Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cystic echinococcosis due to Echinococcus equinus in a horse from southern Germany.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2010
- Authors:
- Blutke, Andreas et al.
- Affiliation:
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology · Germany
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 19-year-old mare from southern Germany was found to have a rare infection caused by a type of tapeworm called Echinococcus equinus, which is known to create cysts in the lungs. She was brought in because she was eating less than usual, losing weight, and having trouble breathing. X-rays showed two large masses in her lungs, and unfortunately, her condition worsened quickly, leading to her being euthanized. During the examination after her death, two thick-walled cysts were discovered in her lungs, containing a clear liquid and various structures that indicated the presence of the tapeworm. The diagnosis was confirmed through advanced testing, but sadly, the treatment was not applicable as the horse had to be euthanized due to her severe condition.
Abstract
In Europe, cystic echinococcosis is rare in horses and is mostly diagnosed at slaughter or postmortem examination. Equine cystic echinococcosis can be caused by various Echinococcus taxa, but only Echinococcus equinus (the "horse strain") is known to produce fertile cysts. In Europe, E. equinus appears to be endemic in Great Britain, Ireland, Spain, and Italy and has sporadically been reported in Belgium and Switzerland. The present report describes the first case of a molecularly confirmed E. equinus infection in a horse foaled and raised in Germany. The 19-year-old mare was presented for examination of inappetence, emaciation, and respiratory symptoms. X-ray radiographs of the thorax showed 2 well-circumscribed tumor-like masses, each approximately 10 cm in diameter in the caudal lung field. The horse was euthanized as its condition rapidly deteriorated. Necropsy revealed 2 thick-walled hydatid cysts, each 7-8 cm in diameter in the lung. The tri-layered cyst walls consisted of an outer adventitial layer, a laminated acellular intermediate layer, and an inner germinal membrane. Grossly, the cysts contained a clear, amber liquid with hydatid sand. Light microscopy of the hydatid sand revealed free protoscoleces, intact and ruptured brood capsules, calcareous corpuscles, and debris. Samples of protoscoleces underwent molecular characterization, and the diagnosis of E. equinus was confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism-polymerase chain reaction and sequence analysis of the complete mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 gene.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20453228/