Rodococose em potro diagnosticada no Sertão Paraibano

Abstract

This paper describes a case of rodococosis in a 6-month-old foal diagnosed in the Animal Pathology Laboratory of the Federal University of Campina Grande. Clinically it presented abdominal pain, mixed dyspnea, tachycardia, pasty stools, ambulation, apathy and progressive weight loss, with evolution of 22 days. After treatment with antibiotics and antiinflammatories, the animal died and at necropsy it was possible to observe that the main organs affected were lungs, mesenteric lymph nodes and large intestine. The lungs were not collapsed and presented yellowish, firm, multifocal to coalescent nodules distributed to the pleural surface, involving the cranial, middle and diaphragmatic lobes. At the cut, flowed pasty yellow exudate which deepened into the parenchyma. The mesenteric lymph nodes were enlarged, with irregular surface and at the cut, exhibited homogeneous, whitish yellow, and smooth surface. The mucosa of the cecum and colon contained multiple ulcers with raised borders and with depressed center. In the areas adjacent to the foci of ulceration was observed fibrin deposition. Microscopically, were observed pyogranulomatous bronchopneumonia, lymphadenitis, colitis and typhlitis, associated with myriads of cocobacillar structures, grampositive, in the macrophage cytoplasm. The diagnosis of Rhodococcus equi infection was performed based on the epidemiological, clinical and pathological characteristics observed. This is a disease infrequently diagnosed in laboratory and characterized by respiratory and enteric alterations that can evolve to the death of the affected animals. Should be included as differential diagnosis of diseases that affect the lungs, large intestine and mesenteric lymph nodes. We believed that other cases occur but are not diagnosed or reported.