10 genital CTVTs and 13 exclusively extragenital CTVTs previously diagnosed by cytology and histopathology. CTVTs samples were incubated with biotinylated antibodies raised against specific membrane (anti-macrophage) and cytoplasmic antigens (anti-lysozyme, anti-S-100 protein, anti-vimentin and anti-CD18) and subsequently developed using streptavidin-biotin peroxidase and streptavidin-biotin-alkaline phosphatase methods. A strong reactivity with the anti-vimentin antibody was found in 100% of the tumors tested (22/22). No reactivity was found for the anti-lysozyme, anti-macrophage, anti-S-100 protein and anti-CD18. No histopathological or immunoreactivity differences between genital and extragenital CTVTs were found. These findings do not corroborate the hypothesis of histiocytic origin of CTVT (no reactivity to anti-lysozyme, anti-macrophage and anti-CD 18 antibodies). In addition, the antibody panel used is useful to narrow the differential diagnosis for lymphomas, histiocytic tumors, amelanotic melanomas, and poorly differentiated epithelial neoplasias, among others.

Intoxicação natural e experimental por Metternichia princeps (Solanaceae) em caprinos

From 2007 to 2009 a nephrotoxic disease of subacute course and high mortality in goats occurred on a farm in the county of Itaguai, Rio de Janeiro. Metternichia princeps, a plant of the Solanaceae family, was suspected to be the cause. Through experiments in goats the clinical-pathological picture of poisoning by the plant and the lethal dose were established. For the experiments 12 young and adult goats of different races, both sexes and with weights above 15 kg were used. The goats that received 30g/kg in 5 days, 15g/kg in 3 days, single doses of 10g/kg and 5g/kg, all died. Of two goats that received single doses of 2.5g/kg, one died but the other did not show any clinical sign; a goat that received the single dose of 1.25g/kg also did not show any symptom of poisoning. First clinical signs were observed from 7 hours to 46h45min after the plant intake. The clinical course varied from 3h6min to 126h40min. First clinical signs were loss of appetite, adipsia, apathy and reluctance to move. After the animals entered in sternal decubitus and when they were placed in standing position, they kept their front limbs flexed, supported only by the posterior limbs on the floor until evolving into flexion of all four limbs followed by lateral decubitus. Postmortem examination revealed edema of the perirenal adipose tissue, pale kidneys which on the cut-surface showed whitish stripes from the cortex to the medullar area. At histopathology, severe coagulative necrosis of epithelial cells of the kidney tubules was seen. Compared with the natural cases, the goats experimentally poisoned by M. princeps, presented a similar clinic-pathological picture. By these experiments it could be proved that Metternichia princeps is the toxic plant that causes a nephrotoxic disease in goats in the Rio de Janeiro area; the minor lethal dose was 2,5g/kg in the experiments.

Intoxicação por Cestrum laevigatum (Solanaceae) em bubalinos

Based on the history and clinical and pathological data, as well as on inspection of the pastures, a mortality of buffaloes in the county of Itaguai/RJ, Brazil, was diagnosed as poisoning by Cestrum laevigatum Schlecht., a plant of the Solanaceae family. The poisoning was reproduced in two buffaloes. Dried leaves of the shrub were administered by hand, in single doses corresponding to 20g/kg and 40g/kg of the fresh leaves, to four buffaloes of the Murrah breed. The dose corresponding to 40g/kg of the fresh leaves caused signs of poisoning, as apathy, anorexia, absence of rumen movements, dysmetria, excitement and aggressiveness, followed by death of the two buffaloes within 65 hours after administration. From the two buffaloes that received the corresponding dose of 20g/kg of the fresh plant, one presented clinical signs characterized mainly by decrease of the rumen movements, but recovered 97h22min after the administration; the other buffalo did not show symptoms of poisoning. Laboratory analyses for biochemical evaluation accused hepatic alterations. In one buffalo that died, the main macroscopic finding was an orange liver with a clear nutmeg appearance; in the second buffalo, the orange liver had no nutmeg appearance. Other alterations found in these two buffaloes were slight edema of the gall bladder wall, a slightly reddish mucous membrane of the abomasum, extensive echymoses in the endocard of the left ventricle and few petechiae in the endocard of the right ventricle; the abomasum content was slightly dry, and the large intestine had little and slightly dry contents wrapped by mucus. Histopatological examination revealed severe coagulative necrosis of the liver parenchyma in the centrolobular and intermediate lobular areas, with a halo of vacuolated hepatocytes at the periphery of the necrotic areas.

Sobrevivência/viabilidade de bovinos com Hematúria Enzoótica após transferência para região livre de Pteridium arachnoideum

With the objective of explaining the question of survival of cattle affected by Enzootic Hematuria, when transferred to areas free of Pteridium arachnoideum, the study was accomplished in two parts: a) by a questionnaire regarding the epidemic aspects of that illness, which was answered by the proprietors of 73 cattle establishments visited in the areas of Southeast of Brazil, where P. arachnoideum is prevalent. The applied questionnaire to the proprietors indicates that enzootic hematuria is responsible for serious socioeconomic problems; b) clinical and laboratorial attendance of 51 cattle of this area affected by Enzootic Hematuria, between 2007 and 2011, transferred to area free of P. arachnoideum. More than 90% of the affected animals by HEB died before two years after removal from areas free of P. arachnoideum.