Animal Pathology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Agrifood Institute of Aragón (IA2), University of Zaragoza-CITA, Zaragoza, Spain.
Animal Pathology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, Agrifood Institute of Aragón (IA2), University of Zaragoza-CITA, Zaragoza, Spain.
Vet Parasitol. 2022 May;305:109700. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2022.109700. Epub 2022 Mar 26.
Leishmaniosis is a zoonotic disease with a very complex pathogenesis modulated by the interaction between the parasite, the vector and the host. Although the pathological characteristics have been extensively studied in the typically affected organs, some locations such as muscles and reproductive organs have been less studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of lesions in the temporal muscle and the male reproductive organs (testicle and epididymis) and correlate their characteristics with the presence of the parasite and with the clinical status of the dogs. The temporal muscle was studied in 25 infected beagle dogs (nine females and 16 males) and five uninfected control dogs (two females and three males) and the testicle and epididymis in the 19 males. Dogs were euthanized one year after infection and clinical signs, anti-Leishmania serum antibodies, and lymph node parasite load were assessed. Muscular and reproductive lesions were characterized by H&E and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The presence of the parasite in the lesions was evaluated using IHC and molecular techniques. Myositis was observed in 72% (18/25) of the dogs and was characterized by lymphoplasmacytic or histiocytic lesions. Mild and severe lesions were detected, the latter being statistically associated with the presence of the parasite and with the clinical status of the dogs. Orchitis was observed in 50% (8/16) of the dogs and was mainly mild and lymphoplasmacytic. No statistical relationship was found between testicular lesions and the presence of the parasite or the clinical status. Epididymitis was observed in 87.5% (14/16) of the dogs, and the lesions were often infiltrated by numerous histiocytes and neutrophils. Epididymal lesions were statistically associated with the clinical status of the dogs and with the presence of the parasite in the lesions. IgG and IgM immunoglobulins were found in all lesions, suggesting a local immune response with reactivation of the infection. Leishmania was more frequently detected in severe and histiocytic lesions, although some lesions had no detectable parasites. These results have shown that lesions in the temporal muscle, epididymis, and testicles are common in dogs infected by Leishmania infantum and that dogs may show a different response to infection. This response is characterized by varying degrees of cellular and immune responses associated with a variable presence of the parasite.
利什曼病是一种人畜共患病，其发病机制非常复杂，受到寄生虫、媒介和宿主之间相互作用的调节。尽管在典型受累器官中已经广泛研究了其病理学特征，但肌肉和生殖器官等一些部位的研究较少。本研究的目的是评估颞肌和雄性生殖器官（睾丸和附睾）中病变的存在，并将其特征与寄生虫的存在以及犬的临床状况相关联。研究了 25 只感染的比格犬（9 只雌性和 16 只雄性）和 5 只未感染的对照犬（2 只雌性和 3 只雄性）的颞肌，以及 19 只雄性的睾丸和附睾。犬在感染后一年被安乐死，并评估了临床症状、抗利什曼血清抗体和淋巴结寄生虫负荷。通过 H&E 和免疫组织化学（IHC）对肌肉和生殖系统病变进行了特征描述。通过 IHC 和分子技术评估了寄生虫在病变中的存在。72%（18/25）的犬出现了肌炎，其特征为淋巴浆细胞或组织细胞病变。轻度和重度病变均有检出，后者与寄生虫的存在和犬的临床状况呈统计学相关。50%（8/16）的犬出现了睾丸炎，主要为轻度和淋巴浆细胞性。睾丸病变与寄生虫的存在或临床状况之间未发现统计学关系。87.5%（14/16）的犬出现了附睾炎，病变常被大量组织细胞和中性粒细胞浸润。附睾病变与犬的临床状况和病变中寄生虫的存在呈统计学相关。所有病变中均发现了 IgG 和 IgM 免疫球蛋白，提示存在局部免疫反应和感染再激活。利什曼原虫在严重和组织细胞性病变中更常被检测到，尽管一些病变中没有检测到寄生虫。这些结果表明，利什曼原虫感染犬的颞肌、附睾和睾丸常出现病变，且犬对感染可能有不同的反应。这种反应的特征是细胞和免疫反应的程度不同，与寄生虫的存在程度不同有关。
