Sow mortality is directly related to financial losses and productive efficiency in pig farms. Despite this, diseases associated with the death of sows are poorly understood. This study aimed to determine the main causes of death of sows in Brazilian pig farms. To perform this research, three Brazilian pig farms were visited, and necropsies were performed on all sows that had died spontaneously or were subjected to euthanasia. Tissue fragments were collected for histopathological and bacteriological examination. In addition, the clinical signs, productive stage, parity, and type of death (spontaneous or euthanasia) were recorded. A total of 138 necropsies were performed, and 132 had a conclusive diagnosis. The most frequent productive stages were gestation and lactation (33.3 and 31.9%, respectively), followed by parturient sows (17.4%), cull sows (9.4%), weaning-to-estrus interval (WEI) (4.3%), and unmated gilts (3.6%). The most affected organ systems were reproductive (28%), digestive (25%), locomotor (22%), cardiovascular (9.1%), and hematopoietic (6.1%). The most frequently diagnosed conditions were uterine prolapse (16/132; 12.1%), gastric ulcer (13/132; 9.8%), suppurative arthritis (11/132; 8.3%), liver lobe torsion (11/132; 8.3%), heart failure (9/132; 6.8%), vaginal or vaginal and rectal prolapse (9/132; 6.8%), and pododermatitis (8/132; 6.1%). Although 58.2% of the deaths were due to one of these seven diseases, there was a great variability in diagnoses.

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Objectives This study aimed to characterize the cytologic, pathologic and immunohistochemical (IHC) aspects of feline giant-cell sarcoma. Methods Biopsy and necropsy reports from the Department of Veterinary Pathology were retrieved, and 13 cases of pleomorphic sarcoma (PS) were selected according to the established epidemiologic, pathologic and IHC criteria. All samples were fixed in 10% formalin, routinely processed for histology, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Samples also underwent IHC testing for vimentin, ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba-1), desmin, actin and S-100. Results The mean age of the affected cats was 9.5 years, and females were over-represented. Most neoplasms were observed in the flank, lateral thorax, limbs and interscapular region, and were >2 cm in diameter. Cytology analysis revealed highly cellular preparations with three distinct populations (spindle cells, small round cells and multinucleated giant cells) in a dense eosinophilic stroma. Histologically, PS was composed of a combination of these three populations. IHC labeling for vimentin and Iba-1 was strongly positive for spindle cells and multinucleated giant cells, respectively. Desmin/actin showed variable labeling among the samples. S-100 was negative in all samples. Conclusions and relevance PS is a neoplasm of mesenchymal origin, also known as malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The predominant subtype in this study that affected the cats was the giant-cell type, characterized by the presence of multinucleated giant cells among spindle-shaped cells. These findings are similar to those described in human patients; thus, a comparison between the neoplasms seen in these species might be useful, and the knowledge of biologic behavior and overall treatment approach for humans could be extrapolated to cats.

Main clinical signs were weight loss, excessive lacrimation or mucopurulent ocular discharge, nasal serous discharge, ventral diphteric glossitis, crusts in the nose, teats, dorsum of ears, and vulva. Liver biopsy was performed in all the cows under risk; the histopathological findings in the liver biopsies consisted of fibrosis, megalocytosis, and biliary ductal proliferation and were present in 73.4% of the biopsied animals. Six cows had increased serum activity of gamma glutamyl transferase. Three affected cows were necropsied. The main necropsy findings were a hard liver, distended gall bladder, edema of the mesentery and abomasum. Liver histological changes in the necropsied cows were similar to those of the biopsied livers. Spongiosis was detected in the brain of necropsied cows and is characteristic of hepatic encephalopathy.

Por meio de um estudo retrospectivo, os aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos e anatomopatológicos de 128 casos de linfoma bovino são descritos. Dos protocolos que informavam o sexo (n=111), 84,7% correspondiam a fêmeas e 15,3% a machos. Dos protocolos em que constava a raça (n=108), a mais prevalente foi a holandesa (63%). Em relação à idade (n=107), houve uma variação entre um e 14 anos. A maioria dos bovinos era adulta (89,7%) e a maior concentração dos casos ocorreu ao redor de 5-8 anos (57,9%). Em relação aos sinais clínicos (n=89), linfadenomegalia foi o achado mais frequentemente observado (74,1%). Outros sinais clínicos, principalmente aqueles relacionados com os sistemas respiratório (dispneia, estertoração pulmonar e taquipneia), cardiovascular (taquicardia, edema subcutâneo e pulso venoso positivo), digestório (atonia ruminal, timpanismo e diarreia) e nervoso (paresia dos membros pélvicos e andar cambaleante), foram pouco prevalentes. Na necropsia (n=125), 71,2% dos bovinos apresentavam aumento de volume dos linfonodos; essa linfadenomegalia foi classificada como localizada em 89,6% dos casos e generalizada em 10,3% dos casos. Dos protocolos que informavam os linfonodos acometidos (n=58), a distribuição foi a seguinte: mesentéricos (51,7%), mediastínicos (37,9%), pré-escapulares (29,3%), ilíacos internos (27,6%), inguinais superficiais (25,8%) e traqueobrônquicos (18,9%). Além dos linfonodos, outros órgãos comumente afetados pelo linfoma neste estudo incluíram: coração (40%), fígado (15,2%), rim (14,4%), abomaso (12,8%), útero (11,2%), intestino (10,4%) e pulmão (7,2%). A presença de massas tumorais no canal vertebral foi observada em poucos casos (3,2%). Com base na epidemiologia e na localização das lesões, a maioria dos casos (96%) foi classificada como linfoma enzoótico e o restante (4%) como linfoma esporádico. Os resultados encontrados neste estudo irão auxiliar clínicos de grandes animais e patologistas veterinários na suspeita e no diagnóstico definitivo do linfoma na espécie bovina.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the main causes of death in growing-finishing pigs in southern Brazil. During a one-year period (from 2018 to 2019), two industrial pig herds (18 and 20 thousand pigs each farm) in southern Brazil were monitored along the four seasons of the year (12 days per season on each farm), in order to perform necropsies of all pigs that died in that period. The two farms had an average monthly mortality rate ranging from 0.94 to 3.93% in the evaluated months. At necropsy, tissues were collected, fixed in 10% formalin solution and processed routinely for histopathological examination. When necessary, samples were sent for bacterial culture and PCR to identify etiologic agents. A total of 601 necropsies were performed, with 94.9% of conclusive diagnoses. Infectious diseases corresponded to 64.4% of conclusive diagnosis and non-infectious diseases to 35.6%. The most prevalent causes of death were: pneumonia (33%), gastric ulcers (15.4%), circovirosis (9.9%), systemic bacterial embolism (5.4%), polyserositis (4.4%), dilated cardiomyopathy and torsion of abdominal organs (4.3% each), and bacterial pericarditis (3.4%). Regarding pneumonias (199/601), the main agents identified in these cases were Pasteurella multocida, Influenza A virus and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, mainly in associations.

RESUMO: Intoxicações por plantas do gênero Senecio representam uma importante causa de morte em animais de produção, sendo Senecio brasiliensis a espécie mais envolvida nos casos de intoxicação espontânea. Nesse trabalho, são descritos os aspectos epidemiológicos, clínicos e anatomopatológicos de um surto de intoxicação natural por Senecio brasiliensis em equinos. Dois equinos, de um total de dezoito, foram afetados. Os casos ocorreram em uma propriedade rural no município de São Martinho da Serra, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Grande quantidade de exemplares de Senecio brasiliensis em estágio de brotação foi encontrada na área onde os equinos estavam. Os animais eram da raça Crioula, sendo uma égua com quatro anos e um potro com cinco meses. A égua apresentou evolução aguda da doença com duração de três dias e o potro evolução crônica de dois meses. As principais manifestações clínicas observadas em ambos os equinos incluíam apatia, anorexia, emagrecimento, desidratação e sinais neurológicos. Além disso, havia moderado edema subcutâneo na região ventral do abdômen e marcada icterícia nas mucosas ocular, oral e vulvar da égua e palidez das mucosas no potro. Na avaliação bioquímica do potro, havia acentuado aumento da atividade sérica da gamaglutamil transferase (119 U/L), aumento da fosfatase alcalina (434 U/L) e hipoalbuminemia (2,1g/dL). No hemograma do mesmo, observou-se leve anemia normocítica e normocrômica (30% de hematócrito; VCM: 39,5 fL; HCM: 15,3pg). As alterações presentes em ambas as necropsias foram observadas principalmente no fígado, que estava difusamente aumentado de tamanho, escuro e firme. Na superfície de corte, observaram-se acentuação do padrão lobular e hemorragia. Histologicamente, no fígado dos equinos, havia graus variados de necrose coagulativa, hemorragia, fibrose, proliferação de ductos biliares, hepatomegalocitose e bilestase. Nas diferentes seções analisadas do encéfalo, havia alterações astrocitárias restritas à substância cinzenta, predominantemente, no córtex telencefálico. Os astrócitos degenerados eram similares aos astrócitos de Alzheimer tipo II. O diagnóstico da intoxicação nesses casos foi baseado na epidemiologia, no quadro clínico, nas lesões de necropsia e nos achados histopatológicos. Cabe ressaltar que a necrose de coagulação e a discreta fibrose e proliferação de ductos biliares observados na égua, constituiu uma apresentação subaguda da intoxicação, enquanto que a fibrose, mais predominante no potro, caracterizou uma hepatopatia crônica.