DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF NEOSPORA CANINUM–ASSOCIATED DERMATITIS IN A RED FOX (VULPES VULPES) WITH CONCURRENT TOXOPLASMA GONDII INFECTION

A 3-mo-old red fox (Vulpes vulpes) developed generalized crusty plaques on its body during rehabilitation after an automobile accident requiring amputation of one leg. Histologic examination of skin lesion biopsy revealed granulomatous dermatitits with many intralesional protozoal tachyzoites. The p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of zoo and wildlife medicine 2014-06, Vol.45 (2), p.454-457
Main Authors: Dubey, Jitender P, Whitesell, Leah E, Culp, William E, Daye, Sharon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antibodies
Biopsies
Brief Communication
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Clindamycin - therapeutic use
Coccidiosis - complications
Coccidiosis - drug therapy
Coccidiosis - pathology
Coccidiosis - veterinary
Dermatitis
Dermatitis - etiology
Dermatitis - veterinary
fox, Neospora caninum
Foxes
Lesions
Male
Neospora
Pathology
Protein Synthesis Inhibitors - therapeutic use
Protozoa
Skin
Tachyzoites
Toxoplasma - isolation & purification
Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasmosis, Animal - complications
treatment
Vulpes vulpes
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Summary:A 3-mo-old red fox (Vulpes vulpes) developed generalized crusty plaques on its body during rehabilitation after an automobile accident requiring amputation of one leg. Histologic examination of skin lesion biopsy revealed granulomatous dermatitits with many intralesional protozoal tachyzoites. The protozoa stained positively with antibodies to Neospora caninum but not to Toxoplasma gondii. Treatment with clindamycin hydrochloride (10 mg/kg, twice daily, s.c.) for 1 mo completely resolved lesions, and protozoa were not demonstrable in biopsy of skin after treatment. The fox had agglutinating antibodies to T. gondii (modified agglutination test, titer 1 : 3200) and N. caninum (Neospora agglutination test, titer 1 : 25), and viable T. gondii (genotype III) was isolated from the skin biopsy after treatment. This is the first report of clinical neosporosis in a wild canid.
ISSN:1042-7260
1937-2825
DOI:10.1638/2013-0277.1