First Confirmed Diagnosis of Nocardioform Placentitis (Amycolatopsis lexingtonensis) in South America.

The research article is about a study that confirms the first case of Nocardioform Placentitis, a unique placental disease, caused by the bacteria Amycolatopsis lexingtonensis, in South America.

Research Background

• The research starts from the understanding of Nocardioform Placentitis, a unique placental disease that was first diagnosed in Central Kentucky in the mid-80s. The incidence of this disease since its discovery varied from singular instances to outbreaks.
• The disease had been intermittently noticed in a few other countries but had never been confirmed in South America prior to this study.

Case Study

• The study describes the case of a 13-year-old Mangalarga mare, which is a breed of horse found in Brazil.
• The mare successfully delivered a healthy filly at full term. Post birth, the mare passed the fetal membranes.
• On examination of the fetal membranes, two focal lesions were identified on the chorionic surface, which were found similar to focal mucoid placentitis.

Diagnosis of Nocardioform Placentitis

• The diagnosis was made through a histopathologic evaluation. This examination revealed some abnormalities like hyperplasia of the allantoic mesoderm as well as degeneration of the same.
• In addition to this, there was an intense mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate, marked lymphocytes and plasma, and occasional instances of macrophages and neutrophils in the microvilli.
• The diagnosis was twofold- by confirmation of a focal mucoid placentitis and the identification of the specific bacteria causing the disease.

Confirmation of the Bacteria

• The confirmation of the bacteria was established through culturing the exudate.
• The culture resulted in the growth of white, firm, colonies of around 1mm diameter. Gram staining further pointed towards the bacteria being actinomycetes.
• PCR, a technique used in molecular genetics to amplify specific DNA sequences, was used to specify the genus of the bacteria as Amycolatopsis.
• Further specifications were made using matrix-assisted laser desorption or ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. This classified the bacteria as Amycolatopsis lexingtonensis.

Summary and Implication of the Findings

• This study has the significant finding of identifying the first confirmed case of Nocardioform Placentitis in South America. Being a unique placental disease, this identification further adds to the knowledge and geographical mapping of the disease.
• The manifestation of the disease in relation to the birth of a healthy foal and the identification of the specific bacteria causing it, give important insights into the nature and occurrence of the disease.