Meningoencephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri in cattle of northeast Brazil

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis is an acute disease of the central nervous system of humans and animals caused by Naegleria fowleri. This report describes a case of meningoencephalitis caused by N. fowleri in a crossbred, one-year-old bovine with progressive neurological signs. At necropsy there was thickening of the meninges and multifocal areas of malacia in the thalamus, caudal and rostral colliculi, parietal and occipital cortex, and cerebellum. Histologically there was multifocal necrosupurative meningoencephalitis associated with areas of malacia containing amoebic trophozoites. Immunohistochemistry of the brain was positive for N. fowleri. The disease should be included among the differential diagnosis of diseases of the central nervous system in cattle in areas where animals are exposed to hot, stagnant water.     

Bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency in Holstein cattle.

Two Holstein heifers with persistent and recurrent infections including ulcerative gingivitis, periodontitis, pneumonia, loss of teeth and stunted growth associated with marked neutrophilia were evaluated clinically and for neutrophil function, CD18 expression on neutrophils and CD18 genotype analysis by DNA-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. Adherence to nylon fibers and phagocytic activity of neutrophils from affected animals were significantly (p < 0.05) impaired as compared with those of controls. Neutrophils from affected heifers had decreased chemiluminescent (CL) responses when stimulated with opsonized zymosan, compared with those of controls. In contrast, neutrophils from affected heifers produced increased CL responses when stimulated with latex beads and phorbol myristate acetate compared with those of controls. The clinical findings, functional leukocyte abnormalities, deficiency in expression of CD18 on neutrophils, and the D128G mutation detected by DNA-PCR testing of affected heifers demonstrated that these heifers have bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD). Although both animals were confirmed to be homozygotes for BLAD by DNA-PCR test, they had differences in clinical, hematological and neutrophil functional characteristics.     

Amebic meningoencephalitis caused by Acanthamoeba castellani in a dog

A natural infection of Acanthamoeba castellani, a free-living ameba, was determined to be the cause of acute, hemorrhagic, necrotizing amebic meningoencephalitis in a dog. This case is unique because previous reports of infection by the Acanthamoeba spp in dogs have not indicated its presence in the brain. Naturally developing meningoencephalitis by Acanthamoeba spp in the dog may have a pathogenesis similar to that of human beings. The ameba in this case also was observed in the lungs and kidneys, which are believed to be the primary sites of lesions in human beings that develop amebic meningoencephalitis from Acanthamoeba spp.     

Brachyury in German Holstein cattle

In 11 German Holstein cattle with black and white or red and white coat colour short tails could be observed. All affected animals were born in different farms. A clinical examination could not reveal further congenital anomalies of other organs. The parents of the affected animals showed no abnormalities of the tail. The pedigree data showed that all short tailed animals were related with each other and this fact provides evidence that brachyury is an inherited congenital anomaly. The coefficients of relationships were between 0.20 and 25%. The pedigree indicated a monogenic or oligogenic autosomal recessive inheritance. Environmental factors causing short tails in these animals were not obvious.     

Amoebic meningoencephalitis caused by Balamuthia mandrillaris in an orang utan

Objective
To describe a case of meningoencephalitis caused by Balamuthia mandrillaris in an orang utan.
Design
A pathological case report.
Animal
A 20 years old male orang utan (Pongo pygmaeus).
Procedure
The disease process was investigated by clinical pathology, necropsy, histopathology and immunofluorescence labelling.
Results
The orang utan developed sudden onset of depression, lethargy, inappetence and apparent head pain. The condition was considered to be related to a 2 year history of upper and lower respiratory disease, and the animal was placed on antibiotics after extensive testing. By the seventh day the animal had become ataxic and disoriented and a brain abscess was suspected. He died on the ninth day of illness. At necropsy, and subsequent sectioning, the brain showed multiple circular, soft, white to grey brown areas of varying size, the largest being in the left temporal (3.5 cm diameter) and right occipital (2.5 cm diameter) regions of the cerebrum. Histological examination of these regions revealed many amoebic trophozoites and occasional cysts associated with areas of haemorrhage and inflammatory necrosis. The trophozoites were packed in perivascular spaces and their nuclei often contained two or more prominent nucleoli. Immunofluorescent labelling of histological sections suggested that the agent was B mandrillaris.
Clinical implications
This report provides further evidence that B mandrillaris , a free living amoeba, can act as a pathogen in animals as well as people, and cause fatal meningoencephalitis. Along with Naegleria and Acanthamoeba spp, B mandrillaris should be considered amongst the causes of acute onset meningoencephalitis in animals.     

Fatal suppurative meningoencephalitis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae in two calves

One calf died (No. 1) and another was euthanized following astasia (No. 2). Histopathological examination revealed suppurative meningoencephalitis in these calves. Klebsiella pneumoniae antigens were detected in lesions. Thymocytes were decreased in the thymus cortex in both cases. 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the No. 1 isolate and bacterial extracts from formalin fixed paraffin embedded sections of No. 2 revealed that both samples were K. pneumoniae. The No. 1 isolate showed multidrug resistance against penicillin antibiotics, fosfomycin, streptomycin, macrolide antibiotics, tetracycline antibiotics, and clindamycin. Immunosuppression is a significant septicemic K. pneumoniae infection risk factor. Our study provides new aspects regarding K. pneumoniae infections in cattle, bacterial meningoencephalitis differentiation, and K. pneumoniae and bacterial meningoencephalitis treatments.     

Abortion in cattle caused by Chlamydia psittaci

A case of bovine abortion was for the first time in Switzerland diagnosed by immunohistochemistry PCR (16S rRNA, ompA) and gene sequence analysis to be caused by Chlamydia psittaci. A possible occurence of further cases has to be investigated. Based on the existence of several methods with very different sensitivity and specificity to diagnose chlamydia it is suggested that at least two verified diagnostic tools should be used to diagnose an involvement of chlamydia in bovine abortion.     

Hematology and biochemistry reference values for female Holstein cattle.

Reference intervals are presented for 14 hematology and 32 biochemistry variables from four age groups of female Holstein cattle (n = 172) selected randomly from six well managed farms. Each animal was examined by a clinician and with the history available considered to be clinically normal at the time of blood collection. The variable observations were examined for outliers and Gaussian distribution prior to parametric or where necessary, nonparametric analysis. Many differences were noted between age groups but few between farms.     

Primary photosensitization in cattle caused by Froelichia humboldtiana

Three outbreaks of primary photosensitization caused by Froelichia humboldtiana are reported in the semiarid region of the states of Pernambuco and Paraíba, in northeastern Brazil. The disease occurred from March to June 2011, affecting 27 bovines out of a total of 70. The main lesions consisted of dermatitis of the white skin, with edema and necrosis. All the bovines recovered after removal from the areas invaded by F. humboldtiana. To produce the disease experimentally, one bovine with white skin was placed for 14days into an area with F. humboldtiana as the sole forage. This bovine presented photodermatitis on the third day of consumption. The serum concentrations of total, indirect, and conjugated bilirubin and the serum activities of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) and aspartate-aminotransferase (AST) in the spontaneously affected cattle and in the experimental cattle remained within normal ranges. It is concluded that F. humboldtiana causes primary photosensitization in cattle in northeastern Brazil.     

Suppurative meningoencephalitis and perineuritis caused by Streptococcus gallolyticus in a Japanese Black calf

A 179-day-old calf, which was weak and stunted, showed neurological signs and was euthanized. Postmortem examination revealed extensive and severe cloudy area in the meninges, and pleural pneumonia. Gram-positive cocci were isolated from systemic organs. Biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses identified the isolate as Streptococcus gallolyticus, and its subspecies was suggested to be gallolyticus (SGG). The isolate was classified as a novel sequence type (ST115) by the multilocus sequence typing scheme for SGG and showed susceptibility to penicillin, ampicillin, amoxicillin, florfenicol, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and chloramphenicol. Histopathologically, suppurative meningoencephalitis and perineuritis were detected. As SGG has been isolated solely from a cow with mastitis in Japan, this is the first SGG infection in a calf with suppurative meningoencephalitis and perineuritis in this country.