Anti-Sarcocystis neurona immunostaining associated with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis in Brazil

Abstract

A retrospective study (1942 to 2005) of histopathological lesions included samples of central nervous system (SNC) from 203 animals in the Equidae family. A total of 42.4% of these samples had significant pathological changes, which were classified as inflammatory (62.8%), degenerative (25.6%), circulatory (10.5%), and neoplasic (1.1%) lesions. Immunohistochemistry anti-Sarcocystis neurona antigens was performed in all the cases with inflammatory changes (54), of which one of the case of encephalitis resulted positive to immunostaining. Although evidence of EPM (Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis) has been previously reported in Brazil, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which characteristic EPM lesion was associated with anti-S. neurona immunostaining in Brazil.