Veterinary Pathology Department, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Veterinary Pathology Department, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2020 Jul;11(4):101443. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101443. Epub 2020 Apr 15.
Anaplasmosis and babesiosis are tick-borne diseases widely disseminated in cattle herds in many parts of the world. These diseases represent important causes of death and economic losses in several countries, including Brazil, and are characterized by hemolytic disease and anemia. Animals of all ages may be affected. Although transplacental infections are known to occur, abortion, stillbirth and neonatal death directly associated with Anaplasma marginale and especially Babesia spp. infections have rarely been documented in cattle. The objective of the present study is to describe the pathological and molecular findings of two cases of bovine abortion, two cases of stillbirth and two cases of neonatal death associated with intrauterine anaplasmosis and/or babesiosis in southern Brazil. All cases occurred in beef farms in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, between 2017 and 2019. Angus and crossbred calves were affected. At the necropsy, the main gross lesions observed included different degrees of splenomegaly, enlarged and yellow liver, thick and grumous bile, pallor or jaundice of mucous membranes and carcass, and dark kidneys. Four calves also presented cherry-pink discoloration of the central nervous system. Cytological slides enabled the observation of intraerythrocytic organisms consistent with Babesia bovis (3/6) and A. marginale (2/6). Through PCR assays, it was possible to detect three cases of Babesia sp. infection alone, and one case of Anaplasma sp. infection alone. Co-infections with Anaplasma sp. and Babesia sp. were detected in two cases. These findings reaffirm that anaplasmosis and babesiosis should be considered as an important differential diagnosis of fetal loss, stillbirth and neonatal death in cattle in areas where these diseases occur.
边虫病和梨形虫病是广泛分布于世界许多地区牛群中的蜱传疾病。这些疾病是包括巴西在内的几个国家死亡和经济损失的重要原因，其特征是溶血性疾病和贫血。所有年龄段的动物都可能受到影响。尽管已知存在经胎盘感染，但与环形泰勒虫和特别是巴贝斯虫属感染直接相关的流产、死产和新生仔畜死亡在牛中很少有记录。本研究的目的是描述在巴西南部与子宫内边虫病和/或梨形虫病相关的 2 例流产、2 例死产和 2 例新生仔畜死亡的病理学和分子发现。所有病例均发生在 2017 年至 2019 年期间，南里奥格兰德州的肉牛场。受影响的是安格斯和杂交牛犊。在剖检时，主要的大体病变包括不同程度的脾肿大、肝肿大和发黄、浓稠的胆汁、黏膜和胴体苍白或黄疸以及暗褐色的肾脏。4 头小牛的中枢神经系统也呈现出樱桃粉红色变色。细胞学载玻片能够观察到与牛巴贝斯虫（3/6）和边缘泰勒虫（2/6）一致的红细胞内生物。通过 PCR 检测，能够单独检测到 3 例巴贝斯虫属感染和 1 例环形泰勒虫属感染。在 2 例中检测到环形泰勒虫属和巴贝斯虫属的混合感染。这些发现再次证实，在发生这些疾病的地区，边虫病和梨形虫病应被视为胎儿损失、死产和新生仔畜死亡的重要鉴别诊断。
