Enteritis associated with Clostridium difficile and opportunistic candidiasis in a foal

A twelve-day-old foal was admitted to the Veterinary School of UFMG with profuse diarrhea. The animal was treated with several medications, including antibiotics. Despite the clinical care, the clinical condition did not improve. Due to poor prognosis, the foal was euthanized. Gross and histopathological examinations, showed pseudomembranous and/or membranous glossitis, esophagitis and gastritis with intense amount of pseudohyphae and blastoconidia compatible with Candida spp Also, fibrinous and necrotizing typhlocolitis was observed. Clostridium difficile was isolated from intestinal contents which were also positive for toxins A/B by ELISA. Using a multiplex-PCR assay, genes encoding toxin A (tcdA) and toxin B (tcdB) were detected. The severe lesions caused by Candida in this foal probably occurred due to changes in the microbiota induced by the treatment with antibiotics. However, the possibility of an acquired immunodeficiency cannot be excluded because information about quantity and quality of the colostrum ingested by this foal was not obtained.

Mastitis accompanied by lymphadenitis in a dog caused by Staphylococcus hyicus

Canine mastitis is an infrequent condition that occurs most commonly in the postpartum period due to ascending bacterial infection. This report aims to describe clinical, pathological and bacteriological aspects of mastitis caused by Staphylococcus hyicus accompanied by disseminated superficial lymphadenitis in a dog. In the postpartum period the animal showed clinical signs of prostration, dyspneia, and unresponsivess to environment. At physical examination, hypothermia, dehydration and subcutaneous edema of the limbs were detected. Gross and histologic features were consistent with marked purulent and necro-hemorrhagic mastitis accompanied by lymphangitis, lymphadenitis and thromboembolic pneumonia. Isolation and biochemical identification confirmed the infection by Staphylococcus hyicus. This study shows that one must be attentive not only of the risk of uterine infection postpartum, but also of the possibility of mammary gland infection.

An outbreak of chlamydiosis in captive psittacines

This paper describes an outbreak of chlamydiosis in psittacines recovered in Minas Gerais, Brazil, from illegal trade in the Brazilian Southeastern Region. Clinically, some birds showed apathy and anorexiadied suddenly without evidence of clinical signs. Necropsy was performed on 15 psittacines; 13 Amazon parrots (A. aestiva), one Peach-fronted parakeet (Aratinga aurea) and one Scaly-headed parrot (Pionus maximiliani). The most visible macroscopic changes were mild to marked hepatomegaly, with many white foci ranging in size from 1 mm to 100 mm that extended in to the parenchyma. Other findings included splenomegaly and fibrinopurulent airsacculitis. Microscopic lesions included multifocal to coalescing foci of necrosis of hepatocytes with infiltration of heterophils and lymphocytes and plasma cells randomly scattered through out. In some parrots there were multiple foci of necrotic and granulomatous hepatitis with biliary duct proliferation. The birds with splenomegaly had loss of normal architecture and infiltration of macrophages mixed with plasma cells, fibrin and heterophils. The PVK (modified Gimenez) and Giemsa stains revealed small round intracytoplasmic bacteria approximately 1µm in diameter suggestive of Chlamydophila psittaci, in the cytoplasm of macrophages of spleens and livers. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) using monoclonal antibodies for C. psitacci confirmed Chlamy