Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Sheep with sudden blindness and brain infection from amebas
By Fuentealba, I C et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1992·Department of Veterinary Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Amebic meningoencephalitis in a sheep.
- Species:
- sheep
Abstract
A 1.5-year-old Suffolk ewe with acute onset of incoordination and blindness unresponsive to antibiotic treatment was examined at necropsy. The meninges were congested, opaque, and thick. Microscopically, focal areas of hypercellularity in the left cortical gray matter and the meninges were observed. The inflammatory response consisted of gliosis and perivascular cuffing (lymphocytes, plasma cells, and variable numbers of eosinophils). An amebic organism in 2 life stages was found in the cerebral parenchyma. Numerous large (15 to 35 microns in diameter) organisms, interpreted as trophozoites, were characterized by vacuolated cytoplasm and small nuclei with a prominent eosinophilic nucleolus (karyosome). The smaller (10 to 17 microns in diameter) encysted stage was surrounded by a capsule-like membrane, and contained a large central body sometimes surrounded by a clear halo. Immunofluorescence studies for amebic antigens were strongly positive for an ameba recently isolated in human beings and baboons (Leptomyxid sp).
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1548173/