Animal: 10-month-old, female, Maremmano-Abruzzese sheepdog
History: Weakness, lethargy, lateral decubitus, muscular rigidity and miosis. This animal was submitted for autopsy for diagnostic purposes.
Post-mortem findings: Cream-colored nodules measuring 1-2 mm in diameter were observed in the mesentery and in the renal cortex. Marked enlargement and edema of right inguinal breast and inguinal lymph nodes. Histological examination revealed inflammatory infiltrates with “target like” appearance, consisting of a central core of necrosis and cellular debris, surrounded by macrophages and lymphocytes. Grocott stain showed fungal black-colored hyphae disposed in a radial structure.
Diagnosis: Dog, Systemic scedosporiosis caused by Scedosporium apiospermum
For a definitive diagnosis and species identification have been used a nucleotide sequence-based analysis.
Author: Giovanni Di Teodoro, Anna Rita D’Angelo, Daniela Malatesta, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e Molise