Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Miniature donkey with itchy skin and Besnoitia infection
By Davis, Wendell P et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·1997·Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory and Department of Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Besnoitiosis in a miniature donkey.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 1-year-old male miniature donkey was brought in with a 9-month history of itchy skin, tiredness, and not wanting to eat. Upon examination, the vet found thickened, scaly skin on the donkey's face, head, and back. Tests revealed the presence of large protozoal cysts causing the skin issues, leading to a diagnosis of cutaneous besnoitiosis, a rare infection. The donkey was treated with a combination antibiotic, trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole, which significantly improved his condition.
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Abstract
A 1-year-old male miniature donkey (Equus asinus) from a herd of eight was presented with a 9-month history of pruritic dermatitis, lethargy and anorexia. Physical examination revealed diffuse lichenification and scales involving the skin of the face, head and dorsum from the neck to the pelvis. The main histological alteration within the superficial and deep dermis was the presence of multiple large, spherical, thick walled, protozoal Besnoitia cysts. In addition, the inflammatory response consisted of a moderate, superficial and deep perivascular, mixed mononuclear cell infiltrate, with epidermal hyperplasia and compact orthokeratosis. Based upon the large size of the protozoal cysts and the ultrastructural features of the bradyzoites contained therein (conoid, polar ring, rhoptries, micronemes and microtubules), a diagnosis of cutaneous besnoitiosis was established. Treatment with trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole resulted in significant clinical improvement. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of besnoitiosis in a miniature donkey in North America.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34645061/