Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Vaginal tumor with Leishmania infection in female boxer dog
By Kegler, K et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2013·Department of Pathology, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Vaginal canine transmissible venereal tumour associated with intra-tumoural Leishmania spp. amastigotes in an asymptomatic female dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old female boxer was brought to the vet because she had a vaginal discharge that wasn't related to her heat cycle. Upon examination, the vet found a mass in her vagina, which was diagnosed as a canine transmissible venereal tumor (TVT). Surprisingly, tests also revealed that the tumor contained Leishmania infantum, a parasite that can cause disease in dogs. This case is notable because it shows that the tumor cells can carry the parasite, suggesting a possible new way for dogs to spread leishmaniasis. The boxer was treated for the tumor, but specific treatment details were not provided in the study.
People also search for: boxer dog vaginal discharge · canine transmissible venereal tumor treatment · Leishmania in dogs
Abstract
A 2-year-old female boxer dog was presented with a vaginal serosanguineous discharge not associated with oestrus. There was a friable mass occupying the upper caudal part of the vagina. Cytological and histological examination revealed a monomorphic population of neoplastic round cells consistent with canine transmissible venereal tumour (TVT). In addition, Leishmania spp. amastigotes were found within the neoplastic tissue. In order to characterize whether the amastigotes were present inside macrophages and/or neoplastic cells, a co-localization study using cell- and pathogen-specific markers was performed. To detect Leishmania spp. a 5.8S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) parasite-specific sequence was used for in-situ hybridization and Mac387 was used as a macrophage marker for immunohistochemistry. Leishmania spp. rRNA was detected inside Mac387(+) macrophages and within the cytoplasm of some neoplastic cells. DNA isolation and polymerase chain reaction using specific primers and sequencing analysis identified the organism as Leishmania infantum (syn. Leishmania chagasi). This is the first report describing infection of tumour cells by L. infantum in a genital TVT from an asymptomatic bitch. Transplantation of Leishmania-laden neoplastic cells could represent an alternative route of venereal transmission of leishmaniasis among dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23348016/