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Histopathology of Canine Sporotrichosis: A Morphological Study of 86 Cases from Rio de Janeiro (2001–2007)

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Abstract

The present study reports the histopathological findings of 86 skin lesions of dogs with sporotrichosis from Rio de Janeiro. Suppurative granulomatous inflammation was the predominant finding and was observed in 76 (88.37%) cases. Plasma cells surrounding the suppurative granulomas were detected in 68 (89.5%) cases and an inflammatory infiltrate at the periphery of these granulomatous lesions was observed in 63 (82.9%). Fungus-specific staining revealed yeast cells compatible with Sporothrix schenckii in 36 cases. These fungal elements were only detected in lesions characterized by suppurative granulomatous inflammation. Thus, specific staining of serial sections is recommended in the case of dogs with skin lesions whose histopathological presentation is consistent with sporotrichosis. However, due to the generally small number of yeast cells in lesions, the hypothesis of sporotrichosis should not be ruled out even if the result is negative, especially in epidemic areas where correlation with epidemiological data is particularly useful.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Marcos Francisco Lucas de Almeida, Maria Dulce Portugal Estrada Espinoza, Francisco das Chagas de Carvalho Rodrigues, Antônio Correia, Antonio Carlos da Silva, Rosani Santos Reis, Paulo Cezar Fialho Monteiro, and Luiz Rodrigo Paes Leme for technical support. This study was partially financed by Programa de Apoio a Pesquisa Estratégica em Saúde (PAPES IV), FIOCRUZ, by Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), and by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil. TMPS is a CNPq researcher. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee on the Use of Animals, FIOCRUZ.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Evandro Chagas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    L. H. M. de Miranda, L. P. Quintella, I. B. dos Santos, R. C. Menezes, F. B. Figueiredo, I. D. F. Gremião, T. Okamoto, R. V. C. de Oliveira, S. A. Pereira & T. M. P. Schubach

  2. Serviço de Anatomia Patológica Doutor Jefferson Andrade dos Santos, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    R. Tortelly

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  1. L. H. M. de Miranda
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Correspondence to L. H. M. de Miranda.

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de Miranda, L.H.M., Quintella, L.P., dos Santos, I.B. et al. Histopathology of Canine Sporotrichosis: A Morphological Study of 86 Cases from Rio de Janeiro (2001–2007). Mycopathologia 168, 79–87 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-009-9198-4

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