Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Granulomatous nephritis and meningoencephalomyelitis caused by Halicephalobus gingivalis in a pony gelding.
- Journal:
- The Journal of veterinary medical science
- Year:
- 2007
- Authors:
- Akagami, Masataka et al.
- Affiliation:
- Kenhoku Livestock Hygiene Service Center · Japan
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A ten-year-old Shetland pony gelding had a low appetite, trouble walking straight, unusual swaying, and confusion, and unfortunately, he passed away. During the examination after death, doctors found several areas of inflammation in his kidneys and some damaged spots in his brain. Tests showed that these issues were caused by a type of worm called Halicephalobus gingivalis. This worm was found in both the kidneys and brain, confirming that it was responsible for the pony's kidney disease and brain inflammation. Sadly, the treatment did not save the pony's life.
Abstract
A ten-year-old Shetland pony gelding showed low appetite, ataxia, peculiar swaying, clouding of consciousness, and ultimately died. At necropsy, multiple coalescing granulomatous foci were detected in the kidneys, and small necrotic lesions were found in the cerebellum. Histologic examination of the renal tissue sections revealed extensive granuloma, and Halicephalobus gingivalis-like nematodes were seen. Similar nematodes were found in the granulomatous or necrotic lesions of the renal lymph nodes and cerebellum, and were also frequently detected in cerebrospinal meningovascular lesions. Morphologic features together with partial ribosomal RNA gene sequences of the nematodes in the lesions revealed that they were H. gingivalis. The present results indicated that H. gingivalis caused granulomatous nephritis and meningoencephalomyelitis in this pony gelding.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18057837/