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Veterinary parasitology2015; 216; 13-17; doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.11.016

Chagas disease in a Texan horse with neurologic deficits.

Abstract: A 10-year-old Quarter Horse gelding presented to the Texas A&M University Veterinary Teaching Hospital with a six month-history of ataxia and lameness in the hind limbs. The horse was treated presumptively for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) based on clinical signs but was ultimately euthanized after its condition worsened. Gross lesions were limited to a small area of reddening in the gray matter of the thoracic spinal cord. Histologically, trypanosome amastigotes morphologically similar to Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas disease in humans and dogs, were sporadically detected within segments of the thoracic spinal cord surrounded by mild lymphoplasmacytic inflammation. Ancillary testing for Sarcocystis neurona, Neospora spp., Toxoplasma gondii and Leishmania spp. was negative. Conventional and real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of affected paraffin embedded spinal cord were positive for T. cruzi, and sequencing of the amplified T. cruzi satellite DNA PCR fragment from the horse was homologous with various clones of T. cruzi in GenBank. While canine Chagas disease cases have been widely reported in southern Texas, this is the first report of clinical T. cruzi infection in an equid with demonstrable amastigotes in the spinal cord. In contrast to previous instances of Chagas disease in the central nervous system (CNS) of dogs and humans, no inflammation or T. cruzi amastigotes were detected in the heart of the horse. Based on clinical signs, there is a potential for misdiagnosis of Chagas disease with other infectious diseases that affect the equine CNS. T. cruzi should be considered as a differential diagnosis in horses with neurologic clinical signs and histologic evidence of meningomyelitis that originate in areas where Chagas disease is present. The prevalence of T. cruzi in horses and the role of equids in the parasite life cycle require further study.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Publication Date: 2015-12-02 PubMed ID: 26801589PubMed Central: PMC7594015DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.11.016Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article presents a case study of a horse in Texas that developed neurologic symptoms and was eventually found to have Chagas disease, a condition typically seen in humans and dogs. This is a significant finding as it is reported to be the first known case of clinical Trypanosoma cruzi infection, the agent responsible for Chagas disease, in an equid (member of the horse family) with detectable parasites in the spinal cord.

Clinical Presentation and Treatment

  • The study starts with the case of a 10-year-old Quarter Horse gelding who was brought to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of Texas A&M University.
  • The horse had been suffering from ataxia (difficulty coordinating muscle movements) and lameness in its hind limbs for six months.
  • Initially, the horse was treated for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a disease affecting the central nervous system of horses, based on the symptoms it presented. However, its condition deteriorated, and it had to be euthanized.

Examination and Diagnosis

  • After euthanasia, a pathological examination revealed a minor area of discoloration in the gray matter of the horse’s thoracic spinal cord, with no other notable gross lesions.
  • Under microscopic examination, they identified structures resembling Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite causing Chagas disease, within parts of the spinal cord accompanied by mild inflammation.
  • Tests for other infections such as Sarcocystis neurona, Neospora spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Leishmania spp. were conducted, and they all returned negative results.
  • A definitive diagnosis of Chagas disease was made by performing conventional and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests on the affected spinal cord tissue, which tested positive for T. cruzi. The presence of the disease was further corroborated when the sequence of the T. cruzi satellite DNA PCR fragment from the horse matched with known T. cruzi clones in GenBank database.

Significance

  • This case of a horse being affected by T. cruzi has major implications for diagnostic practices and understanding the disease’s spread, particularly as Chagas disease in horses may often be misdiagnosed due to similarities in symptoms with other equine diseases affecting the central nervous system.
  • In contrast to previous instances of T. cruzi infection in the central nervous system of dogs and humans, no inflammation or T. cruzi was found in the horse’s heart. This distinguishes the case and may reveal new insights about Chagas disease variations.
  • The findings highlight the need for more research into the prevalence of T. cruzi in horses and their potential role in the life cycle and spread of the parasite responsible for Chagas disease.

Cite This Article

APA
Bryan LK, Hamer SA, Shaw S, Curtis-Robles R, Auckland LD, Hodo CL, Chaffin K, Rech RR. (2015). Chagas disease in a Texan horse with neurologic deficits. Vet Parasitol, 216, 13-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.11.016

Publication

Veterinary parasitology
ISSN: 1873-2550
NlmUniqueID: 7602745
Country: Netherlands
Language: English
Volume: 216
Pages: 13-17
PII: S0304-4017(15)30083-2

Researcher Affiliations

Bryan, Laura K
  • Department of Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA. Electronic address: lbryan@cvm.tamu.edu.
Hamer, Sarah A
  • Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
Shaw, Sarah
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
Curtis-Robles, Rachel
  • Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
Auckland, Lisa D
  • Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
Hodo, Carolyn L
  • Department of Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
Chaffin, Keith
  • Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.
Rech, Raquel R
  • Department of Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX 77843-4467, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Ataxia / parasitology
  • Ataxia / veterinary
  • Brain / parasitology
  • Brain / pathology
  • Chagas Disease / parasitology
  • Chagas Disease / physiopathology
  • Chagas Disease / veterinary
  • DNA, Protozoan / analysis
  • DNA, Satellite / analysis
  • Encephalomyelitis / parasitology
  • Encephalomyelitis / physiopathology
  • Encephalomyelitis / veterinary
  • Horse Diseases / parasitology
  • Horse Diseases / physiopathology
  • Horses
  • Lameness, Animal / parasitology
  • Male
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
  • Spinal Cord / parasitology
  • Spinal Cord / pathology
  • Thoracic Vertebrae

Grant Funding

  • T32 OD011083 / NIH HHS
  • T32 RR031229 / NCRR NIH HHS

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Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
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