Experimental inoculations of approximately 100,000 infective
Toxocara cati larval eggs were done in twelve pigs. The
T. cati eggs used for inoculation were collected from cat's
feces. Another group of three pigs served as an uninfected control. Groups of
infected pigs were euthanized at seven, 14, 21, and 28 days post-inoculation (dpi).
Tissue samples were taken for digestion and histopathology changes in early phase.
The number of larvae recovered from the lungs peaked at seven and 14 dpi and were
also present at 21, and 28 dpi. Larvae of T. cati were present in
the lymph nodes of the small and large intestine at seven, 14, and 28 dpi and at
seven, 14, 21, and 28 dpi respectively. In other studied tissues, no larvae or less
than one larva per gram was detected. The pathological response observed in the liver
and lungs at seven and 14 dpi, showed white spots on the liver surface and areas of
consolidation were observed in the lungs. The lungs showed an inflammatory reaction
with larvae in center at 28 dpi. In the liver we observed periportal and perilobular
hepatitis. The lymph nodes of the intestines displayed eosinophil lymphadenitis with
reactive centers containing parasitic forms in some of them. The granulomatous
reaction was not observed in any tissues. The role of the other examined tissues had
less significance. The relevance of this parasite as an etiological agent that leads
to disease in paratenic hosts is evident.
Mycobacterioses can produce nonspecific clinical signs in dogs and cats that make diagnosis difficult. Furthermore, the full characterization of mycobacterial agents is not always possible or practical. We characterized mycobacteria detected through cytology in 12 dogs and 7 cats with generalized clinical signs from the province of Buenos Aires in Argentina. In dogs, molecular testing confirmed the presence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis (MAH) in 8 cases and M. fortuitum in 1 case. All dogs were Miniature Schnauzers, suggesting that this breed may be more susceptible to M. avium than other dog breeds. The cat isolates were 2 M. bovis, 1 M. fortuitum, and 1 MAH. Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem repeat patterns suggested possible links with cattle, swine, and humans studied previously in Argentina. The results show that pets may act as susceptible hosts with the potential risk of transmitting the infection to humans and other animals.
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