Tiflocolite necrohemorrágica associada a Balantidium coli em uma potra

Abstract

The objective of this work was to carry out a brief literature review on the protozoan Balantidium coli, in addition to reporting a case of necrohemorrhagic typhlocolitis associated with B. coli in a foal. The foal of the present report was referred to the University Hospital of Veterinary Medicine (HUMV) of the Federal University of Recôncavo da Bahia (UFRB), where the necropsy and histopathological examination were performed in the Veterinary Pathology Sector (SPV). Subsequently, a technical visit to the animal's property of origin was carried out, seeking to investigate predisposing factors to the disease, and carry out the collection of materials from the animals of the herd for parasitological examinations. The main anatomopathological findings were in the distal ileum, large colon and cecum which consisted of hyperemia, hemorrhage and transmural edema; in the large colon and cecum there were also multiple 1-2 mm yellowish-white spherical nodules distributed on the mucosal and submucosal surface. Microscopy showed hyperplasia with lymphoid nodular hypertrophy, an inflammatory infiltrate composed of eosinophils and macrophages in the greater colon and cecum. On the mucosal surface there was necrosis and structures consistent with intralesional parasites (Balantidium coli). The diagnosis was made based on the pathology findings and parasitological examinations. This protozoan has been prevalent in horses in Asian and African countries, but little reported in Brazil. Thus, balantidiosis should be included in the etiology differentials for enteritis in horses, and greater attention should be paid to the correct diagnosis since this disease is a zoonosis, as the close contact between horses and humans is very common.