Toxoplasmose associado a distúrbios neurológicos em um Cerdocyon thous (graxaim) com intussuscepção por corpo estranho linear : relato de caso

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. Domestic and wild felines are considered the definitive hosts because it is in them that the sexual cycle happens and results in elimination of oocysts in the feces. Factors such as habitat and carnivorous diets contribute to increase the risk of exposure and infection with T. gondii. The neurological signs might occur due to an acute infection, or as a result of chronic stress or some factor that leads to a immunosuppressive effect that favors the reactivation Toxoplasma`s cysts, especially in young animals, where these events tend to be more frequent. This study describe a case of toxoplasmosis in a Cerdocyon thous with approximately 3 months of age who were treated at the Veterinary Hospital (HOVET) of the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Campus Sinop, the animal presented severe neurological signs. During the gross examination, ascites and intestinal incarceration associated to intussusceptions caused by a strange linear body were found. Histologically, severe multifocal necrosis with nonsuppurative infiltrate were seen in the brain and liver. The PCR technique prepare with tissue samples from brain of this canid amplified fragments of 194 base pairs of the specific B1 gene for T. gondii.