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Zoll WM, Prakoso D, Dark M, Liu J, Stockdale-Walden H, Long MT. Histologic characterization of eosinophilic encephalitis in horses in Florida. J Vet Diagn Invest 2018. [PMID: 29528809 DOI: 10.1177/1040638718763877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Eosinophils within the central nervous system are abnormal and are usually associated with fungal or parasitic infections in horses. Causative agents include Halicephalobus gingivalis, Sarcocystis neurona, and Neospora hughesi. Confirmation of these organisms via specific testing is typically not performed, and final diagnoses are often presumptive. With molecular technology, many of these organisms can now be confirmed. This is important for emerging and zoonotic pathogens, including Angiostrongylus cantonensis, an emerging parasite of interest in the southeastern United States. We retrospectively analyzed eosinophilic encephalitides in Floridian horses for H. gingivalis, S. neurona, and A. cantonensis, applied descriptors to equine eosinophilic encephalitides, and determined if a relationship existed between these descriptions and specific etiologic agents. In a database search for horses with eosinophilic and other encephalitides submitted to the University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Anatomic Pathology Service, we identified 27 horses with encephalitis, and performed DNA isolation and rtPCR on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks from these cases. Real-time PCR identified 6 horses positive for S. neurona and 4 horses positive for H. gingivalis; all horses were negative for A. cantonensis. All 25 control horses were negative for H. gingivalis, S. neurona, and A. cantonensis. Pattern analysis and eosinophil enumeration were not useful in differentiating among causes of eosinophilic encephalitides in horses in our study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whitney M Zoll
- Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine (Zoll, Prakoso, Dark, Liu, Stockdale-Walden, Long), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Emerging Pathogens Institute (Dark), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Dhani Prakoso
- Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine (Zoll, Prakoso, Dark, Liu, Stockdale-Walden, Long), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Emerging Pathogens Institute (Dark), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Michael Dark
- Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine (Zoll, Prakoso, Dark, Liu, Stockdale-Walden, Long), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Emerging Pathogens Institute (Dark), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Junjie Liu
- Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine (Zoll, Prakoso, Dark, Liu, Stockdale-Walden, Long), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Emerging Pathogens Institute (Dark), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Heather Stockdale-Walden
- Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine (Zoll, Prakoso, Dark, Liu, Stockdale-Walden, Long), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Emerging Pathogens Institute (Dark), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
| | - Maureen T Long
- Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine (Zoll, Prakoso, Dark, Liu, Stockdale-Walden, Long), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.,Emerging Pathogens Institute (Dark), University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
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Dubey JP, Howe DK, Furr M, Saville WJ, Marsh AE, Reed SM, Grigg ME. An update on Sarcocystis neurona infections in animals and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Vet Parasitol 2015; 209:1-42. [PMID: 25737052 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2015.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2014] [Revised: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 01/29/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a serious disease of horses, and its management continues to be a challenge for veterinarians. The protozoan Sarcocystis neurona is most commonly associated with EPM. S. neurona has emerged as a common cause of mortality in marine mammals, especially sea otters (Enhydra lutris). EPM-like illness has also been recorded in several other mammals, including domestic dogs and cats. This paper updates S. neurona and EPM information from the last 15 years on the advances regarding life cycle, molecular biology, epidemiology, clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and control.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Dubey
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Building 1001, Beltsville, MD 20705-2350, USA.
| | - D K Howe
- M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40546-0099, USA
| | - M Furr
- Marion du Pont Scott Equine Medical Center, Virginia Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, 17690 Old Waterford Road, Leesburg, VA 20176, USA
| | - W J Saville
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1920 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - A E Marsh
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, The Ohio State University, 1920 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - S M Reed
- Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, KY 40511, USA
| | - M E Grigg
- Molecular Parasitology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Allergy, and Infectious Diseases, 4 Center Drive, Room B1-06, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Pusterla N, Packham A, Wilson WD, White A, Bellamy P, Renier AC, Conrad PA. Short communication: evaluation of the kinetics of antibodies against Sarcocystis neurona in serum from seropositive healthy horses without neurological deficits treated with ponazuril paste. Vet Rec 2013; 173:249. [PMID: 23893215 DOI: 10.1136/vr.101714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- N Pusterla
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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Heskett KA, Mackay RJ. Antibody index and specific antibody quotient in horses after intragastric administration of Sarcocystis neurona sporocysts. Am J Vet Res 2008; 69:403-9. [PMID: 18312140 DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.69.3.403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To investigate the use of a specific antibody index (AI) that relates Sarcocystis neurona-specific IgG quotient (Q(SN)) to total IgG quotient (Q(IgG)) for the detection of the anti-S neurona antibody fraction of CNS origin in CSF samples obtained from horses after intragastric administration of S neurona sporocysts. ANIMALS 18 adult horses. PROCEDURES 14 horses underwent intragastric inoculation (day 0) with S neurona sporocysts, and 4 horses remained unchallenged; blood and CSF samples were collected on days - 1 and 84. For purposes of another study, some challenged horses received intermittent administration of ponazuril (20 mg/kg, PO). Sarcocystis neurona-specific IgG concentrations in CSF (SN(CSF)) and plasma (SN(plasma)) were measured via a direct ELISA involving merozoite lysate antigen and reported as ELISA units (EUs; arbitrary units based on a nominal titer for undiluted immune plasma of 100,000 EUs/mL). Total IgG concentrations in CSF (IgG(CSF)) and plasma (IgG(plasma)) were quantified via a sandwich ELISA and a radial immunodiffusion assay, respectively; Q(SN), Q(IgG), and AI were calculated. RESULTS Following sporocyst challenge, mean +/- SEM SN(CSF) and SN(plasma) increased significantly (from 8.8 +/- 1.0 EUs/mL to 270.0 +/- 112.7 EUs/mL and from 1,737 +/- 245 EUs/mL to 43,169 +/- 13,770 EUs/mL, respectively). Challenge did not affect total IgG concentration, Q(SN), Q(IgG), or AI. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE S neurona-specific IgG detected in CSF samples from sporocyst-challenged horses appeared to be extraneural in origin; thus, this experimental challenge may not reliably result in CNS infection. Calculation of a specific AI may have application to the diagnosis of S neurona-associated myeloencephalitis in horses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine A Heskett
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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Elitsur E, Marsh AE, Reed SM, Dubey JP, Oglesbee MJ, Murphy JE, Saville WJA. Early migration of Sarcocystis neurona in ponies fed sporocysts. J Parasitol 2008; 93:1222-5. [PMID: 18163363 DOI: 10.1645/ge-497r.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Sarcocystis neurona is the most important cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM), a neurologic disease of the horse. In the present work, the kinetics of S. neurona invasion is determined in the equine model. Six ponies were orally inoculated with 250 x 10(6) S. neurona sporocysts via nasogastric intubation and killed on days 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9 postinoculation (PI). At necropsy, tissue samples were examined for S. neurona infection. The parasite was isolated from the mesenteric lymph nodes at 1, 2, and 7 days PI; the liver at 2, 5, and 7 days PI; and the lungs at 5, 7, and 9 days PI by bioassays in interferon gamma gene knock out mice (KO) and from cell culture. Microscopic lesions consistent with an EPM infection were observed in brain and spinal cord of ponies killed 7 and 9 days PI. Results suggest that S. neurona disseminates quickly in tissue of naive ponies.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Elitsur
- Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1092, USA
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Abstract
This chapter discusses the anatomy, functions, and biochemistry of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF has four major functions: physical support of neural structures, excretion and “sink” action, intracerebral transport, and control of the chemical environment of the central nervous system. CSF provides a “water jacket” of physical support and buoyancy. The CSF is protective because its volume changes reciprocally with changes in the volume of intracranial contents, particularly blood. Thus, the CSF protects the brain from changes in arterial and central venous pressure associated with posture, respiration, and exertion. Acute or chronic pathological changes in intracranial contents can be accommodated, to a point, by changes in the CSF volume. The direct transfer of brain metabolites into the CSF provides excretory function. This capacity is important because the brain lacks a lymphatic system. The lymphatic function of the CSF is also manifested in the removal of large proteins and cells, such as bacteria or blood cells, by bulk CSF absorption. The “sink” action of the CSF arises from the restricted access of water-soluble substances to the CSF and the low concentration of these solutes in the CSF.
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Elsheikha HM, Mansfield LS. Molecular typing of Sarcocystis neurona: current status and future trends. Vet Parasitol 2007; 149:43-55. [PMID: 17706872 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2007.06.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2007] [Revised: 06/20/2007] [Accepted: 06/22/2007] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Sarcocystis neurona is an important protozoal pathogen because it causes the serious neurological disease equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). The capacity of this organism to cause a wide spectrum of neurological signs in horses and the broad geographic distribution of observed cases in the Americas drive the need for sensitive, reliable and rapid typing methods to characterize strains. Various molecular methods have been developed and used to diagnose EPM due to S. neurona, to identify S. neurona isolates and to determine the heterogeneity and evolutionary relatedness within this species and related Sarcocystis spp. These methods included sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immuno-fluorescent assay (IFA), slide agglutination test (SAT), SnSAG-specific ELISA, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting, and sequence analysis of surface protein genes, ribosomal genes, microsatellite alleles and other molecular markers. Here, the utility of these molecular methods is reviewed and evaluated with respect to the need for molecular approaches that utilize well-characterized polymorphic, simple, independent, and stable genetic markers. These tools have the potential to add to knowledge of the genetic population structure of S. neurona and to provide new insights into the pathogenesis of EPM and S. neurona epidemiology. In particular, these methods provide new tools to address the hypothesis that particular genetic variants are associated with adverse clinical outcomes (severe pathotypes). The ultimate goal is to utilize them in future studies to improve treatment and prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hany M Elsheikha
- Division of Veterinary Medicine, The School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, The University of Nottingham, College Road, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, United Kingdom
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