Sarcocystid organisms found in bile from a dog with acute hepatitis: a case report and review of intestinal and hepatobiliary Sarcocystidae infections in dogs and cats

Abstract

Sarcocystidae is a family of coccidian protozoa from the phylum Apicomplexa that includes Toxoplasma, Neospora, Sarcocystis, Hammondia, and Besnoitia spp. All species undergo a 2-host sexual and asexual cycle. In the definitive host, replication is enteroepithelial, and infection is typically asymptomatic or less commonly causes mild diarrhea. Clinical disease is most frequently observed in the intermediate host, often as an aberrant infection, and is mostly associated with neurologic, muscular, or hepatic inflammation. Here, we review the literature regarding intestinal Sarcocystidae infections in dogs and cats, with emphasis on the life cycle stages and the available diagnostic assays and their limitations. We also report the diagnostic findings for an 11-year-old dog with acute neutrophilic hepatitis, biliary protozoa, and negative biliary culture. Although Toxoplasma and Neospora IgG titers were both high, PCR for these 2 organisms was negative for bile. The organisms were identified by 18S rDNA PCR as most consistent with Hammondia, either H heydorni or H triffittae. This is the first report of presumed Hammondia organisms being found in canine bile.

Biliary protozoa in a dog with acute cholangiohepatitis fed a raw food diet

“…A previous report in which Hammondia species were identified in the bile of a dog with acute hepatitis is similar to the case presented here, 7 in which marked increases in ALP and ALT activities were evident along with cytologic evidence of hepatic neutrophilic inflammation and biliary coccidial zoites. However, a limitation of the former report was the inability to distinguish H. heydorni from H. triffittae .…”

“…A single report exists describing biliary Hammondia spp. in a dog with acute hepatitis, 7 but the previous study could not differentiate between H. heydorni or Hammondia triffittae .…”

Clinical Toxoplasmosis in Dogs and Cats: An Update

“…(86), N. caninum (85), and lungworms (87); hepatitis in dogs by Sarcocystis spp. (88), S. canis (77), Sarcocystis caninum, Sarcocystis svanai (89), and N. caninum (79); myocarditis in dogs by the West Nile Virus (90) and N. caninum (91); and skeletal muscle myositis in dogs by S. caninum and S. svanai (89, 92). Also, non-infectious neurological diseases showing a wide range of signs are frequent in cats (30, 93) and dogs (94, 95).…”

DETECÇÃO ATRAVÉS DE REAÇÃO EM CADEIA PELA POLIMERASE EM TEMPO REAL SEGUIDA DE ANÁLISE DE ALTA RESOLUÇÃO DE CURVAS DE DISSOCIAÇÃO (qPCR-HRM) DE PROTOZOÁRIOS PARASITOS (APICOMPLEXA: SARCOCYSTIDAE) EM AMOSTRAS DE EMBUTIDOS DE ORIGEM SUÍNA

“…No norte da Índia pela PCR convencional 72,8% das amostras foram positivas, enquanto pela qPCR houve positividade em 76,4% (Kaur et al, 2015). No Irã, houve sucesso na detecção de DNA com 66,7%, 20% e 13,3% das amostras sendo compatíveis com as espécies S. gigantea, S. moulei e Sarcocystis spp., respectivamente (Kalantari et al, 2016).…”

“…A família Sarcocystidae compreende os parasitos dos gêneros Toxoplasma, Neospora, Sarcocystis, Hammondia, Besnoitia (Irvine;Walker;Friedrichs, 2016) e Cystoisospora spp. (Samarasinghe;Ryan, 2008).…”