Treatment of fibrosarcoma in a maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) by rostral maxillectomy.

A 12-yr-old captive intact male maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) was diagnosed with a fibrosarcoma of the incisive bones. The mass was excised by rostral maxillectomy, and the wolf remained normal and on display with good function and cosmetics for 7 mo. Subsequently, it became weak, ataxic, and dyspneic and was euthanatized. At necropsy, there was a small regrowth of the maxillary tumor, a metastatic mediastinal mass, and multiple metastatic lung masses, suggesting that oral fibrosarcoma in maned wolves behaves similarly to oral fibrosarcoma in domestic canines. Aggressive surgical treatment of oral fibrosarcoma in this species can achieve good functional and cosmetic results.

Primary amebic meningoencephalitis due to Naegleria fowleri in a South American tapir.

Naegleria fowleri, Acanthamoeba spp., and Balamuthia mandrillaris are known to cause fatal central nervous system (CNS) disease in human beings. N. fowleri causes acute, fulminating primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), which generally leads to death within 10 days. Acanthamoeba spp. and B. mandrillaris cause chronic granulomatous amebic encephalitis, which may last for 8 weeks. Acanthamoeba spp. and B. mandrillaris also cause CNS disease in animals. N. fowleri, however, has been described only in human beings. This report is the first of PAM in an animal, a South American tapir. Dry cough, lethargy, and coma developed in the animal, and its condition progressed to death. At necropsy, lesions were seen in the cerebrum, cerebellum, and lungs. The CNS had severe, suppurative meningoencephalitis with many neutrophils, fibrin, plasma cells, and amebas. Amebas were 6.5 microns to 9 microns in diameter and had a nucleus containing a large nucleolus. Amebas in the sections reacted with a monoclonal antibody specific for N. fowleri in the immunofluorescent assay and appeared bright green.