Antemortem Diagnosis of Coxiellosis in a Blue and Gold Macaw ( Ara ararauna).

A 15-year-old female blue and gold macaw ( Ara ararauna) was presented for evaluation after being found laterally recumbent, reluctant to move, and lethargic. Results of a complete blood count showed an increased number of immature heterophils with increased cytoplasmic basophilia and degranulation and the presence of a left shift. Radiographs and a computed tomography scan were performed and revealed a markedly enlarged spleen. An ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspirate of the spleen was submitted for cytologic examination and aerobic bacterial culture. While the culture revealed no growth, cytologic examination identified mononuclear phagocytes with cytoplasmic vacuoles containing structures consistent with bacteria. Pan-bacterial 16S rRNA polymerase chain reaction of the splenic sample followed by direct sequencing identified a Coxiella-like agent identical to one previously isolated in the liver of a golden-mantled rosella ( Platycercus eximius). Phylogenetic analysis shows that avian coxiellosis agents and Coxiella burnetii, the agent of Q fever, represent 2 independent events of development of vertebrate pathogenicity in this group of tick endosymbionts. This report suggests diagnostic and treatment directions for coxiellosis in avian patients and indicates where further study is needed.

Primary leptomeningeal gliomatosis in a domestic shorthaired cat.

A 15-y-old neutered male domestic shorthaired cat was presented with a 16-d history of hindlimb paralysis in conjunction with 1-wk duration of inappetence and lethargy. Given intractable clinical signs, development of seizures, and poor prognosis, euthanasia was elected. Gross examination revealed mild, chronic, multifocal intervertebral disk disease; however, no gross abnormalities were noted in the spinal cord. Histologic examination of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spinal cord and the myelencephalon revealed diffuse and variable expansion of the meninges by sheets of neoplastic round-to-polygonal cells. The cells formed sheets and clusters, supported by a variably eosinophilic, fibrillar-to-basophilic, homogeneous matrix, and contained a small amount of eosinophilic cytoplasm. The nuclei were round with finely stippled to hyperchromatic chromatin and 1-2 small nucleoli. Mild white matter degeneration was present in the dorsal and ventral funiculi multifocally throughout the spinal cord, but was most severe in the ventral lumbar sections. Immunohistochemistry revealed strong intranuclear immunoreactivity for Olig2, and intracytoplasmic immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein, MAP2, and vimentin in the neoplastic glial cells. To our knowledge, primary leptomeningeal gliomatosis has not been reported previously in a cat.

Histologic characterization of eosinophilic encephalitis in horses in Florida.

Eosinophils within the central nervous system are abnormal and are usually associated with fungal or parasitic infections in horses. Causative agents include Halicephalobus gingivalis, Sarcocystis neurona, and Neospora hughesi. Confirmation of these organisms via specific testing is typically not performed, and final diagnoses are often presumptive. With molecular technology, many of these organisms can now be confirmed. This is important for emerging and zoonotic pathogens, including Angiostrongylus cantonensis, an emerging parasite of interest in the southeastern United States. We retrospectively analyzed eosinophilic encephalitides in Floridian horses for H. gingivalis, S. neurona, and A. cantonensis, applied descriptors to equine eosinophilic encephalitides, and determined if a relationship existed between these descriptions and specific etiologic agents. In a database search for horses with eosinophilic and other encephalitides submitted to the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Anatomic Pathology Service, we identified 27 horses with encephalitis, and performed DNA isolation and rtPCR on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks from these cases. Real-time PCR identified 6 horses positive for S. neurona and 4 horses positive for H. gingivalis; all horses were negative for A. cantonensis. All 25 control horses were negative for H. gingivalis, S. neurona, and A. cantonensis. Pattern analysis and eosinophil enumeration were not useful in differentiating among causes of eosinophilic encephalitides in horses in our study.