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Splenic rupture in cattle is scarcely described in the literature. The aim of this work was to report the occurrence of splenic rupture in cattle in southern Brazil as well as to describe the causes of the condition. Between 2013 and 2022, 24 of the 1769 bovine necropsies performed in southern Brazil were due to splenic rupture, accounting for 1.36% of the diagnoses. Animals died due to hemoperitoneum caused by a rupture in the splenic capsule, typically associated with marked splenomegaly and a large hematoma between the capsule and the parenchyma. Clinical signs were described in a subset of cases (11 of 24 cases, 46%) and included apathy, abdominal pain, mucosal pallor, tachycardia, and respiratory distress. However, the majority (13 of 24 cases, 54%) presented as sudden death. The underlying cause of splenic rupture was established as follows: 16 cases (67%) secondary to babesiosis, 4 cases (17%) due to lymphoma, 1 case (4%) due to a thrombus, 1 case (4%) due to external trauma, 1 case due to a ruptured nodular lymphoid hyperplasia (4%), and 1 case of undetermined cause (4%). Hypovolemic shock caused by splenic rupture is an important cause of death of dairy cattle, and babesiosis and bovine leukemia virus–associated lymphoma are among the most common etiologic diagnoses (84% of cases). The description of the causes of this condition is important to clarify the pathogenesis and occurrence of splenic rupture in dairy cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe an unusual outbreak of mortality in suckling piglets following the misadministration of an oral vaccine against Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Choleraesuis. Within 3–48 h of vaccination of a batch of ~700 piglets, ~300 developed marked swelling in the dorsal neck region, respiratory distress, fever, recumbency, and apathy. In total, ~100 died, and 4 were submitted for autopsy. Gross and microscopic lesions consisted of focally extensive areas of purple discoloration in the skin of the cervical region, associated with edema and hemorrhage in the subcutis and muscles. Additionally, there was interstitial pneumonia with marked interlobular edema and mild fibrinous pleuritis. Aerobic bacterial culture identified Salmonella Typhimurium (3 cases) and Salmonella Choleraesuis (1 case) in samples of skeletal muscle and lung and from pleural swab samples. Marked immunostaining against Salmonella spp. was observed in the skeletal muscle of the cervical region, as well as in blood vessels and macrophages from the lung, liver, spleen, and kidney. We concluded that inappropriate intramuscular administration of an oral vaccine against Salmonella resulted in septicemia and death in a batch of piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed to characterize the clinic-pathological presentation of an outbreak of auricular and laryngeal chondritis in pigs. Visits were made to pig farms, where the clinical history was obtained, and clinical and postmortem examinations were performed. In those farms, 3% to 4% of pigs presented otohematomas, which started in the nursery and extended to the finishing phase. Moreover, some finishing pigs presented with respiratory distress, initially characterized as inspiratory dyspnea, associated by an uncommon respiratory stridor and culminating in death. Grossly, nursery piglets had enlarged ears, and on the cut surface, the cartilage was fragmented and associated with blood clots. In the finishing phase, in addition to auricular lesions, the epiglottis and arytenoid cartilages were thickened and distorted, which partially occluded the lumen. Microscopically, the laryngeal and auricular cartilages were fragmented, displayed a loss of matrix basophilia, and were surrounded by lymphohistiocytic inflammatory infiltrate, with occasional multinucleated giant cells and fibrosis. The lesions exclusively affected elastic cartilages. The disease in finishing pigs led to increased mortality and was a differential diagnosis to respiratory challenges. It was not possible to determine the factor that triggered this condition; however, a nutritional association is suspected. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of primary auricular and laryngeal chondritis in pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]