Gabriela Fredo

Natural Infection of Wild Canids (Cerdocyon thous and Lycalopex gymnocercus) with the Intraendothelial Piroplasm Rangelia vitalii in Southern Brazil

Abstract Rangelia vitalii is a piroplasm that infects canines, causing lesions typical of a hemolytic disorder. Two wild canids, a crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) and a Pampas fox (Lycalopex gymnocercus), were presented for necropsy in Setor de Patologia Veterinária at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil. On gross examination, both animals had pale mucosae and moderate tick infestation (Amblyomma aureolatum). There was severe splenomegaly, and the liver had a diffusely orange-reddish lobular pattern. The mesenteric lymph nodes were brownish and slightly enlarged. Structures compatible with R. vitalii were observed in the cytoplasm of endothelial cells in the liver, stomach, heart, kidney, lungs, lymph nodes, and bladder. The agent was characterized by PCR and genetic sequencing of liver samples and ticks. We show that parasitism with R. vitalii follows an epidemiologic cycle in which wild canids act as reservoirs.

Caracterização imuno-histoquímica das alterações encefálicas em bovinos com hepatopatia tóxica por Senecio sp

Senecio spp. poisoning is an important cause of illness and death of cattle in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and is often manifested by neurologic clinical signs and histological brain changes. Histological evaluation was performed on liver and brain samples of ten cattle naturally poisoned by Senecio sp. Samples of cerebrum, brainstem and cerebellum were stained with periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and immunohistochemistry was carried out, employing anti-fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), anti-S100 protein and anti-vimentin antibodies. The histological finding in the brain included mild to severe vacuolation in the white matter and the junction of gray and white matter, characterized as spongy degeneration. Histochemical and immunohistochemical staining revealed no significant findings compared with the brains of eleven adult cattle without liver and/or brain changes used as controls.

Brain lesions associated with acute toxic hepatopathy in cattle

Samples of the liver, telencephalon, brainstem, and cerebellum were obtained from 22 bovids suffering from spontaneous or experimental acute toxic liver disease. Perreyia flavipes larvae, and leaves of Cestrum corymbosum, Cestrum intermedium, Dodonaea viscosa, Trema micrantha, and Xanthium cavanillesii were the causal agents in the disorders studied. Hematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid–Schiff staining, as well as anti-S100 protein (anti-S100), anti–glial fibrillary acidic protein (anti-GFAP), and anti-vimentin immunostaining were used to evaluate the brain sections. Astrocytic changes were observed in all samples and were characterized by swollen vesicular nuclei in gray (Alzheimer type II astrocytes) and white matter; and by abundant eosinophilic or vacuolated cytoplasm with pyknotic nuclei in the white matter. These changes were evidenced by anti-S100 and anti-GFAP immunostaining. Our study demonstrates major changes in astrocytes of cattle that died with neurologic clinical signs as the result of acute toxic liver disease.

Neoplasmas oculares e de anexos em cães e gatos no Rio Grande do Sul: 265 casos (2009-2014)

Ocular neoplasms cause discomfort, loss of vision or may also reflect systemic diseases. A retrospective study has been performed to identify and analyze ocular and annexes neoplasms obtained by biopsies sent to the Sector of Veterinary Pathology at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (SPV/ UFRGS). 265 diagnoses of ocular and annexes neoplasms, 87.5% in canine species and 12.5% in feline species, were made from January 2009 to December 2014. Neoplasms occurred more in animals over the age of 12 months and animals of old age, dogs (52/232) and cats (21/33) mixed breed were the most affected. The eyelid was most commonly affected in dogs (164/232) and feline (20/33), followed by the third eyelid in dogs (20/232) and eye orbit in cats (5/33). The most common tumor diagnosed was meibomian adenoma in dogs (82/232) and squamous cell carcinoma in cats (10/33) both in the eyelids. Twenty four tumor types have been identified in dogs and 16 in cats. Benign neoplasms in dogs represented the largest number of diagnosis (56%) whereas in cats, there were more cases of malignant neoplasms (75.8%).

Osteitis fibrosa cystica in a domestic young cat

Case summary A 4-month-old cat had bilateral swellings of the mandible, maxilla, humerus and femur, and angular deviations in the axial and appendicular skeleton. The biochemical profile indicated hypercalcemia, hyperphosphatemia and increased parathyroid hormone levels. Because of the poor prognosis, the cat was euthanized. At necropsy, malleable and fragile bones, associated with numerous cystic areas containing yellowish and translucent liquid, were observed. Histologically, the bones showed marked diffuse proliferation of fibrous connective tissue, and large numbers of osteoclasts surrounding numerous cystic structures were also observed within fibrotic areas at the periphery of the trabecular bone. In addition, enlargement of the parathyroid glands, which was associated with increased serum concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and parathyroid hormone, was detected. Relevance and novel information The changes observed in this cat are consistent with hyperparathyroidism-associated osteitis fibrosa cystica, which is an unusual presentation in the cat. Hyperparathyroidism, either primary (neoplastic) or secondary (nutritional or renal), is the primary cause of this condition.