In this retrospective study, the clinical and anatomopathological findings of fungal diseases in dogs and cats in Northeastern Brazil are described. During the study period, 6,827 histopathological examinations (4,090 necropsies and 2,737 biopsies) of companion animals were reviewed, and fungal infections were diagnosed in 54 cases. Of these, 32 cases were diagnosed in cats and 22 in dogs. Sporotrichosis was the most prevalent mycosis (19/54), followed by dermatophytosis (9/54), cryptococcosis (8/54), candidiasis (7/54), and phaeohyphomycosis (4/54). Other diseases had two cases each, including aspergillosis, mucormycosis, and histoplasmosis, whereas coccidioidomycosis occurred once. Mycoses were diagnosed through microscopic lesions associated with the histomorphological characteristics of the agent, as evidenced by routine and special histochemical stains. They were occasionally confirmed by immunohistochemistry and microbiological cultivation. This retrospective study showed that despite being uncommon, fungal diseases are important causes of death in dogs and cats in the region, with cats being the most affected species and sporotrichosis being the most prevalent mycosis. Clinical signs were correlated with the portal of entry of the infection associated with localized or disseminated superficial and deep skin lesions or affecting parenchymal organs, especially in systemic infections. Microscopic lesions were mainly characterized by pyogranulomatous inflammation associated with fungal structures. In dogs, mycoses occurred mainly owing to an immunological impairment secondary to canine distemper virus co-infection.

This study describes the epidemiological, clinical, and pathological aspects of spontaneous and experimental poisoning by nitroxinil at 34% concentration in goats. The outbreak occurred on a farm in the municipality of Prata, Paraíba state. Nitroxinil was administered to a herd of 120 goats, of which 18 presented with anorexia, vocalization, abdominal distension, weakness, staggering, and falls. Necropsy of three goats revealed that the main lesion was acute liver injury. Histologically the liver showed centrilobular necrosis associated with hemorrhage and hepatocyte degeneration. In the kidneys, tubular nephrosis with granular cylinder formations was observed. The lungs showed multifocal to coalescent areas of moderate interalveolar edema and vascular congestion. Experimental poisoning was carried out in two goats, with the same medication and doses administered on the farm. The experimental goats showed clinical signs and macroscopic and histological changes similar to the spontaneously poisoned goats. The diagnosis of nitroxinil poisoning was made based on epidemiological, clinical, and pathological data, and confirmed by experimental poisoning. The administration of nitroxinil in high doses, associated with high ambient temperature and physical exercises, can cause poisoning with high lethality in goats.

Spontaneous and experimental poisoning by Tephrosia cinerea in the northeastern semiarid region of Brazil has only been described in sheep. Pathologically, such poisoning leads to ascites and centrilobular liver fibrosis. However, these effects require an experimental study in goats. This study aimed to determine the goats’ susceptibility to the ingestion of T. cinerea and the minimum toxic dose, describing the main clinical and anatomopathological findings. Poisoning was reproduced experimentally in one sheep that received 10g/kg of the ground plant and in two goats, the first receiving a dose of 5g/kg and the second receiving 10g/kg of the ground plant. The sheep presented abdominal distension 34 days after beginning the ingestion of the plant, developing sternal decubitus, breathing difficulty, opisthotonos, mandibular trismus, salivation, dysphagia, vocalization, and pedaling movements on the 50th day of the experiment. Fluid accumulation was observed in the abdominal cavity and liver via necropsy, with an irregular, slightly whitish capsular surface. Histologically, the main lesions observed in the liver were moderate fibrosis, marked sinusoidal distension, accompanied by marked hemorrhage, sometimes forming bridges between the centrilobular regions, associated with a dissociation of hepatocyte cords. There were discrete Alzheimer’s type II astrocytes in the gray matter in the region of the occipital cortex in the nervous system. Goat 2 showed apathy, drowsiness, and weight loss; on the 62th day, lateral decubitus evolved to sternal decubitus, with a rotation of the neck towards the flank. At necropsy, marked edema was observed on the face and dewlap, and a slight accumulation of liquid; slightly yellowish material was observed in the abdominal cavity. There were discrete blackened areas on the capsular surface in the liver. Histologically, the liver showed mild centrilobular fibrosis associated with mild dissociation of hepatocyte cords and mild vacuolar degeneration of the hepatocyte cytoplasm. Goat 1 showed no clinical signs; at necropsy, discrete multifocal areas were observed in the liver on the capsular surface. Histologically, diffuse intracytoplasmic vacuolar degeneration of hepatocytes was detected. The clinical picture and anatomopathological findings differ between the species, proving the lower susceptibility of goats to Tephrosia cinerea ingestion (compared to sheep), with differences in the pathogenesis and epidemiological aspects of poisoning.

El granuloma eosinofílico se caracteriza por una infiltración celular densa de eosinófilos, macrófagos y mastocitos, además de focos de colagenólisis. El granuloma eosinofílico canino es una rara enfermedad inflamatoria de la piel que afecta la mucosa oral. Sin embargo, la forma cutánea es más evidente y puede estar en el escroto, los testículos, el perineo y los flancos. La etiología del granuloma eosinofílico en perros no está clara, pero los procesos alérgicos pueden originar nódulos o placas granulomatosas. Los perros afectados pueden presentar picazón, hinchazón y, ocasionalmente, dolor. El análisis histopatológico es necesario para el diagnóstico definitivo. El presente informe del caso describe un perro macho de 12 años, Poodle, con antecedentes de hinchazón, picazón y dolor en el escroto. La estadificación clínica completa se realizó mediante recuento sanguíneo, análisis bioquímico, radiografías torácicas, ultrasonido abdominal y electrocardiograma. El perro fue sometido a extracción quirúrgica seguida de evaluación histopatológica. El granuloma eosinofílico debe incluirse en el diagnóstico diferencial de las masas solitarias en la región escrotal.

Background: Strongyloides stercoralis is a nematode that causes intestinal infection in vertebrate hosts, especially in humans and dogs. The species S. stercoralis is responsible for chronic and asymptomatic infections in adult dogs or serious infections in puppies and immunosuppressed animals. In Brazil, natural infection in dogs was demonstrated by coproparasitological and serological methods, however, there are no reports that address the clinicopathological characteristics of the infection in the canine species. Thus, this paper aims to describe the epidemiological, clinical and pathological aspects of S. stercoralis infection in a puppy in Northeastern Brazil.Case: A puppy female Chihuahua was referred to the Animal Pathology Laboratory of the Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Campina Grande for necropsy with a historic of severe respiratory symptoms and gastrointestinal changes that included sanguineous diarrhea and vomiting that evolved to death in 5 days. Grossly, there was a moderate amount of slightly reddish fluid in the thoracic cavity. The lungs remained expanded with a smooth, shiny, and diffusely reddish pleural surface interspersed with multifocal and blackened coalescent areas. Upon cutting, a moderate amount of slightly yellow foamy liquid flowed from the airways and trachea. In the duodenum, the mucosa was diffusely reddened. Histologically, there were multifocal to coalescent areas of moderate interalveolar accumulation of fibrin, edema and hemorrhage in the lung surrounded by an inflammatory infiltrate composed of foamy macrophages associated with numerous parasitic structures in longitudinal and transverse sections in the alveolar lumen and pleural surface. In the duodenum, we observed flattening with diffuse and moderate fusion of the villi and multifocal areas of mucosal erosion. The crypts were moderately dilated, covered by attenuated epithelium, with numerous longitudinal and transversal sections of adult nematode parasites, larvae and eggs associated with inflammatory lymphplasmocytic infiltrate in the lamina propria. The morphological characteristics were compatible with the nematode S. stercoralis.Discussion: The diagnosis of strongyloidiasis was performed by means of microscopic lesions associated with parasitic structures morphologically compatible with the nematode S. stercoralis. This species is responsible for parasitism especially in humans, dogs, and cats. Parasites are the only ones that have a life cycle that involve free living form and parasitic. In this case, it was not possible to determine the primary portal of entry for the infection, but most infections commonly occur through the penetration of the larvae into the skin or mucous membranes, where they migrate via the haematogenous to the lung, then they are swallowed up to the intestine. Occasionally, there is autoinfection by larvae that enter the intestinal mucosa or perianal region and the contamination of neonates and puppies through the ingestion of milk. The clinical signs evidenced in this case, revealed the committed respiratory and gastrointestinal, possibly may be related to the migration of the larvae in the lungs and the destruction of the intestinal epithelium caused by the high number of parasites, respectively. It is concluded that strongyloidiasis is an uncommon infectious disease in puppies in Brazil, capable of causing severe respiratory and gastrointestinal changes that result in the death of animals with a high parasitic load and should be included in the differential diagnosis of diseases that affect the respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract of dogs.Keywords: dog disease, parasitic infection, nematode, Strongyloides stercoralis.