Neosporose cutânea em um canino - relato de caso

Abstract

Neosporosis, caused by the protozoan Neospora caninum, is one of the main causes of abortion in cattle in many countries. It was first recognized in dogs in Norway in 1984, causing neuromuscular paralysis, which is the most common form of manifestation of the disease in dogs, especially puppies. The parasite can be transmitted throught the placenta and the ingestion of contaminated tissues. In infected animals, N. caninum is found in many cells including neuronal cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, vascular endothelial cells, myocytes, renal tubular epithelial cells and hepatocytes. Adult dogs probably get sick due to reactivation of a chronic subclinical infection involving immunosuppressive mechanism. Less common manifestations are myocarditis, dermatitis, pneumonia, hepatitis or multifocal spread and the detection of N. caninum in tissues from biopsies or cytological preparations may suggest the diagnosis. Serologic immunofluorescence method for N. caninum antibodies is currently the reference test and more used for the initial identification of possible cases of neosporosis. This report describes a case of cutaneous neosporosis diagnosed by cytological examination of aspiration lesions and confirmed by serology and PCR. The therapy with clindamycin was effective, but has relapsed in six months and then treated with sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine successfully. With this report, it can be concluded that neosporosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of nodular, ulcerative and pyogranulomatous dermatitis in dogs. In addition, to prevent infection, dogs should not be fed raw meat or bovine abortion materials, animals used for breeding should be tested serologically and the mating of infected dogs should be avoided.