Histopathological and molecular characterization of encephalitic listeriosis in small ruminants from northern Paraná, Brazil - PubMed (original) (raw)

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Histopathological and molecular characterization of encephalitic listeriosis in small ruminants from northern Paraná, Brazil

Selwyn Arlington Headley et al. Braz J Microbiol. 2014.

Abstract

Listeriosis is a disease primarily of ruminants caused by the Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Ruminants either demonstrate manifestations of the encephalitic, septicemic, or reproductive form of listeriosis. The pathological and molecular findings with encephalitic listeriosis in a 5.5-month-old, male, mixed-breed goat and a 3-year-old Texel-crossed sheep from northern Paraná, Brazil are described. Clinically, the kid demonstrated circling, lateral protrusion of the tongue, head tilt, and convulsions; the ewe presented ataxia, motor incoordination, and lateral decumbency. Brainstem dysfunctions were diagnosed clinically and listeriosis was suspected. Necropsy performed on both animals did not reveal remarkable gross lesions; significant histopathological alterations were restricted to the brainstem (medulla oblongata; rhombencephalitis) and were characterized as meningoencephalitis that consisted of extensive mononuclear perivascular cuffings, neutrophilic and macrophagic microabscesses, and neuroparenchymal necrosis. PCR assay and direct sequencing, using genomic bacterial DNA derived from the brainstem of both animals, amplified the desired 174 base pairs length amplicon of the listeriolysin O gene of L. monocytogenes. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the strains associated with rhombencephalitis during this study clustered with known strains of L. monocytogenes lineage I from diverse geographical locations and from cattle of the state of Paraná with encephalitic listeriosis. Consequently, these strains should be classified as L. monocytogenes lineage I. These results confirm the active participation of lineage I strains of L. monocytogenes in the etiopathogenesis of the brainstem dysfunctions observed during this study, probably represent the first characterization of small ruminant listeriosis by molecular techniques in Latin America, and suggest that ruminants within the state of Paraná were infected by the strains of the same lineage of L. monocytogenes.

Keywords: Listeria monocytogenes; brainstem dysfunctions; epidemiology; listeriolysin gene; neuropathology; rhombencephalitis.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

_Listeria monocytogenes_-induced rhombencephalitis; medulla oblongata; mixed-breed goat. There is marked inflammation of the meninges and neuroparenchyma resulting in subacute meningoencephalitis (Hematoxylin and Eosin stain; 4× Obj.).

Figure 2

Figure 2

Medulla oblongata; mixed-breed goat. The mononuclear perivascular cuffings are formed by more than four layers of lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory cells. (Hematoxylin and Eosin stain; 10× Obj.).

Figure 3

Figure 3

Listeria rhombencephalitis; medulla oblongata; mixed-breed sheep. The microabscesses is formed by mixed inflammatory exudate (Hematoxylin and Eosin stain; 20× Obj.).

Figure 4

Figure 4

Encephalitic listeriosis; medulla oblongata; mixed-breed goat. There is destruction of the neuroparenchyma due to the accumulation of microabscesses, perivascular cuffings, and the influx of inflammatory cells. (Hematoxylin and Eosin stain; 40× Obj.).

Figure 5

Figure 5

Phylogenetic relationship of selected strains of Listeria monocytogenes, representing the four distinct lineages, based on the listeriolysin gene. The GenBank accession numbers of the isolates used are given. The strain derived from this study is highlighted (within box); those from a recent investigation of bovine encephalitic listeriosis are shown (arrows).

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