Nephrectomy in a Dog infected with Dioctophyma renale - Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Background: Dioctophymosis is caused by Dioctophyma renale, a parasite known as the giant kidney worm, that can parasitize the kidneys of domestic and wild animals. There are also reports of its occurrence in humans, thus revealing its zoonotic potential. In most cases, parasitized animals are asymptomatic. This parasite can cause atrophy or destroy the renal parenchyma, although ectopic locations may occur. The diagnosis is made through ultrasonography, based on the presence of eggs in the urine, visualization of the parasite, or during necropsy. Therefore, the aim of this work was to report the case of a young dog infected with D. renale and subjected to nephrectomy in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.Case: A 6-month-old bitch with a clinical suspicion of hydronephrosis in the right kidney was referred to the Veterinary Hospital of Anhanguera-Uniderp University in the city of Campo Grande, MS. A physical examination of the patient revealed an alteration in the urinary system.  An abdominal ultrasound, urinalysis, complete blood count (CBC) tests and biochemical profile were ordered. The erythrogram indicated erythrocytosis resulting from dehydration and loss of body fluids, while enzyme levels (creatinine, urea, alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and albumin) were within normal limits. The abdominal ultrasound showed the presence of a cylindrical and rounded structure characteristic of a nematode and in the right kidney, and loss of renal parenchyma typical of D. renale infection. A urinalysis then revealed the presence of helminth eggs, confirming the diagnosis. The owner was informed about the need for nephrectomy of the affected right kidney, which showed destruction of the renal parenchyma. One adult female and one adult male parasite were removed from inside the kidney, measuring approximately 50 cm and 35 cm in length. The patient was successfully treated, kept in hospital for observation, and returned two weeks later for reassessment of her renal function and removal of stitches. Discussion: Dioctophymosis is often diagnosed based on ultrasound and urine tests. These tests proved sufficient to diagnose parasitism by D. renale. However, the infection is usually discovered during necropsy.  D. renale is popularly known as the giant kidney worm, as it can reach up to 100 cm in length. In the present case, the female parasite was 50 cm long and the male was 35 cm. The patient presented parasitism very young, at just 6 months of age. The parasitic infection of the animal was attributed to the ingestion of water or food contaminated with an intermediate host, the aquatic annelid Lumbriculus variegatus. It is suggested that the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the infective stage of the parasite may have occurred at 2 months of age or younger, since the prepatent period is approximately 6 months. The parasite was found only in the patient’s right kidney. Hydronephrosis was reported in the patient and was caused by obstruction of the internal urethral ostium by the adult nematode. In this case, the recommended surgical treatment was nephrectomy, to which the patient was subjected, leading to successful recovery. This case occurred in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, where there are no records of parasitism by D. renale in domestic dogs, unlike other states in Brazil. We therefore emphasize the importance of new studies on D. renale, given the lack of clear records describing the parasite’s epidemiological data, biological cycle and diagnosis, which may hinder the prevention and control of this zoonotic disease.Keywords: canine dioctophymosis, helminth, nematoid, giant kidney worm, hydronephrosis.Descritores: dioctofimose canina, helminto, nematoide, verme gigante renal, hidronefrose.

Presence of Bartonella spp. in domestic cats from a state park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Submitted by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2019-02-10T17:04:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 elbareginaS_lemos_etal_IOC_2018.pdf: 488698 bytes, checksum: d9d816bea43126ebce0a39af3a3bc040 (MD5)Approved for entry into archive by Sandra Infurna ([email protected]) on 2019-02-10T17:12:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 elbareginaS_lemos_etal_IOC_2018.pdf: 488698 bytes, checksum: d9d816bea43126ebce0a39af3a3bc040 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2019-02-10T17:12:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 elbareginaS_lemos_etal_IOC_2018.pdf: 488698 bytes, checksum: d9d816bea43126ebce0a39af3a3bc040 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018Universidade Federal Fluminense. Faculdade de Veterinária. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária. Clínica e Reprodução Animal. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.Universidade Federal Fluminense. Faculdade de Veterinária. Departamento de Patologia e Clínica Veterinária. Niterói, RJ, Brasil.Universidade Federal Fluminense. Faculdade de Veterinária. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária (Clínica e Reprodução Animal). Niterói, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto Oswaldo Cruz. Laboratório de Hantaviroses e Rickettsioses. Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.Fundação Oswaldo Cruz Mato Grosso do Sul. Campo Grande, MS, Brasil.Universidade Federal Fluminense. Faculdade de Veterinária. Departamento de Patologia e Clínica Veterinária. Niterói, RJ, Brasil

Seroprevalence of Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetii, and Hantavirus among people who inject drugs in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a retrospective assessment of a biobank

The increasing use of illicit drugs imposes a public health challenge worldwide. People who inject drugs (PWID) are more susceptible to health complications due to immunosuppression associated with drug use and non-hygienic self-administration of substances, contaminants, and liquids. PWID are subjected to increased risk of acquiring and transmitting different pathogens (frequently functioning as sentinel cases for (re)emerging pathogens), including those transmitted by arthropods and vertebrate reservoirs in unhealthy environments. A clear association between injection drug use and HIV, HBV, and HCV infections has been described; however, other infectious viral and bacterial agents have been seldomly assessed. In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence of Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetii, and Hantavirus among 300 randomly selected PWIDs from Rio de Janeiro, as part of a multi-city cross-sectional study carried out in the 1990s. Point seroprevalences and respective 95% CIs are as follows: 9.3% for C. burnetii (95% CI: 6.0%-13.0%), 1.0% for Bartonella spp. (95% CI: 0.0%-3.0%), and 4.0% for Hantavirus (95% CI: 2.0%-7.0%). In addition to the bloodborne pathogens, the results of this study increase our knowledge on other transmissible infectious agents in PWID. The high seroprevalence of C. burnetii and Hantavirus found among PWID is intriguing and suggests the need to carry out prospective studies, including molecular analyses, to confirm these findings and allow a better understanding of the putative relevance of these zoonotic infectious agents among PWID

An unusual case of bacillary angiomatosis in the oral cavity of an AIDS patient who had no concomitant tegumentary lesions – case report and review

Bacillary angiomatosis (BA) is an angioproliferative disease of immunocompromised patients that usually presents as vascular tumors in the skin and subcutaneous tissues. It is caused by chronic infections with either Bartonella henselae or B. quintana. Oral cavity BA is exceedingly rare and even rarer without simultaneous cutaneous disease. We report herein the case of a 51-year-old HIV-infected man who presented severe odynophagia and an eroded lesion on the hard palate that progressed to an oronasal fistula. No cutaneous lesions were recorded. Doxycycline led to complete resolution. To the best of our knowledge, only six previous cases of oral BA without tegumentary disease have been previously reported and none of them progressed to fistula

Nephrectomy in a Dog infected with Dioctophyma renale - Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Background: Dioctophymosis is caused by Dioctophyma renale, a parasite known as the giant kidney worm, that can parasitize the kidneys of domestic and wild animals. There are also reports of its occurrence in humans, thus revealing its zoonotic potential. In most cases, parasitized animals are asymptomatic. This parasite can cause atrophy or destroy the renal parenchyma, although ectopic locations may occur. The diagnosis is made through ultrasonography, based on the presence of eggs in the urine, visualization of the parasite, or during necropsy. Therefore, the aim of this work was to report the case of a young dog infected with D. renale and subjected to nephrectomy in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.Case: A 6-month-old bitch with a clinical suspicion of hydronephrosis in the right kidney was referred to the Veterinary Hospital of Anhanguera-Uniderp University in the city of Campo Grande, MS. A physical examination of the patient revealed an alteration in the urinary system.  An abdominal ultrasound, urinalysis, complete blood count (CBC) tests and biochemical profile were ordered. The erythrogram indicated erythrocytosis resulting from dehydration and loss of body fluids, while enzyme levels (creatinine, urea, alanine aminotransferase [ALT] and albumin) were within normal limits. The abdominal ultrasound showed the presence of a cylindrical and rounded structure characteristic of a nematode and in the right kidney, and loss of renal parenchyma typical of D. renale infection. A urinalysis then revealed the presence of helminth eggs, confirming the diagnosis. The owner was informed about the need for nephrectomy of the affected right kidney, which showed destruction of the renal parenchyma. One adult female and one adult male parasite were removed from inside the kidney, measuring approximately 50 cm and 35 cm in length. The patient was successfully treated, kept in hospital for observation, and returned two weeks later for reassessment of her renal function and removal of stitches. Discussion: Dioctophymosis is often diagnosed based on ultrasound and urine tests. These tests proved sufficient to diagnose parasitism by D. renale. However, the infection is usually discovered during necropsy.  D. renale is popularly known as the giant kidney worm, as it can reach up to 100 cm in length. In the present case, the female parasite was 50 cm long and the male was 35 cm. The patient presented parasitism very young, at just 6 months of age. The parasitic infection of the animal was attributed to the ingestion of water or food contaminated with an intermediate host, the aquatic annelid Lumbriculus variegatus. It is suggested that the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the infective stage of the parasite may have occurred at 2 months of age or younger, since the prepatent period is approximately 6 months. The parasite was found only in the patient’s right kidney. Hydronephrosis was reported in the patient and was caused by obstruction of the internal urethral ostium by the adult nematode. In this case, the recommended surgical treatment was nephrectomy, to which the patient was subjected, leading to successful recovery. This case occurred in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, where there are no records of parasitism by D. renale in domestic dogs, unlike other states in Brazil. We therefore emphasize the importance of new studies on D. renale, given the lack of clear records describing the parasite’s epidemiological data, biological cycle and diagnosis, which may hinder the prevention and control of this zoonotic disease.Keywords: canine dioctophymosis, helminth, nematoid, giant kidney worm, hydronephrosis.Descritores: dioctofimose canina, helminto, nematoide, verme gigante renal, hidronefrose.

Fatal Brazilian spotless fever caused by Rickettsia rickettsii in a dark-skinned patient

Brazilian spotted fever (BSF) is the most important and frequent rickettsial disease in Brazil. A fatal case of BSF is reported in a 32-year-old black man, who died of irreversible shock after five days of fever, severe headache and abdominal pain with no rash. Spleen, kidney and heart samples collected at autopsy were positive for Rickettsia rickettsii by PCR and sequencing. The authors emphasize the need for a high index of diagnostic suspicion for spotted fever in black patients. Absence of a skin rash should not dissuade clinicians from considering the possibility of BSF and initiating empirical therapy