Toxoplasmosis in ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) and a peahen (Pavo cristatus) in a zoological collection caused by the common toxoplasma genotype in wild animals in the US.

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the ubiquitous Apicomplexan protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. This pathogen affects domestic and wildlife species, but prosimians including ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) are highly susceptible to infection with high mortality rates. Avian species are considered resistant to infection and are often used in surveillance efforts to determine genotypes of T. gondii present in geographical areas. This study describes the gross and histologic lesions of an outbreak of toxoplasmosis in a university-run zoological collection involving three ring-tailed lemurs and a peahen (Pavo cristatus). DNA was extracted from the liver of the lemurs and peahen to determine the genotype of T. gondii by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), which revealed that all samples were ToxoDB PCR-RFLP genotype #5 (haplogroup 12) that is common in wildlife in North America.

Pancarditis as the sole clinical manifestation of protothecosis in a Boxer dog.

A 4.2-year-old, male castrated Boxer was diagnosed with a dilated cardiomyopathy phenotype, complex arrhythmias and left-sided congestive heart failure, but died suddenly shortly after initial diagnostics were complete. Ultrasensitive cardiac troponin I was markedly elevated (9.345 ng/mL [reference range: 0-0.06 ng/mL]), and a Trypanosoma cruzi immunofluorescent antibody titer was positive at 1:80. Necropsy revealed a severe, necrotizing, histiocytic, lymphoplasmacytic pancarditis with intralesional algae consistent with protothecosis, as well as evidence of left-sided congestive heart failure. Algal organisms were found only in the heart. Acute Chagas disease was not thought to play a role given the lack of T. cruzi amastigotes on postmortem and negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction testing on formalin fixed, paraffin embedded myocardium, however a possible contribution of chronic Chagas disease to the clinical picture could not be ruled out. Canine protothecosis is typically a disseminated disease. This case represents the first report of canine protothecosis limited solely to the heart.