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Home / Equine Research Bank / Vet Pathol / Immunohistochemical identification and pathologic findings i...
Veterinary pathology2006; 43(5); 755-761; doi: 10.1354/vp.43-5-755

Immunohistochemical identification and pathologic findings in natural cases of equine abortion caused by leptospiral infection.

Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine the utility of immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the diagnosis of leptospiral equine abortion and to compare IHC to silver staining and serology of the aborted mares. Ninety-six fetuses from 57 farms were examined using all 3 diagnostic techniques, revealing evidence of leptospiral infection in 3 fetuses (3.1%) from 3 (5.3%) different farms. A new finding in 1 of these confirmed cases of leptospiral abortion was the presence of macroscopic pinpoint grayish-white nodules that had a histologic correlate of hepatic necrosis; other histologic findings were consistent with those previously reported. IHC performed using 2 different leptospiral antisera (multivalent whole-cell rabbit antiserum and rabbit antiserum against the major outer membrane protein LipL32) yielded similar results. IHC was more sensitive (19/21 [90.5%] tissue samples) than silver staining (8/21 [38.1%] tissue samples), and more specific than serology performed using the microscopic agglutination test. The primary advantage of IHC over silver staining was the ability of IHC to identify leptospiral antigen not only as morphologically intact spiral forms.
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Publication Date: 2006-09-13 PubMed ID: 16966455PubMed Central: PMC2667201DOI: 10.1354/vp.43-5-755Google 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 study investigates the benefits of using immunohistochemistry (IHC) over silver staining and serology in diagnosing leptospiral infections causing equine abortion. It discovered that IHC is more sensitive and specific in identifying instances of leptospiral infection, including a new finding of hepatic necrosis—an important characteristic of the infection.

Research Objectives and Methods

  • The study aimed to understand the effectiveness of different laboratory tests specifically immunohistochemistry, silver staining, and serology for diagnosing leptospiral equine abortion. Leptospiral infection is a common cause of abortion in horses and effective diagnosis is key for its treatment.
  • The team collected samples from 96 fetuses across 57 farms to test for the presence of leptospiral infection using the three diagnostic methods.
  • Two different leptospiral antisera, i.e., multivalent whole-cell rabbit antiserum and rabbit antiserum against the major outer membrane protein LipL32, were used to perform the IHC test.

Findings

  • The researchers found that leptospiral infection was present in 3.1% of the fetuses, sourced from 5.3% of the farms.
  • One of the main findings was the presence of macroscopic pinpoint grayish-white nodules associated with hepatic necrosis—a cellular or organ death due to loss of blood supply, virus infection or toxins—in the infected fetuses, implying a significant correlation.
  • Other histologic findings were consistent with those reported in previous studies, further validating the results.

Comparison of Diagnostic Techniques

  • Immunohistochemistry was more sensitive than silver staining, confirming the presence of infection in 90.5% of the tissue samples as compared to silver staining’s 38.1%.
  • Furthermore, IHC was also more specific than serology, which uses the microscopic agglutination test.
  • Unlike silver staining, IHC could identify leptospiral antigen not only as morphologically intact spiral forms, offering a significant advantage.

Implications

  • The study highlights the potential of IHC to be adopted as the preferred method in diagnosing leptospiral equine abortion due to its higher sensitivity and specificity.
  • The identification of hepatic necrosis as a sign of leptospiral infection is another significant finding that could enhance our current understanding and treatment of the disease.

Cite This Article

APA
Szeredi L, Haake DA. (2006). Immunohistochemical identification and pathologic findings in natural cases of equine abortion caused by leptospiral infection. Vet Pathol, 43(5), 755-761. https://doi.org/10.1354/vp.43-5-755

Publication

Veterinary pathology
ISSN: 0300-9858
NlmUniqueID: 0312020
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 43
Issue: 5
Pages: 755-761

Researcher Affiliations

Szeredi, L
  • Central Veterinary Institute, Budapest, Tábornok u. 2, H-1149 Hungary. szeredil@oai.hu
Haake, D A

    MeSH Terms

    • Aborted Fetus / microbiology
    • Aborted Fetus / pathology
    • Abortion, Veterinary / microbiology
    • Abortion, Veterinary / pathology
    • Animals
    • Antigens, Bacterial / isolation & purification
    • Horse Diseases / microbiology
    • Horse Diseases / pathology
    • Horses
    • Immunohistochemistry / veterinary
    • Leptospira / isolation & purification
    • Leptospirosis / microbiology
    • Leptospirosis / pathology
    • Leptospirosis / veterinary

    Grant Funding

    • AI 34431 / NIAID NIH HHS
    • R01 AI034431-09 / NIAID NIH HHS
    • R21 AI034431 / NIAID NIH HHS
    • R01 AI034431 / NIAID NIH HHS
    • R29 AI034431 / NIAID NIH HHS

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    Citations

    This article has been cited 6 times.
    1. Wollanke B, Gerhards H, Ackermann K. Infectious Uveitis in Horses and New Insights in Its Leptospiral Biofilm-Related Pathogenesis. Microorganisms 2022 Feb 7;10(2).
      doi: 10.3390/microorganisms10020387pubmed: 35208842google scholar: lookup
    2. Luna J, Salgado M, Tejeda C, Moroni M, Monti G. Assessment of Risk Factors in Synanthropic and Wild Rodents Infected by Pathogenic Leptospira spp. Captured in Southern Chile. Animals (Basel) 2020 Nov 17;10(11).
      doi: 10.3390/ani10112133pubmed: 33212843google scholar: lookup
    3. Shearer KE, Harte MJ, Ojkic D, Delay J, Campbell D. Detection of Leptospira spp. in wildlife reservoir hosts in Ontario through comparison of immunohistochemical and polymerase chain reaction genotyping methods. Can Vet J 2014 Mar;55(3):240-8.
      pubmed: 24587507
    4. Hamond C, Pinna A, Martins G, Lilenbaum W. The role of leptospirosis in reproductive disorders in horses. Trop Anim Health Prod 2014 Jan;46(1):1-10.
      doi: 10.1007/s11250-013-0459-3pubmed: 23990441google scholar: lookup
    5. De Brito T, Aiello VD, da Silva LF, Gonçalves da Silva AM, Ferreira da Silva WL, Castelli JB, Seguro AC. Human hemorrhagic pulmonary leptospirosis: pathological findings and pathophysiological correlations. PLoS One 2013;8(8):e71743.
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    6. Jager MC, Choi E, Tomlinson JE, Van de Walle G. Naturally acquired equine parvovirus-hepatitis is associated with a wide range of hepatic lesions in horses. Vet Pathol 2024 May;61(3):442-452.
      doi: 10.1177/03009858231214024pubmed: 38018088google scholar: lookup
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