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Equine pulmonary aspergillosis with encephalitic, myocardial, and renal dissemination.
Abstract: The cause of the death of a 16-month-old Brasileiro-de-Hipismo filly and a 3-year-old male Paint Horse with clinical manifestations of anemia and apathy from southern Brazil was investigated. These horses were maintained at the same stable; received hay as part of their diet and were submitted for routine necropsy evaluations. Significant gross findings included several nodules randomly distributed throughout the pulmonary lobes of both horses, and the kidneys, myocardium, and the frontal lobes of the cerebrum of the filly. Histopathological evaluation revealed pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia in both horses; granulomatous interstitial nephritis, myocarditis, and encephalitis were observed in the filly. All lesions contained vasculitis and thrombosis associated with myriads of intralesional, branching, septate fungi consistent with Aspergillus spp.; intralesional fungi were more easily identified by the Grocott methenamine silver stain. Mycological culture of fresh pulmonary sections from both horses and the brain of the filly revealed pure growths of A. fumigatus. These findings confirmed the participation of A. fumigatus in the etiopathogenesis of the lesions observed in the lungs of both horses, and the cerebrum, myocardium and kidneys of the filly and might represent the first description of A. fumigatus-induced encephalitis in horses. Additionally, we believe that infection occurred during the ingestion of contaminated hay or by inhalation of spores within contaminated bedding that resulted in transient nasal mycosis, which progressed to pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia in both horses with embolic encephalitic, myocardial, and renal dissemination of A. fumigatus occurring only in the filly.
Publication Date: 2014-01-24 PubMed ID: 24458918DOI: 10.1007/s11046-013-9726-0Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Case Reports
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research conducted investigates the death of two horses due to symptoms of anemia and apathy attributed to Aspergillus fumigatus, a type of fungus. The symptoms were found throughout major organs such as the lungs, brain, heart, and kidneys.
Participation of A. fumigatus in the Lesions
- The authors embarked on a detailed exploration of the horse fatalities, evaluating key clinical manifestations and carrying out comprehensive necropsies, which revealed nodules in multiple organs including the pulmonary lobes, kidneys, myocardium, and frontal lobes of the cerebrum in the filly.
- The histopathological evaluations exposed pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia in both horses and granulomatous interstitial nephritis, myocarditis, and encephalitis in the filly.
Identification of Aspergillus
- These lesions contained vasculitis and thrombosis (blood clot), consistent with Aspergillus infections.
- The presence of branching, septate fungi confirm the presence of Aspergillus spp.
- Moreover, the researchers also employed the Grocott methenamine silver stain technique, which helped them more easily identify the intralesional fungi.
- The mycological culture of fresh pulmonary sections from both horses and the brain of the filly further revealed pure growths of A. fumigatus.
The Spread of the Infection
- This evidence led the researchers to deduce that A. fumigatus contributed to the pathogenesis or the progression of the diseases evident in the various organs of the horses.
- This could be the first record of A. fumigatus-induced encephalitis in horses.
- The researchers hypothesize that the horses were infected either through the ingestion of contaminated hay or by inhaling the spores from contaminated bedding.
- It’s suggested that the initially localized nasal mycosis progressed to more systemic conditions, like pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia, which was seen in both horses and other organ infections seen in the filly.
Cite This Article
APA
Headley SA, de Carvalho PH, Cunha Filho LF, Yamamura AA, Okano W.
(2014).
Equine pulmonary aspergillosis with encephalitic, myocardial, and renal dissemination.
Mycopathologia, 177(1-2), 129-135.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-013-9726-0 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Rodovia Celso Garcia Cid, PR 445 km 380, Campus Universitário, PO Box 10.011, 860571-970, Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, selwyn.headley@uel.br.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Aspergillus fumigatus / isolation & purification
- Aspergillus fumigatus / pathogenicity
- Bronchopneumonia / microbiology
- Bronchopneumonia / pathology
- Bronchopneumonia / veterinary
- Encephalitis / microbiology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses / microbiology
- Kidney Diseases / microbiology
- Lung / microbiology
- Lung / pathology
- Male
- Myocarditis / microbiology
- Pulmonary Aspergillosis / microbiology
- Pulmonary Aspergillosis / veterinary
References
This article includes 15 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 3 times.- Hattab J, Vulcano A, D'Arezzo S, Verni F, Tiscar PG, Lanteri G, Gjurcevic E, Tosi U, Marruchella G. Aspergillus Section Fumigati Pneumonia and Oxalate Nephrosis in a Foal. Pathogens 2021 Aug 26;10(9).
- Headley SA, Müller MC, de Oliveira TES, Barros Gil Duarte CA, Valente Pereira PF, Vieira MV, Cunha CW, Flores EF, Lisbôa JAN, Pretto-Giordano LG. Diphtheric aspergillosis tracheitis with gastrointestinal dissemination secondary to viral infections in a dairy calf. Microb Pathog 2020 Dec;149:104497.
- Countrymann K, Ruby R, Miller AD. A retrospective study of 171 cases of equine meningoencephalomyelitis in the United States, 1996-2023. J Vet Diagn Invest 2026 Jan;38(1):100-111.
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