Topic:Aspergillus
Aspergillus is a genus of fungi commonly found in the environment, including soil, plant debris, and indoor air. In horses, Aspergillus species can lead to respiratory infections, particularly affecting the nasal passages and lungs. Equine aspergillosis is often associated with immunocompromised animals or those exposed to high concentrations of fungal spores. Clinical manifestations can include nasal discharge, coughing, and labored breathing. Diagnosis typically involves endoscopic examination, imaging, and fungal culture or PCR testing. Treatment options may include antifungal medications and supportive care. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic methods, and therapeutic approaches for Aspergillus infections in horses.
Intravascular leukostasis and systemic aspergillosis in a horse with subleukemic acute myelomonocytic leukemia. Leukemia is a neoplastic disease of one or more of the cell types of the hemopoietic system and is rarely diagnosed in the horse. This report describes a case of subleukemic acute myelomonocytic leukemia in an 11-year-old gelding. Preliminary cytological diagnosis was supported by two types of laboratory investigations. Cytochemical characterization of blood and bone marrow neoplastic cells was consistent with a myelomonocytic origin. Neoplastic blast cells in peripheral blood were labeled by monoclonal antibodies specific for cell surface molecules of horse granulocytes, but they were not lab...
Treatment of mycotic rhinitis with itraconazole in three horses. Itraconazole, a third-generation azole, was evaluated for treatment of resistant nasal mycotic infections in horses. Two horses with Aspergillus spp nasal granulomas and 1 horse with Conidiobolus coronatus nasal infection were treated with itraconazole (3 mg/kg PO bid). One of the horses with nasal aspergillosis was also treated by surgical resection of the nasal septum. The treatment time for the horses ranged from 3 to 4.5 months. No adverse effects were noted in any of the horses during the treatment period. Peak and trough serum itraconazole concentrations were < 0.5 micrograms/mL in al...
[Air sac mycosis: topical treatment using enilconazole administered via indwelling catheter]. In a horse with chronic unilateral nasal discharge guttural pouch mycosis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus was diagnosed. A percutaneous indwelling catheter was surgically installed in the left guttural pouch. Initial treatment with a povidone iodine solution proved to be unsatisfactory. Treatment was continued by administering enilconazole by ways of an indwelling through-the-nose-catheter. The latter treatment resulted in complete recovery.
Responsiveness of basophil granulocytes of horses suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to various allergens. As basophils are the major effector cells of allergic reactions, confirmation of the allergic etiology of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was sought by the demonstration of a specific in vitro response of equine basophilic blood cells to some potential allergens (Aspergillus, Cladosporidium, Mucor, Penicillium, extracts of dust particles of hay and straw). The allergen induced degranulation of basophils and the histamine and protease release from basophils during incubation with the allergens were tested. By evaluating the results obtained from 14 COPD horses and eight controls it...
Effects of Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract on in vitro equine cecal fermentation. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract on the in vitro equine cecal fermentation of soluble starch, amino acids/peptides, coastal bermudagrass hay, and alfalfa hay. Cecal contents were obtained from a cecally fistulated Quarter Horse gelding fed coastal bermudagrass and grain (70:30) either unadapted or adapted to dietary A. oryzae supplementation (2 g/d). Mixed cecal microorganisms were incubated in anaerobic media for either 24 h (soluble starch, amino acids) or 48 h (bermudagrass hay, alfalfa hay). A. oryzae was added to the incubat...
Responses of horses affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to inhalation challenges with mould antigens. Eight control and 8 asymptomatic COPD-affected horses were given, on separate occasions, inhalation challenges with extracts of Micropolyspora faeni, Aspergillus fumigatus and Thermoactinomyces vulgaris. All horses were also given nebulised phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) challenges and 'natural challenges' (NCs), i.e. exposure to hay and straw, as control challenges. Responses were assessed by clinical, pulmonary mechanics, arterial blood gas tensions, arterial blood pH and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid cytological examinations. PBS challenges had no effect on control or COPD-affected horses, ...
Evaluation of intradermal mould antigen testing in the diagnosis of equine chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Intradermal end-point titres for commercial aqueous extracts of Micropolyspora faeni, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and Aspergillus fumigatus were determined in control and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affected horses. The intradermal end-point titres of control and COPD-affected horses were not significantly different and values for individual horses for M. faeni, A. fumigatus and T. vulgaris were not correlated with the pulmonary dysfunction or with the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid neutrophilia which had been induced by previous inhalation challenges with these antigens and by '...
Airborne dust and aeroallergen concentration in a horse stable under two different management systems. Airborne dust concentration (ADC) was measured in 2 different horse management systems using an Andersen cascade impactor in the box-stall, and a personal Marple cascade impactor attached to the halter to measure ADC in the breathing zone. The levels of aeroallergens implicated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were measured by radioallergosorbent-inhibition immunoassay. A conventional management system (System C) utilising hay feed and straw bedding, and a recommended environment (System R) utilising wood shaving bedding and a complete pelleted diet were studied. In the stall, total an...
Aspergillosis granuloma in the mediastinum of a non-immunocompromised horse. A National Show Horse with a mediastinal granuloma was presented with clinical signs which included fever, nasal discharge and cough. The mediastinal mass was identified radiographically and ultrasonographically. A presumptive diagnosis of aspergillosis was made following isolation of Aspergillus spp. from both transtracheal aspirate and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples and agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) identification of serum antibody to Aspergillus spp. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathologic examination of the mediastinal mass obtained at necropsy examination.
Pulmonary aspergillosis associated with acute enteritis in a horse. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was detected at postmortem examination of an 8-year-old Quarter Horse mare that had a history of diarrhea, laminitis, and bilateral nasal discharge. A diagnosis of Ehrlichia risticii infection was made on the basis of clinical signs of diarrhea and pyrexia, high serum antibody titer to E risticii (1:2,560), and multiple Salmonella-negative cultures obtained from fecal and colonic specimens. Possible pathogenic mechanisms contributing to the development of pulmonary aspergillosis secondary to enteric disease include mycotic invasion of the intestinal tract or im...
Mycotic keratitis in a horse caused by Aspergillus fumigatus. The first reported case in Finland. The first identified Finnish case of equine mycotic keratitis caused by Aspergillus fumigatus is described. The clinical picture, the sampling method, the macro- and micromorphology of the causative fungus and the therapy applied are reported in detail. Therapy with natamycin (Pimafucin 2.5% eyedrops. Gist-Brocades) was successful. Mykotisk keratit hos häst orsakad av beskrivs första gången i Finland. Klinisk bild, provtagning, makroskopisk och mikroskopisk morfologi av svampen samt terapi rapporteras i detalj. Terapin med natamycin (Pimafucin® 2.5 % ögondroppar, Gist-Brocades) var effek...
Thermophilic and thermotolerant fungi of animals’ hair. Nine thermophilic genera and 17 species in addition to one variety of Aspergillus flavus, Malbranchea pulchella and Humicola grisea were collected from hair samples in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at 45 degrees C. Fifty-one hair specimens of rabbit, sheep, camel and horse were examined for the presence of thermophilic fungi. The most frequent species were Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Thermoascus aurantiacus and Malbranchea pulchella var. sulfurea. In low frequency, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus quadrilineatus, Paecilomyces variotii, Paecilomyces aerugineus, Mucor pusillus and Rhizopus s...
Saprophytic and keratinolytic fungi associated with animals hair from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hair samples from different animals collected from different sites in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were examined for the presence of saprophytic and keratinolytic fungi. Fifty-one specimens were examined of which 19 were from rabbits, 13 from sheeps, 12 from camels and 7 from horses. Forty-eight species and one variety which belong to 24 genera were collected during this investigation. The most common genera were Aspergillus and Chrysosporium. In low frequency, members of the genera Thermoascus, Scopulariopsis, Alternaria, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Botryotrichum, Fusarium, Ulocladium and keratinophilic f...
Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxins B1, B2, and M1 in corn associated with equine death. Corn from an Arkansas farm, where three horses died and others became sick, was investigated for causative principles. Necropsy of the three horses revealed what appeared to be severe hepatic necrosis. Histopathological examination indicated a pattern of hepatic lesions that was suggestive of aflatoxin contamination of the feed. Mycological examination of the corn by dilution plating revealed 95% of the colonies as Aspergillus flavus. Chemical analysis of the corn for mycotoxins was positive for aflatoxin B1, B2, and M1 at concentrations of 114, 10, and 6 micrograms/Kg, respectively. Cyclopiaz...
Molds, mycotoxins, and mycotoxicosis. Interest in mycotoxins and mycotoxicosis in humans and animals has greatly increased in recent years. Horses have long been considered very susceptible to molds. The signs, treatment, and prevention of several conditions, such as leukoencephalomalacia, aflatoxicosis, ergotism, fescue toxicity, slobbering disease, ryegrass staggers, and moldy sweet clover disease, are discussed.
Serum IgG antibody concentrations against environmental microbes in mares and foals during different seasons and effect of stabling practices. Over periods of 22 and 14 months, IgG antibody concentrations in serum samples obtained monthly from 14 mares and 19 foals, respectively, were measured by use of ELISA against antigens of the following environmental microbes: Aspergillus umbrosus, Penicillium brevicompactum, Rhodotorula glutinis, Absidia corymbifera, Aspergillus fumigatus, Humicola grisea, Micropolyspora faeni, and Thermoactinomyces vulgaris. The mares and foals were on pasture from early June until early October, then were stabled during the winter season until the following June. In the mares, increased antibody concentratio...
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis of horses: an association with acute enteritis. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis was identified in 19 horses. In 16 cases mycotic lesions were associated with enterocolitis; 14 cases appeared to result from Salmonella infection. Pulmonary lesions included multifocal areas of acute necrosis, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and thrombosis with fibrinosuppurative inflammation surrounding mycelial masses. Thromboemboli with fungi were in the brain and kidneys of three cases. Factors which appeared to predispose to pulmonary aspergillosis included corticosteroid therapy, disseminated neoplasms, hepatitis, pleuritis, and peritonitis. This study sugg...
Pulmonary aspergillosis in a horse with myelomonocytic leukemia. Acute myelomonocytic leukemia was diagnosed in a 2-year-old Standardbred mare that had hind limb edema and fever unresponsive to antibiotics. The mare had anemia, thrombocytopenia, and leukocytosis, with circulating myeloblasts and monocytoid cells. A bone marrow specimen was hypercellular, with myeloblasts and monocytoid cells. Peroxidase, chloroacetate esterase, and alpha naphthyl acetate esterase activities were detected in many bone marrow cells. Interstitial pulmonary densities were seen radiographically. The mare was euthanatized and necropsied. Infiltrates of leukemic cells were found m...
[Diagnosis and therapy of air sac mycoses in the horse]. Mycosis of the guttural pouches is a sporadic disease characterized by diphtheroid-necrotizing inflammation, and is caused by different fungal species, mainly by Aspergillus spp., Penicillium spp. and Candida spp. Highest incidence is during summer in stable horses. Proper diagnosis often requires--besides detection by mycological techniques--histological examination of tissue obtained by bioptic endoscopy. Prognosis is hopeless in late stages of the infection because of the erosion of the carotid artery or accompanied by the fatal complications of a not reparable cranial nerve damage also in ...
Antifungal sensitivity testing for equine keratomycosis. We evaluated 31 fungal specimens obtained from equine corneas over a 10-year period, 1973 to 1983. More than half were received in late summer and early autumn, and the number tended to increase in frequency during the 1980s. These isolates included 13 different genera and 20 different species. The prevalent genus was Aspergillus (35%). On the basis of examinations for tube-dilution minimal inhibitory concentrations and minimal fungicidal concentrations of 16 fungal isolates, the imidazole antibiotics such as miconazole and ketoconazole consistently showed the lowest geometric mean titers for ...
Precipitating antibodies against Micropolyspora faeni in equines in north-western India. Prevalence of serum precipitins against Micropolyspora faeni, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and Aspergillus fumigatus, employing the counterimmunoelectrophoresis (COIE) and Ouchterlony's double diffusion (DD) techniques, is reported in 162 of the equines stationed at two military installations in north-western India. M. faeni specific precipitins were demonstrable in 58 of 112 mules from site I in the mountainous region whereas the results were negative for all of the 50 horses examined from site II located in the plains. Of the 58 M. faeni positive mules, 45 (78%) had signs and symptoms suggesti...
Conjunctival fungal flora in horses, cattle, dogs, and cats. Conjunctival swab specimens were obtained from both eyes of 43 horses, 25 cows, 50 dogs, and 25 cats without keratitis or other ophthalmologic problems. Fungi were isolated from 95% of the horses, 100% of the cows, 22% of the dogs, and 40% of the cats. Aspergillus spp were isolated from 56% of the horses, 12% of the cows, 8% of the cats, and none of the dogs. Penicillium spp and Cladosporium spp were isolated ubiquitously. Collectively, 28 species from 209 isolants were identified.
Toxic hepatopathy in neonatal foals. Six foals of three different breeds, born to healthy mares, appeared normal at birth, and died at two to five days of age with icterus, ataxia, head pressing, and terminal hepatic coma. Their livers were less than one-half normal weight. Most of the liver was dark red-brown and slightly rubbery. Histologically, these areas were characterized by severe bile ductule proliferation, mild portal tract fibrosis, and massive hepatocellular necrosis and lobular collapse. A small proportion of the liver, usually on the peripheral part of the lobes, was grossly light brown and slightly raised. Histologi...
[Aspergillus oryzae as a cause of keratomycosis in the horse]. A case of a spontaneous mycokeratitis of a previously injured cornea in a horse is described. The infection was caused by Aspergillus oryzae. After application of Chloramphenicol ophthalmic ointment a corneal clouding was found in the centre which was circularly sharply defined and which - after dispensing Dexamethason-Neomycin eye drops - expanded all over to a purulent keratitis. The demarcated and initially non purulent mycotic lesions largely improved after the application of tincture of iodine, whereas the purulent keratitis could be completely cured only by a lasting treatment with Lugol...
Saprophytic fungi isolated from the hair of domestic and laboratory animals with suspected dermatophytosis. Hair samples from domestic and laboratory animals with suspected dermatophytosis were examined for the presence of saprophytic fungi. A nutritionally poor base medium, developed by the author, was used in the isolation and identification of the saprophytes. Three hundred and ninety-four specimens were examined of which 246 were from dogs, 75 from cats, 30 from horses, 19 from cows, 12 from guinea pigs, 5 from rats, 2 from parakeets, 2 from chinchillas and one each from a goat, a mink and a lesser panda (Ailurus fulgens). Moulds classified in 32 genera were isolated. The commonest in order of f...
“Haysickness” in Icelandic horses: precipitin tests and other studies. Blood samples were taken from 18 healthy horses (Group A), 15 horses clinically diagnosed to have "haysickness" ("farmer's lung") (Group B), 10 closely related horses (Group C) and 14 inbred horses (Group D). Precipitins in sera were measured by double gel diffusion test against Micropolyspora faeni, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris, Aspergillus fumigatus, Alternaria, Penicillium and Rhizopus species. In Group A, all the horses were precipitin negative except one with a faint reaction to Rhizopus species. In Group B all had precipitin against M faeni. One horse also had precipitins against Rhizopus ...
A study on the possible role of chymotrypsin in the aetiology of equine chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The chymotrypsin activity of seven batches of Micropolyspora faeni and of five batches of Aspergillus fumigatus culture extracts, prepared for inhalation challenge in horses, was assayed and was found to range between 0.29 and 1.45 units/mg protein and 0.02 and 0.20 units/mg protein respectively. Horses affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were challenged with two batches of each antigen which had different chymotrypsin activities and no significant correlations were found between the degree of response to challenge and the chymotrypsin activity of the antigens. Inhalatio...
Bacterial and fungal isolates from Equidae with ulcerative keratitis. Gram-negative bacteria were the most common microbial isolates from 38 eyes of 37 horses with ulcerative keratitis. Pseudomonas sp, Enterobacter group, and Acinetobacter sp were the most prevalent. Fungi were cultured from 15 eyes and included 7 genera, with Aspergillus sp being the most prevalent. Ten of the eyes with fungal keratitis had been treated with corticosteroids. Eleven of 38 eyes had mixed bacterial and fungal infections. Clinically, the most severe cases were those in which Aspergillus and gram-negative bacteria existed in a mixed infection. On the basis of susceptibility testing,...
Nasal aspergillosis in three horses. Three horses were referred for investigation of a unilateral foul smelling scanty nasal discharge, complicated in one case by intermittent epistaxis. Thick purulent material or a mycotic plaque was identified by an endoscopic examination of the middle meatus but in two horses this had to be repeated under general anaesthesia before the abnormalities were detected. Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured from all three cases and septate hyphae were identified on smears from lesions. Histological examination of the lesion in one case revealed a fungal mycelium. Topical treatment with natamycin soluti...
The effects of sodium cromoglycate on antigen inhalation challenge in two horses affected with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). 80 mg sodium cromoglycate (SCG) was administered by inhalation to two COPD-affected animals known to have respiratory hypersensitivity to Micropolyspora faeni. SCG treatment 20-30 minutes prior to inhalation challenge with M. faeni prevented exacerbation of respiratory disease, usually seen 4-8 hours after challenge. duration of protection against antigen challenge after a single SCG treatment was 4-5 days. The duration of protection was not prolonged by reducing the frequency of antigen challenge. Multiple antigen challenge, using M. faeni and Aspergillus fumigatus, shortened the protective p...