Canine visceral leishmaniasis: structural and immune-inflammatory changes in lymphoid organs of naturally infected dogs
Cláudio Carneiro de Freitas, JoséValdeci de Almeida Ferreira, FranciscoSilva de Oliveira, EmanueleCélia Sousa Nunes-Pinheiro, Diana
Background: Although the canine visceral leishmaniasis be characterized as a severe systemic disease, few studies have been conducted describing the main histopathological alterations found in the various organs of the host affected by the parasite. This paper evaluated the structural and immune-inflammatory changes of the spleen, liver, popliteal lymph nodes (PLN) and skin of naturally infected dogs in different clinical forms of canine visceral leishmaniasis. Material, Methods & Results: Forty seven adult dogs were used, varying in age and weight, selected by Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA), were considered positive IFA titres of >= 1:40 and the parasitological examination of L. infantum amastigotes forms in bone marrow smears. The dogs were grouped according to the clinical signs associated to the disease: negative dogs (ND = 7), subclinical dogs (SD = 20) and clinical dogs (CD = 20). After the euthanasia procedure, all animals were weighed, and then the spleen and liver were dissected for relative weights measurements. Fragments of spleen, liver, PLN and skin were collected and subjected to procedures for histology (H&E). The same samples were subjected to immunohistochemical analysis for detection of L. infantum amastigotes. The authors observed increased relative weight of spleen and liver of the CD and SD groups (P 0.05). Discrete hypoplasia of red and whi
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