Radiculomeningomyelitis due to Halicephalobus gingivalis in a horse.
Abstract: An adult horse was euthanatized following a clinical diagnosis of cauda equina neuritis. Significant gross postmortem and histopathologic findings were limited to the sacral spinal cord and cauda equina. The sacral spinal cord, meninges, and spinal nerve roots were expanded and partially effaced by sclerosing granulomatous inflammation with necrosis. The lesion contained numerous nematode larvae and fewer adults with a rhabditiform esophagus having a corpus, isthmus, and valved bulb. Female nematodes were amphidelphic and didelphic with reflexed ovaries. These morphologic features confirm Halicephalobus gingivalis as a novel cause of clinical signs in this case of cauda equina neuritis.
Publication Date: 2001-09-27 PubMed ID: 11572566DOI: 10.1354/vp.38-5-559Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research discusses a case in which a horse was put to sleep because of cauda equina neuritis. The study identifies a nematode species, Halicephalobus gingivalis, as a new cause of this neurological disorder in horses.
Case Analysis
- The case involved an adult horse that had to be euthanized due to a condition known as cauda equina neuritis, which is a neurological disorder affecting horses. The disorder is typified by inflammation in the cauda equina, a bundle of spinal nerve roots that arise from the lumbar part of the horse’s tailbone (sacral spinal cord).
- Upon post-mortem examination and histopathological tests, the researchers found the disorder was restricted to the sacral spinal cord and the cauda equina.
Key Findings
- Further examination revealed that the issue was an inflammation with accompanying necrosis, marked by granulomatous inflammation that was sclerosing or hardening in nature, causing obvious enlargement and effacement of the sacral spinal cord, meninges, and spinal nerve roots.
- Importantly, the researchers noticed several nematode larvae in the lesion along with fewer adult versions. The nematodes were identified as Halicephalobus gingivalis, characterized by a specific esophagus structure including a corpus, isthmus, and valved bulb.
- The female nematodes were found to be amphidelphic and didelphic, featuring reflexed ovaries. All these distinctive morphological traits enabled the confirmation of the species as Halicephalobus gingivalis.
Conclusion
- The findings from this single case study conclusively demonstrate Halicephalobus gingivalis as a previously unrecognized causal element in cauda equina neuritis in this horse. This produces a new perspective on diagnosing and potentially treating horses with similar symptoms. From here, more research can be conducted to ascertain the prevalence of this nematode in horses suffering from cauda equina neuritis, opening up a novel area of study in equine veterinary medicine.
Cite This Article
APA
Johnson JS, Hibler CP, Tillotson KM, Mason GL.
(2001).
Radiculomeningomyelitis due to Halicephalobus gingivalis in a horse.
Vet Pathol, 38(5), 559-561.
https://doi.org/10.1354/vp.38-5-559 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523-1671, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Cauda Equina
- Central Nervous System Diseases / diagnosis
- Central Nervous System Diseases / parasitology
- Central Nervous System Diseases / veterinary
- Fatal Outcome
- Horse Diseases / parasitology
- Horses
- Male
- Neuritis / diagnosis
- Neuritis / parasitology
- Neuritis / veterinary
- Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / diagnosis
- Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / parasitology
- Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / veterinary
- Rhabditida / classification
- Rhabditida / isolation & purification
- Rhabditida Infections / diagnosis
- Rhabditida Infections / parasitology
- Rhabditida Infections / veterinary
- Spinal Cord / pathology
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Noiva R, Ruivo P, de Carvalho LM, Fonseca C, Fevereiro M, Carvalho P, Orge L, Monteiro M, Peleteiro MC. First description of a fatal equine infection with Halicephalobus gingivalis in Portugal. Relevance for public health. Vet Med Sci 2019 May;5(2):222-229.
- Onyiche TE, Okute TO, Oseni OS, Okoro DO, Biu AA, Mbaya AW. Parasitic and zoonotic meningoencephalitis in humans and equids: Current knowledge and the role of Halicephalobus gingivalis. Parasite Epidemiol Control 2018 Feb;3(1):36-42.
- Lim CK, Crawford A, Moore CV, Gasser RB, Nelson R, Koehler AV, Bradbury RS, Speare R, Dhatrak D, Weldhagen GF. First human case of fatal Halicephalobus gingivalis meningoencephalitis in Australia. J Clin Microbiol 2015 May;53(5):1768-74.
- Sousa TM, Toma HS, Lima AP, Junior ACCL, Nunes MM, Silva APCD, Wouters D, Albuquerque AS, Varaschin MS, Raymundo DL, Toma CDM, Batista FA. Pathological fracture induced by Halicephalobus gingivalis (Nematoda: Rhabditida) in a horse limb. Parasites Hosts Dis 2024 Feb;62(1):131-138.
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