FEREIRA, J. S.; FERREIRA, Jefferson da Silva.
Résumé:
This dissertation, presented to the Graduate Program in Veterinary Medicine of the Federal
University of Campina Grande, is divided into two chapters, each chapter being represented
by a scientific article. The first article, submitted to the journal Arquivo Brasileiro de
Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, describes the main epidemiological, clinical and
anatomopathological aspects of cases of cerebral babesiosis in dogs diagnosed in the
Laboratory of Animal Pathology during the period from January 2003 to December 2017.
During In this study, 7 animals were diagnosed with cerebral babesiosis. Of the dogs affected
four were males and three females. The ages ranged from 2 to 5 months, of which 5 were
undefined (SRD) and 2 were Poodle. The majority of dogs had a hyperacute clinical course,
with death occurring within 24 hours from the beginning of the first clinical signs. Most of the
clinical signs were not totally specific for a neurological disease due to the hyperacute clinical
course, which prevented a better clinical exploration during the care. The most consistent
macroscopic findings observed during necropsy were diffusely orange liver (5/7) and
splenomegaly (4/7). The most consistent changes in canine cerebral babesiosis were
endothelial cell hypertrophy (7/7), leucostasis (6/7), non-suppurative meningitis (5/7). Less
frequently, congestion (3/7), thrombosis (3/7), bleeding (2/7), vasculitis (2/7), and
perivascular cuffs (1/7) were observed. It is concluded that cerebral babesiosis is a fatal and
hyperacute disease, being considered as an important cause of death in puppies. The second
article, also submitted to the journal Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia,
describes 10 animals had Hepatozoon canis infection. The age range varied from 45 days to 9
years with half of the animals having less than 1 year. Of the 10 dogs, 6 were males and 4
were females. The clinical aspects were non-specific and variable, due to the concomitant
occurrence of other diseases. Histopathologically, the most frequently observed reproductive
structures of the agent were the meronts at various degrees of maturation, characterized by
rounded structures in the interior showing foamy content containing a large amount of
micromerozoites. Case 1 was the only one with evidence of histopathological lesions caused
by infestation of the parasite in the tissues. At necropsy, liver was diffusely yellowish, with
slight evidence of lobular pattern. There was also marked splenomegaly and white pulp
hyperplasia. The lungs exhibited multifocal areas at rounded, reddish coalescents, distributed
randomly in the cranial lobes and coalescing with intensity in the diaphragmatic lobes. In
assessing the bone marrow, it was diffusely yellowish.