Comparative analysis of diagnostic methods and risk factors for Aelurostrongylus abstrusus infection in brazilian cats.

This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the risk factors of infection by Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in Brazilian cats with cough and/or radiographic changes, using as diagnostic tools the Baermann method (BM), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of feces, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and cytology. Forty-three cats that were presented with cough or lung radiographic abnormalities compatible with bronchoalveolar disease were included in the study. After clinical evaluation, feces samples were collected to investigate lungworm parasitism through BM and PCR. BALF was performed to provide samples for cytology, bacteriology, and fungal culture. Stool PCR was considered the gold standard for diagnosis tests, and the other methods were evaluated by their agreement. PCR presented 74% (32/43) of positivity for A. abstrusus, while in the BM, 41% (18/43) were positive. BM showed sensitivity of 56.25% and specificity of 100% when compared with PCR. No larva was found in the cytological evaluation of 21 BALF samples. Lungworm is an important cause of bronchopulmonary disease in domestic cats in Brazil and should be included as a differential diagnosis when a cat is presented with cough or radiographic abnormalities. BM is a sensitive, non-invasive, and cheap technique to diagnose the disease, but it is not as sensitive as PCR.

Mammomonogamus laryngeus (Railliet, 1899) infection in buffaloes in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Parasites of the genus Mammomonogamus affect the respiratory tract of domestic animals. The present study was carried out to determine the presence of Mammomonogamus laryngeus infection and to analyze its lesions in infected buffaloes in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, between April and November 1999. The infection rate was 30.5%. In 32 infected buffaloes, the worm pairs collected per animal did not exceed 20. The microscopic diagnosis showed intense polypoid to intramucosal proliferation at the entrance to the pharynx, to which the parasites had adhered, with foci of multifocal hydropic degeneration of the epithelium or individual degeneration of epithelial cells with mild intraepithelial inflammatory infiltrate. The submucosa revealed intense lymphocyte infiltrate extending into the salivary glands. The submucosa also showed formation of structures that resemble lymphoid follicles.

Onchocerca cervicalis in horses from southern Brazil.

The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of Onchocerca cervicalis in 1200 adult horses from rural areas of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Umbilical skin specimens measuring 2 x 2 cm were minced, suspended in 10 ml of distilled water and incubated at room temperature overnight. The liquid volume was centrifuged and the sediment was screened for microfilariae. The ligamentum nuchae were totally removed, preserved in ice and dissected for the detection of adult forms of Onchocerca cervicalis. Microfilariae of Onchocerca cervicalis were detected in midventral skin biopsy samples in 215 (17.9%) of 1200 horses examined and the adult worms were recovered from 200 (16.6%) ligamentum nuchae from the same animals. These findings provide a basis for further studies to determine infection rates in horses from other regions of the state and to identify the intermediate host that transmits the disease.