ABSTRACT
The main clinical, anatomopathological, and molecular aspects of the infection by Leishmania infantum are described in two cats with multicentric cutaneous, nodular, and ulcerated lesions. The animals were submitted to a clinical examination, followed by serological, molecular and parasitological exams, with culture and isolation of the parasite, and subsequent isoenzymatic characterization. The animals were euthanized and necropsied. Case 1 was an adult, female, mixed-bred stray cat. Case 2 was an adult, male, mixed-bred and domiciled cat. Both were positive for the presence of anti-L. infantum antibodies. In the cytology of the cutaneous nodules and lymph nodes, amastigote forms of Leishmania spp. could be visualized, free and in the interior of the macrophages. In the histopathology, the lesions were characterized by nodular granulomatous and/or ulcerative dermatitis, associated to amastigote forms of Leishmania spp. By means of the polymerase chain reaction, the sequence of the L. infantum kDNA minicircle was amplified. It is concluded that the infection by L. infantum occurs in cats in the State of Paraíba, Northeast region of Brazil and the need to understand the immunological profile of the visceral leishmaniasis in the feline population is highlighted with aimed at the control measures in public health.
Subject(s)
Cat Diseases , Leishmania infantum , Leishmaniasis, Visceral , Animals , Antibodies, Protozoan/blood , Brazil , Cat Diseases/diagnosis , Cats , DNA, Kinetoplast/genetics , Euthanasia, Animal , Female , Leishmania infantum/genetics , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/diagnosis , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/transmission , Leishmaniasis, Visceral/veterinary , Macrophages/parasitology , Male , Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinaryABSTRACT
A 7-year-old, white, domestic short hair, female cat was presented with an aural hematoma of the right pinna, which had been partially resected a year previously. A 3â¯×â¯4 cm mass, macroscopically similar to an auricular hematoma, was visible on the convex surface and a smaller vascular lesion was present on the ear margin. Cytological examination of the smaller mass was suggestive of hemangiosarcoma, and a diagnosis confirmed by histopathologic and immunohistochemical tests. Complete pinnectomy with a wide margin was performed and during the 3-year follow-up, the cat had no local recurrence or metastasis. We conclude that hemangiosarcoma should be considered as a potential differential diagnosis in white-coated cats with an unusual clinical presentation of aural hematoma.
