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Fungal Placentitis Caused by Aspergillus terreus in a Mare: Case Report.
Abstract: Placentitis has been reported as the most important cause of equine abortions, stillbirths, and perinatal deaths in horses. Most cases are caused by bacteria and less commonly by fungal elements. The aim of this report is to describe the clinical presentation of a fungal placentitis caused by Aspergillus terrerus. A 5-year-old thoroughbred maiden mare at the 217th day of gestation presented with some classic signs of placentitis (premature udder development and milk dripping). All ultrasonographic findings were consistent with a live fetus and a severe placentitis. On vaginal examination, purulent discharge was found coming from the external cervical os. Samples sent for culture yielded very small numbers of mixed growth including Enterococcus faecalis (by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer), Streptococcus viridans, and Aspergillus terreus, and polymerase chain reaction was positive for Aspergillus terreus and Pseudomonas. The mare was placed on broad-spectrum antimicrobials, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, and hormonal and antifungal treatment. The fetus kept on developing and growing despite the placentitis for 14 days until the demise of the fetus in utero occurred. Aspergillus terreus was isolated from the chorionic surface but not from the fetus. Fungal placentitis is not very commonly found in mares. The extent of the placental lesions and the severity of the placentitis contributed to the death of the fetus. This is one of the few case reports available describing fungal placentitis. Aspergillus terreus has not been previously reported as a cause of placentitis.
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019-10-15 PubMed ID: 31791522DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2019.102799Google 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.
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Summary
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This research paper describes a case of fungal placentitis caused by Aspergillus terreus in a mare, which is a largely underreported condition leading to fetal death. The mare, despite receiving extensive antimicrobial and antifungal treatment, lost the foetus 14 days after the identification of the placentitis.
Case Presentation
- The case revolves around a 5-year-old thoroughbred maiden mare at the 217th day of gestation, presenting with classic signs of placentitis which include premature udder development and milk dripping.
- Ultrasonographic findings confirmed a live fetus and severe placentitis. In addition, a purulent discharge was observed in the vaginal exam coming from the external cervical os.
Investigation and Results
- Samples of the discharge were sent for culture and analysis. The results found very small numbers of mixed growth that included Enterococcus faecalis, Streptococcus viridans, and Aspergillus terreus.
- Further testing through the polymerase chain reaction method confirmed the presence of Aspergillus terreus and Pseudomonas.
- This led to the conclusion that although placentitis is often caused by bacteria, in this case, it was caused by the fungal species Aspergillus terreus.
Treatment and Outcome
- Upon diagnosis, the mare was started on broad-spectrum antimicrobials, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, hormone treatments, and antifungal treatments to arrest the development and spread of the fungi.
- Despite the treatments, the fetus continued to grow and develop within the infested surroundings for 14 days, leading to its death in utero.
- Aspergillus terreus was isolated from the chorionic surface (the embryonic part of the placenta) but was not found in the fetus.
Conclusion
- The severity of the placental lesions and overall placentitis led to the death of the fetus in this case, underlining the grave consequences of this condition.
- This case is a rare one since Aspergillus terreus has not been previously reported as a cause of placentitis.
- Moreover, fungal placentitis is generally less common than the bacterial variant, making this report especially significant in the realm of veterinary medicine.
Cite This Article
APA
Orellana-Guerrero D, Renaudin C, Edwards L, Rose E, Aleman M, Moore PF, Dujovne G.
(2019).
Fungal Placentitis Caused by Aspergillus terreus in a Mare: Case Report.
J Equine Vet Sci, 83, 102799.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.102799 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis CA.
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis CA.
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis CA.
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis CA.
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA.
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA.
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA. Electronic address: gadujovne@ucdavis.edu.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Aspergillus
- Chorioamnionitis / veterinary
- Chorion
- Female
- Horse Diseases
- Horses
- Placenta Diseases / veterinary
- Pregnancy
Citations
This article has been cited 5 times.- Cantón GJ, Navarro MA, Asin J, Chu P, Henderson EE, Mete A, Uzal FA. Equine abortion and stillbirth in California: a review of 1,774 cases received at a diagnostic laboratory, 1990-2022. J Vet Diagn Invest 2023 Mar;35(2):153-162.
- Sato T, Sekiguchi M, Matsumoto A, Shimada K, Iwanaga M, Ikezawa M, Hanafusa Y, Shibahara T. Bovine abortion and necrotic placentitis by Aspergillus terreus. J Vet Med Sci 2022 Mar 3;84(3):342-345.
- Li L, Li S, Ma H, Akhtar MF, Tan Y, Wang T, Liu W, Khan A, Khan MZ, Wang C. An Overview of Infectious and Non-Infectious Causes of Pregnancy Losses in Equine. Animals (Basel) 2024 Jul 2;14(13).
- Ma X, Liu Z, Yue C, Wang S, Li X, Wang C, Ling S, Wang Y, Liu S, Gu Y. High-throughput sequencing and characterization of potentially pathogenic fungi from the vaginal mycobiome of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in estrus and non-estrus. Front Microbiol 2024;15:1265829.
- Morales-Vázquez MM, Meza-Serrano E, Lara-Pereyra I, Acuña-González RJ, Alonso-Morales R, Hayen-Valles S, Boeta AM, Zarco L, Lozano-Cuenca J, López-Canales JS, Flores-Herrera H. Equine Placentitis in Mares Induces the Secretion of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine eIL-1β and the Active Extracellular Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. Vet Sci 2023 Aug 22;10(9).
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