Detection of Lawsonia intracellularis fecal shedding in dogs in Minas Gerais, Brazil / Detecção de Lawsonia intracellularis em fezes de cães em Minas Gerais, Brasil

Lawsonia intracellularisis an obligate intracellular bacterium that is responsible for proliferative enteropathy, an enteric disease endemic in swine and common in foals. However, few studies have investigated this disease in dogs, and there are no reports of dogs infected with L. intracellularisin Latin America. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fecal shedding of L. intracellularisin diarrheic and non-diarrheic dogs in Minas Gerais, Brazil. A total of 58 dogs, 18 apparently healthy and 40 diarrheic, were examined in this study. DNA extracted from feces was analyzed using a nested PCR reaction to detect L. intracellularis.Three out of 40 (7.5%) diarrheic samples, all from 3-month-old puppies, were positive for L. intracellularis. These results highlight the need for additional studies to examine the role of this pathogen as a possible cause of enteric disease in dogs.(AU)

Lawsonia intracellularisé uma bactéria intracelular obrigatória responsável pela enteropatia proliferativa, uma doença entérica endêmica em suínos e comum em potros. Em cães, no entanto, existem poucos estudos sobre essa doença e inexistem relatos de cães infectados por L. intracellularisna América Latina. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a presença de L. intracellularisem amostras de fezes de cães diarréicos e aparentemente saudáveis em Minas Gerais, Brasil. Foram incluídos 58 cães, sendo 18 aparentemente saudáveis e 40 diarréicos. Submeteu-se o DNA bacteriano fecal a uma reação de PCR nested para L. intracellularis. Três das 40 (7,5%) amostras de cães diarréicos foram positivas para L. intracellularis, estando todos esses animais com aproximadamente 3 meses de idade. Estes resultados salientam a necessidade de mais estudos para confirmar o papel deste patógeno como uma possível causa de doença entérica em cães.(AU)

Outbreak of ovine abortion by toxoplasmosis in southeastern Brazil

This study describes an outbreak of Toxoplasma gondii abortions in a sheep herd in January/February 2010. An aborted fetus was submitted to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for post mortem evaluation. Tissue samples were collected and processed by routine histological methods, stained by hematoxylin-eosin and by immunohistochemistry using anti-T. gondii and Neospora caninum specific antibodies. The 250 sheep herd was reared in a semi-intensive production system and one month before delivery the ewes were confined. Forty out of 100 pregnant ewes aborted in the last month of pregnancy or had stillborns. Serum samples previously collected from some ewes were positive for T. gondii by serological test. Histologically, the fetal central nervous system had multifocal necrotic areas surrounded by inflammatory cells, with intralesional cysts positive for T. gondii by immunohistochemistry. Based on clinical signs, serology, histopathology and immunohistochemistry results a diagnosis of T. gondii abortion was firmed.

Outbreak of ovine abortion by toxoplasmosis in southeastern Brazil

This study describes an outbreak of Toxoplasma gondii abortions in a sheep herd in January/February 2010. An aborted fetus was submitted to the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for post mortem evaluation. Tissue samples were collected and processed by routine histological methods, stained by hematoxylin-eosin and by immunohistochemistry using anti-T. gondii and Neospora caninum specific antibodies. The 250 sheep herd was reared in a semi-intensive production system and one month before delivery the ewes were confined. Forty out of 100 pregnant ewes aborted in the last month of pregnancy or had stillborns. Serum samples previously collected from some ewes were positive for T. gondii by serological test. Histologically, the fetal central nervous system had multifocal necrotic areas surrounded by inflammatory cells, with intralesional cysts positive for T. gondii by immunohistochemistry. Based on clinical signs, serology, histopathology and immunohistochemistry results a diagnosis of T. gondii abortion was firmed.(AU)

Isolamento e propagação da cepa autóctone de Lawsonia intracellularis in vitro: e sua utilização em diagnóstico sorológico

A partir de amostras de intestinos com suspeita de enteropatia proliferativa (EP), foi realizado o isolamento de uma cepa brasileira de Lawsonia intracellularis. O isolamento foi realizado a partir de uma amostra com lesões de enteropatia proliferativa hemorrágica suína (PHE), sendo a cepa propagada in vitro e caracterizada pela técnica de variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) com um padrão genotípico distinto de outras já isoladas (15-09-15-09). Esta nova cepa foi utilizada para o preparo de placas de 96 orifícios para a realização de testes sorológicos de imunoperoxidase em monocamada de células (IPMA). Soros de 80 animais previamente inoculados com L. intracellularis foram utilizados para a realização dos testes sorológicos de ELISA e IPMA e cálculo de sensibilidade de ambos. O ELISA apresentou sensibilidade de 72,5%, abaixo do IPMA, com sensibilidade de 95%. Não houve associação estatística entre os dois testes. Em conclusão, realizou-se o isolamento e propagação da primeira cepa latinoamericana de L. intracellularis, seguido da execução do teste sorológico de IPMA, com sensibilidade superior ao teste de ELISA

Extraction and isolation attempts of a South American strain of the bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis were made from swine intestine samples with gross lesions suggestive of proliferative enteropathy. Isolation was successfully performed from a sample with lesions that were compatible with porcine proliferative haemorrhagic enteropathy (PHE). The strain was propagated in vitro and characterized as a different genotypic pattern than other isolates (15-09- 15-09), by the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) technique. This new strain was used in the confection of 96 well plates for immunoperoxidase monolayer assay (IPMA) serological tests. Sera collected from 80 animals previously inoculated with L. intracellularis were used in ELISA and IPMA serological tests, and their sensitivities were calculated based on the results. The ELISA test had a sensitivity of 72.5%, which was lower than the IPMA, with a 95% sensitivity. There was no statistical association between the two serological tests. In conclusion, the first Latin American strain of L. intracellularis was successfully isolated and propagated in vitro, which made possible the execution of the IPMA serological test, with a higher sensitivity than the commercial ELISA