Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
First confirmed case of equine pythiosis in Northern Veracruz, Mexico.
- Journal:
- Acta tropica
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Chagoya-Fuentes, Jorge Luis et al.
- Affiliation:
- Laboratorio de Diagnó
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A case was reported involving an adult horse in Northern Veracruz, Mexico, that had a serious skin condition on its shoulder, which looked like a tumor. This mass was ulcerated and had a crater-like shape, with a discharge that was both bloody and clear, and it had openings that contained a thick, cheese-like material. The tumor was surgically removed and sent to a lab for further examination. Tests showed that the horse was infected with a type of fungus called Pythium insidiosum, which has been seen in other parts of the US and Central America. This case is significant because it is the first confirmed instance of this infection in horses in Mexico.
Abstract
A clinical case of an adult horse with invasive, ulcerative, proliferative, pyogranulomatous disease of the skin (tumor) in the shoulder region is presented. The mass had a granulomatous and crater-shaped appearance, with serosanguinous discharge and the presence of fistulas with caseous material. The tumor was removed by surgery and sent to the laboratory for diagnosis. Histopathology was performed using Grocott-Gomori methenamine silver stain. The presence of necrotic material, fibrosis, infiltrated cells, and brown-colored hyphae, characteristic of members of the genus Pythium, were observed. To identify the infecting species, conventional PCRs for the amplification of the ITS-1 was carried out. Histopathological and PCR tests confirmed infection by a Pythium insidiosum strain closely associated with previous records from the US and Central America. Our report represents the first molecularly confirmed case of equine pythiosis in Mexico.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38548212/