Suppurative infectious diseases of the central nervous system in domestic ruminants

Abstract

This study describes suppurative infectious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) in domestic ruminants of southern Brazil. Reports from 3.274 cattle, 596 sheep and 391 goats were reviewed, of which 219 cattle, 21 sheep and 7 goats were diagnosed with central nervous system inflammatory diseases. Suppurative infectious diseases of the CNS corresponded to 54 cases (28 cattle, 19 sheep and 7 goats). The conditions observed consisted of listerial meningoencephalitis (8 sheep, 5 goats and 4 cattle), suppurative leptomeningitis and meningoencephalitis (14 cattle, 2 goats and 1 sheep), cerebral (6 cattle and 2 sheep), and spinal cord (7 sheep) abscesses, and basilar empyema (4 cattle and 1 sheep). Bacterial culture identified Listeria monocytogenes (9/54 cases), Escherichia coli (7/54 cases), Trueperella pyogenes (6/54 cases) and Proteus mirabilis (1/54 cases). All cases diagnosed as listeriosis through histopathology yielded positive immunostaining on immunohistochemistry, while 12/17 of the cases of suppurative leptomeningitis and meningoencephalitis presented positive immunostaining for Escherichia coli. Meningoencephalitis by L. monocytogenes was the main neurological disease in sheep and goats, followed by spinal cord abscesses in sheep. In cattle, leptomeningitis and suppurative meningoencephalitis was the most frequent neurological disease for the species, and E. coli was the main cause of these lesions. Basilar empyema, mainly diagnosed in cattle, is related to traumatic injuries, mainly in the nasal cavity, and the main etiologic agent was T. pyogenes.

Neste trabalho são descritas as doenças neurológicas infecciosas supurativas de ruminantes domésticos na Região Sul do Brasil. Foram avaliados laudos de 3.274 bovinos, 596 ovinos e 391 caprinos, dos quais 219 bovinos, 21 ovinos e sete caprinos foram diagnosticados como doenças inflamatórias no sistema nervoso central. As doenças neuneurológicas infecciosas supurativas corresponderam a 54 casos (28 bovinos, 19 ovinos e sete caprinos). As enfermidades observadas foram meningoencefalite por Listeria monocytogenes (oito ovinos, cinco caprinos e quatro bovinos), leptomeningite e meningoencefalite supurativa (14 bovinos, dois caprinos e um ovino), abscessos cerebrais (seis bovinos e dois ovinos) e medulares (sete ovinos); e empiema basilar (quatro bovinos e um ovino). Através do isolamento bacteriano foram identificados: L. monocytogenes (9/54 casos), Echerichia coli (7/54 casos), Trueperella pyogenes (6/54 casos) e Proteus mirabilis (1/54 casos). Todos os casos diagnosticados como listeriose por histologia foram positivos na imuno-histoquímica para L. monocytogenes, e 12/17 casos de leptomeningite e meningoencefalite supurativa foram positivos na imuno-histoquímica para E. coli. A meningoencefalite por L. monocytogenes representou a principal enfermidade neurológica em ovinos e caprinos, seguido dos abscessos medulares em ovinos. A leptomeningite e meningoencefalite supurativa foi a doença neurológica supurativa mais frequente em bovinos e o principal agente causador da lesão foi E. coli. O empiema basilar, frequentemente, diagnosticado em bovinos, foi relacionado com lesões traumáticas, principalmente, de cavidade nasal e o principal agente causador foi T. pyogenes.