Dioctophyme renale Goeze, 1782 in a cat with a supernumerary kidney / Dioctophyme renale Goeze, 1782 em gata com rim supranumerário

This study reports a case of parasitism by Dioctophyme renale in a supernumerary kidney and abdominal cavity of a female cat in Brazil. The three-year-old cat of indeterminate breed presented abdominal distension and was taken to the University of Contestado Veterinary Hospital in Canoinhas, state of Santa Catarina, since the owner suspected pregnancy. An ultrasound scan did not confirm pregnancy but revealed parasitism in the kidney. This case is worth reporting because domestic cats are rarely hosts of this nematode species.

Relata-se um caso de parasitismo por Dioctophyme renale em rim supranumerário e em cavidade abdominal de um gato do Brasil. Uma fêmea adulta, não castrada, sem raça definida e com aproximadamente três anos de idade, foi encaminhada ao Hospital Veterinário da Universidade do Contestado, em Canoinhas-SC, com aumento de volume abdominal e o proprietário suspeitava de gestação. Após ultrassonografia foi descartada a gestação e foi detectado parasitismo em rim. Como gatos domésticos são considerados hospedeiros incomuns desse parasita, relata-se o presente caso.

Capillaria hepatica-induced septal fibrosis in rats: a contribution to the study of liver fibrogenesis / Contribuição para o estudo da fibrogenesis hepática em ratos infectados com Capillaria hepatica

INTRODUCTION: Septal fibrosis of the liver regularly develops in rats infected with the nematode Capillaria hepatica. Curative treatment of the infection prevents the development of septal fibrosis when intervention occurs up to postinfection day (PID) 15, but not later. The present investigation aimed to demonstrate which parasitic factors are present when the process of septal fibrosis can no longer be prevented by curative treatment. METHODS: Wistar rats were infected with 600 embryonated eggs of C. hepatica administered by gavage and treated with ivermectin and mebendazole in separate groups at PIDs 10, 12, 15, 17 or 20. Rats from each group and their nontreated controls, were killed and examined 40 days after the end of treatment. RESULTS: Findings by PID 15 were compatible with the stage of complete maturation of infection, when worms and eggs were fully developed and a complex host-parasite multifocal necroinflammatory reaction showed greater intensity, but with no signs of septal fibrosis, which appeared from PID 17 onward. CONCLUSIONS: Since the worms spontaneously died by PID 15, not only septal fibrosis production, but also its maintenance and further development appeared dependent on the presence of eggs, which were the only parasitic factor remaining thereafter.

INTRODUÇÃO: A fibrose septal do fígado se desenvolve regularmente em ratos infectados pelo nematódeo Capillaria hepatica. O tratamento curativo da infecção, feito antes do 15º dia da infecção, mas não mais tarde, impediu o aparecimento da fibrose septal. O presente trabalho procura verificar qual o estado do parasitismo aos 15 dias da infecção, crucial para patogenia da fibrose septal. MÉTODOS: Ratos foram infectados por via digestiva com 600 ovos embrionados de C. hepatica e tratados com Ivermectina e mebendazol, em grupos separados, aos 10, 12, 15, 17 ou 20 dias após a infecção. O animal de cada grupo e seus respectivos controles foram mortos e examinados aos 40 dias após o fim do tratamento. RESULTADOS: Os achados aos 15 dias da infecção mostraram a maturação completa da parasitose, com presença de ovos e vermes, circundados por reação necro-inflamatória, mas ainda sem fibrose septal. Daí por diante, a fibrose septal se fez presente. CONCLUSÕES: Como os vermes morrem espontaneamente após o 15º dia da infecção, não apenas a origem, mas o posterior crescimento e a manutenção da fibrose septal dependem da presença dos ovos acumulados no fígado, os quais são os únicos elementos parasitários presentes após o 15º dia da infecção por C. hepatica no rato.

Role of partial hepatectomy on Capillaria hepatica-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats

It is known that hepatic fibrosis may regress following partial hepatectomy, since the hepatic parenchyma regenerates very rapidly, but not the excess of fibrous tissue. The present study evaluated this hypothesis by observing the behavior of systematized septal fibrosis induced by either 30 or 90-day-old Capillaria hepatica infection, in rats subjected to partial hepatectomy. The results revealed that the morphology of the fibrosis was unaffected, but its relative quantity within the microscope field appeared significantly decreased, as a consequence of the increased liver tissue mass following regeneration.

Sabe-se que a fibrose hepática pode sofrer uma redução em seqüência uma hepatectomia parcial, uma vez que o parênquima hepático se regenera muito rápido, mas não o excesso de tecido fibroso. O presente trabalho avalia esta hipótese ao observar como se comporta a fibrose septal sistematizada induzida pela Capillaria hepática no rato, após infecção de 30 ou 90 dias de duração, em animais submetidos à hepatectomia parcial. Os resultados revelaram que a fibrose em si mesma não foi afetada na sua morfologia, mas a sua quantidade relativa apareceu diminuída significativamente no campo microscópico como conseqüência do aumento da massa de tecido hepático pós-regeneração.

The endoscopic diagnosis of intestinal capillariasis in a child: a case report.

A 13-year-old boy was diagnosed as having intestinal capillariasis by gastroduodenoscopy. He presented with a 10-month history of chronic abdominal pain and diarrhea. The boy had stayed in central Thailand and had eaten uncooked fish and raw shellfish. Gastroduodenoscopy showed normal jejunal mucosa although histology revealed flattened villi, crypt proliferation, acute inflammation, and eosinophilic granulomata. An egg of Capillaria philippinensis was also seen. The child was treated with mebendazole for 30 days. He had gained six kilograms by the time of his last follow-up.

Worm load and septal fibrosis of the liver in Capillaria hepatica-infected rats

Inocula, varying from 15 to 1,000 embryonated Capillaria hepatica eggs, were administered to young adult rats by gastric tube, in an attempt to investigate the influence of worm load in the production of septal fibrosis of the liver. Low doses of 15, 30 or 50 eggs were sufficient to produce septal fibrosis, but it appeared with variable degrees of intensity and always with focal distribution. Septal fibrosis became diffuse, progressive with time, and already well developed 40 days after infection, when 100 eggs or more were administered. However, higher inocula (200, 500 and 1,000 eggs) did not intensify septal fibrosis, although the number of parasitic focal lesions proportionally augmented

Intestinal capillariasis: a cause of chronic diarrhea and hypoalbuminemia.

Seventeen cases of intestinal capillariasis in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, Thailand were reviewed. The mean age was 40.41 years with a range from 21 to 69 years. Most cases had intermittent or continuous voluminous watery diarrhea for one month to three years with hypoalbuminemia. Borborygmi, vague abdominal pain, weight loss and pedal edema were significant associated symptoms. Fecal examination was the most useful for diagnosis by finding the Capillaria philippinensis ova in all cases. Mebendazole 400 mg per day for 20 to 28 days is the treatment of choice. Usually, relapse and death are unusual, inadequate treatment is a major factor.