An experimental ovine Theileriosis: The effect of Theileria lestoquardi infection on cardiovascular system in sheep.

The malignant ovine theileriosis is caused by Theileria lestoquardi, which is highly pathogenic in sheep. Theileriosis involves different organs in ruminants, but the effect of the disease on the cardiovascular system is unclear. To understand the pathogenesis of T. lestoquardi on the cardiovascular system, Baluchi breed sheep were infected with the mentioned parasite by releasing unfed adults of Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum, which were infected with T. lestoquardi. The infected sheep were clinically examined on days 0, 2, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, and 21, and the blood samples were collected for biochemical parameters measurement. At termination of the experiment, the infected sheep were euthanized and pathological examinations of heart tissue were conducted. During experimental infection of sheep with T. lestoquardi, activities of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), lactate dehydrogenase, and aspartate aminotransferase, were significantly increased (P˂0.05), while a conspicuous decrease (P˂0.05) was observed in creatine phosphokinase activities. Alterations made in biochemical factors almost coincided with the presence of piroplasm in the blood and schizont in lymph nodes. Maximum and minimum of parasitemia in the sheep stood between 3.3% and 0.28%, respectively. In addition, electrocardiography revealed sinus tachycardia, sinus arrhythmia, sino-atrial block and ST-elevation, atrial premature beat, and alteration in QRS and in T waves' amplitude. Heart histopathological examination showed hyperemia, infiltration of mononuclear inflammatory cells into interstitial tissue, endocarditis, and focal necrosis of cardiac muscle cells. In addition, in one of the sheep, definite occurrence of infarction was observed. The results indicate that T. lestoquardi infection has devastating pathological impacts on the cardiovascular system of sheep. Furthermore, measurement of the cTnI amount is a useful biochemical factor for diagnosis and for better understanding of the severity and progression of the disease and its effects on cardiac tissue.

Verminous Arteritis Due to Crassicauda sp. in Cuvier's Beaked Whales (Ziphius Cavirostris).

The vascular system of Cuvier's beaked whales (CBW) (Ziphius cavirostris; family Ziphiidae), an extremely deep, prolonged-diving cetacean, is increasingly receiving anatomic and physiologic study due to possible anthropogenic interactions; however, vascular pathology rarely has been reported in this species. Thirteen CBW stranded in the Canary Islands from June 2008 to June 2014 were autopsied. A careful dissection of the thoracic and abdominal vasculature was performed on these animals. All had moderate to severe and extensive chronic fibrosing arteritis with aneurysms, hemorrhages, and thrombosis primarily involving the mesenteric and gastroepiploic arteries and the thoracic and abdominal aorta. Microscopically, the lesions varied from subacute subintimal hemorrhages and severe neutrophilic, eosinophilic, and histiocytic dissecting arteritis with intralesional nematode larvae to marked, chronic, fibrosing arteritis with thickening and distortion of the vascular wall with calcification and occasional cartilage metaplasia. In addition, adult nematodes in renal arteries and veins, renal parenchyma and/or ureter were identified morphologically as Crassicauda sp. Nucleic acid sequenced from renal nematodes from 2 animals yielded closest nucleotide identity to C. magna The pathogenesis is proposed to involve a host response to larval migration from the intestine to the kidney through the mesenteric arteries, abdominal aorta, and renal arteries. Severe consequences for such lesions are possible and could vary from reduced vascular compliance to chronic renal disease and predisposition to the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation and multiorgan failure. Severe chronic arteritis in CBW is associated with renal parasitism by Crassicauda spp.

Gram-negative bacterial infections and cardiovascular parasitism in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas).

OBJECTIVE: To investigate causes of ill health and mortality in juvenile wild green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) found along the mid-north west coast of Western Australia between June and October of 1997. PROCEDURE: Department of Conservation and Land Management rangers submitted four dead or dying green sea turtles from separate incidents for veterinary examination, necropsy, and bacteriological, parasitological and histopathological examination. RESULTS: Numerous different species of trematodes belonging to the families Pronocephalidae, Microscaphidiidae and Paramphistomidae were detected in the intestines of two turtles examined, and in all turtles there was severe spirorchid fluke infection including Haemoxenicon sp, Amphiorchis sp and Hapalotrema sp. Histopathological examination demonstrated severe multifocal to diffuse granulomatous vasculitis, aggregations of spirorchid fluke eggs and microabscesses throughout various tissues including intestines, kidney, liver, lung and brain. Cultures and or histopathological examination demonstrated disseminated Gram-negative bacterial infections including salmonella, E coli, Citrobacter freundii and Moraxella sp. CONCLUSION: Infections caused by salmonellae, E coli and other Gram-negative bacteria should be considered as causes of systemic illness and death in wild green sea turtles infected with spirorchid cardiovascular flukes and other internal parasites.

[Toxoplasmosis. Anatomo clinical characteristics and morphological indentification of the parasite using the silver-impregnation technic]. / Toxoplasmosis. Características anatomoclínicas e identificación morfológica del parásito mediante técnicas de impregnación argéntica

The clinical and anatomicopathological characteristics of acute and chronic toxoplasmosis are described as they affect different structures and systems. The lesion to adrenal glands is compared to that seen in disseminated herpes simplex; however, the question remains as to why in both congenital infections, necrosis of adrenal glands appears without inflammatory reaction. The investigation of special techniques for localization and identification of Toxoplasma gondii "groups" or cysts, leads to the conclusion that Grocott's silver impregnation technique used for the identification of Entamoeba histolytica is also useful to discover Toxoplasma in tissues.