Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cutaneous leishmaniasis in two horses.
- Journal:
- Veterinary pathology
- Year:
- 1996
- Authors:
- Ramos-Vara, J A et al.
- Affiliation:
- College of Veterinary Medicine · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This report discusses two horses diagnosed with cutaneous leishmaniasis, a skin infection caused by a parasite. Both horses had nodular, sometimes crusty or ulcerated bumps on their ears and necks. In one horse, the inflammation was mainly made up of certain immune cells, while the other horse had a different type of immune response with more complex structures. Tests showed a significant presence of the Leishmania parasites in both horses. This is the first time cutaneous leishmaniasis has been reported in horses in North America and Puerto Rico, indicating that it should be considered when diagnosing skin issues in horses.
Abstract
This report contains the clinical, histologic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic findings in two cases of equine cutaneous leishmaniasis. Nodular, sometimes crusty or ulcerated lesions were confined to the pinna and adjacent neck in both animals. The dermal inflammatory infiltrate was lymphohistiocytic in horse No. 1 and pyogranulomatous with formation of tuberculoid granulomas in horse No. 2. Numerous Leishmania organisms were found within macrophages in both animals. There was moderate to intense and specific reaction by immunoperoxidase using a polyclonal antiserum against Leishmania in both horses. Leishmania amastigotes were also revealed by electron microscopy. This is the first report of equine cutaneous leishmaniasis recognized in North America and Puerto Rico. Leishmaniasis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous nodular diseases in the horse.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8952039/