Canine distemper and pulmonary sarcocystosis were diagnosed in a 10-week-old Rottweiler with 4-day history of diarrhea, vomiting, and weakness. Microscopic examination of the lung revealed bronchointerstitial pneumonia typical of morbillivirus infection. Also, numerous apicomplexan parasites were scattered in the alveolar walls. This protozoan infection was first thought to be toxoplasmosis but immunoperoxidase staining revealed large numbers of Sarcocystis canis. This is the first case of canine sarcocystosis reported from Latin America that further emphasizes the importance of immunohistochemistry in the differential diagnoses of apicomplexan infections in dogs.
References
1.
DubeyJP: 1976, A review of Sarcocystis of domestic animals and of other coccidia of cats and dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc169:1061–1078.
2.
DubeyJPCarpenterJLTopperMJUgglaA: 2002, Fatal toxoplasmosis in dogs. J Am Anim Hosp Assoc25:659–664.
3.
DubeyJPCosenzaSFLipscombTP: 1991, Acute sarcocystosis-like disease in a dog. J Am Vet Med Assoc198:439–443.
4.
DubeyJPDuncanDESpeerCABrownC: 1992, Congenital sarcocystosis in a two-day-old dog. J Vet Diagn Invest4:89–93.
5.
DubeyJPSlifeLN: 1990, Fatal encephalitis in a dog associated with an unidentified coccidian parasite. J Vet Diagn Invest2:233–236.
6.
DubeyJPSlifeLNSpeerCA: 1991, Fatal cutaneous and visceral infection in a Rottweiler dog associated with a sarcocystis-like protozoon. J Vet Diagn Invest3:72–75.
7.
DubeyJPSpeerCA: 1991, Sarcocystis canis n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae), the etiologic agent of generalized coccidiosis in dogs. J Parasitol77:522–527.
8.
DubeyJPSpeerCAFayerR: 1989, Sarcocystosis of animals and man. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
9.
EhrenspergerFPospischilA: 1989, Spontaneous mixed infections with distemper virus and Toxoplasma in dogs. Dtsch Tieraerztl Wochenschr96:184–186.
10.
Freitas-GirauLS: 2002, Estudo anatomopatologico da toxoplasmose canina em Belo Horizonte. Arch Ecole Vet da Univ Fed Minas Geraus3:482–483.
11.
HainesDMChelackBJ: 1991, Technical considerations for developing enzyme immunohistochecmical staining procedures on formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue for diagnostic pathology. J Vet Diagn Invest3:101–112.
12.
HillJEChapmanWLJrPrestwoodAK: 1988, Intramuscular Sarcocystis sp. in two cats and a dog. J Parasitol74:724–727.
13.
LópezA: 2001, Respiratory system, thoracic cavity and pleura. In: Thomson's special veterinary pathology, ed. McGavinMDCarltonWZacharyJF, pp. 125–195. Mosby, St. Louis, MO.
14.
MoralesJADubeyJPRodriguezF: 1995, Neosporosis and toxoplasmosis-associated paralysis in dogs in Costa Rica. Appl Parasitol36:179–184.
15.
TrastiSLDubeyJPWebbDM: 1999, Fatal visceral and neural sarcocystosis in dogs. J Comp Pathol121:179–184.
