Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with visceral leishmaniasis showing unusual organ damage in Brazil
By Tafuri, W L et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2001·Departamento de Patologia Geral, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Canine visceral leishmaniosis: a remarkable histopathological picture of one case reported from Brazil.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog from Brazil was suffering from severe symptoms related to a leishmaniasis infection, which is caused by a parasite. The dog showed significant inflammation in the liver and spleen, but surprisingly, tests did not find the parasites in the skin, which is often where they are expected to be. This case highlights that just because parasites aren't found in the skin doesn't mean they aren't affecting other organs. The dog received treatment for the infection, but the report does not specify the outcome.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · mixed-breed dog liver inflammation · treatment for dog leishmania infection
Abstract
This report describes a remarkable histopathological presentation of a symptomatic dog naturally infected with Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi from Brazil. An intense inflammatory granulomatous reaction was observed in the liver and spleen associated with hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the mononuclear system (the classical histopathological picture of the disease). In addition, a spectrum of vascular lesions was observed in many organs. However, we did not find parasites (amastigotes of Leishmania) in any skin fragments of the ear, nose and or abdominal tissue. In fact, this animal had severe clinical signs, showed parasites in many organs, but no parasites in the skin. It appears that the presence or absence of parasites in the skin is not a good indicator of parasites in other organs or vice versa.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11240094/