Pathologic, histochemical, and immunohistochemical findings in pulmonary and encephalitic cryptococcosis in a goat.

We describe the pathologic, histochemical, and immunohistochemical findings associated with pulmonary and encephalitic cryptococcosis in a 3-y-old, mixed-breed, nanny goat from central-west Brazil. The goat had progressive neurologic signs over 30 d; cryptococcosis was diagnosed antemortem by cytologic evaluation of cerebrospinal fluid. Treatment was initiated, but the animal died spontaneously shortly thereafter. Grossly, there was a large space-occupying gelatinous mass (cryptococcoma) in the left lung and smaller masses in the cerebral temporal and frontal cortex, thalamus, hippocampus, basal nuclei, and mesencephalon with consequent internal hydrocephalus. Histologic evaluation revealed marked granulomatous cryptococcal pneumonia and meningoencephalitis. Intralesional narrow-necked budding cryptococcal yeasts were identified on special stains (Mayer mucicarmine and Grocott methenamine silver) in sections of lung and brain. Immunohistochemistry utilizing a panel of monoclonal antibodies that selectively label capsules of Cryptococcus spp. was consistent with C. neoformans var. grubii.

Molecular survey of infectious agents associated with bovine respiratory disease in a beef cattle feedlot in southern Brazil.

We investigated the occurrence of infectious pathogens during an outbreak of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in a beef cattle feedlot in southern Brazil that has a high risk of developing BRD. Nasopharyngeal swabs were randomly collected from steers ( n = 23) and assessed for the presence of infectious agents of BRD by PCR and/or RT-PCR assays. These included: Histophilus somni, Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, Mycoplasma bovis, bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV), bovine coronavirus (BCoV), bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1), and bovine parainfluenza virus 3 (BPIV-3). Pulmonary sections of one steer that died with clinical BRD were submitted for pathology and molecular testing. The frequencies of the pathogens identified from the nasopharyngeal swabs were: H. somni 39% (9 of 23), BRSV 35% (8 of 23), BCoV 22% (5 of 23), and M. haemolytica 13% (3 of 23). PCR or RT-PCR assays did not identify P. multocida, M. bovis, BoHV-1, BVDV, or BPIV-3 from the nasopharyngeal swabs. Single and concomitant associations of infectious agents of BRD were identified. Fibrinous bronchopneumonia was diagnosed in one steer that died; samples were positive for H. somni and M. haemolytica by PCR. H. somni, BRSV, and BCoV are important disease pathogens of BRD in feedlot cattle in Brazil, but H. somni and BCoV are probably under-reported.