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Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin (ETX), the most potent toxin produced by this bacteria, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of enterotoxaemia in ruminants, causing brain edema and encephalomalacia. Studies of animals suffering from ETX intoxication describe severe neurological disorders that are thought to be the result of vasogenic brain edemas and indirect neuronal toxicity, killing oligodendrocytes but not astrocytes, microglia, or neurons in vitro. In this study, by means of intravenous and intracerebroventricular delivery of sub-lethal concentrations of ETX, the histological and ultrastructural changes of the brain were studied in rats and mice. Histological analysis showed degenerative changes in neurons from the cortex, hippocampus, striatum and hypothalamus. Ultrastructurally, necrotic neurons and apoptotic cells were observed in these same areas, among axons with accumulation of neurofilaments and demyelination as well as synaptic stripping. Lesions observed in the brain after sub-lethal exposure to ETX, result in permanent behavioral changes in animals surviving ETX exposure, as observed individually in several animals and assessed in the Inclined Plane Test and the Wire Hang Test. Pharmacological studies showed that dexamethasone and reserpine but not ketamine or riluzole were able to reduce the brain lesions and the lethality of ETX. Cytotoxicity was not observed upon neuronal primary cultures in vitro. Therefore, we hypothesize that ETX can affect the brain of animals independently of death, producing changes on neurons or glia as the result of complex interactions, independently of ETX-BBB interactions. Fil: Morris, Winston E.. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina Fil: Goldstein Raij, Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina; Argentina Fil: Redondo, Leandro Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina Fil: Cangelosi, Adriana. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; Argentina Fil: Geoghegan, Patricia. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”; Argentina Fil: Brocco, Marcela Adriana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigaciones Biotecnológicas; Argentina Fil: Loidl, Cesar Fabian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "Prof. Eduardo de Robertis". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia; Argentina Fil: Fernandez Miyakawa, Mariano Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Patobiología; Argentina

Clostridium perfringens alpha and epsilon toxins produce enterotoxaemia in sheep and goats. However, the information regarding the pathophysiology of alpha and epsilon toxins in the bovine intestine is still scanty. In this study, intestinal loops were performed in the ileum and colon of three one-week-old Holstein and two four-week-old crossbreed calves. Laparotomy was performed in all calves under anaesthesia and four loops -three cm long- were performed in the small and large intestines. For both intestines, loops were inoculated with alpha or epsilon toxins. Tissue samples from all loops were obtained and processed for routine histology and for transmission electron microscopy. Congestion was observed in toxin treated loops. Fluid accumulation in the gut lumen was prominent in all treated loops, but in epsilon treated ones the mucous was also haemorrhagic. The histology revealed large amount of exfoliated epithelial cells in the lumen of alpha toxin treated loops and severe haemorrhage was observed in the lamina propria of epsilon toxin treated colonic loops. Despite some necrotic exfoliated enterocytes, no ultraestructural changes were observed in alpha toxin treated loops, though with epsilon toxin the loops exhibited dilation of the intercellular space in the mucosa of both, small and large intestines. These observations indicate that both, alpha and epsilon toxins can alter the intestinal barrier, in calves and are pathogenic for this species.

Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is a pestivirus that infects mainly bovine cattle. Nevertheless, there are several reports about infections in other members of the Artiodactyla order including serological studies, that indicate infection of BVDV in buffaloes. The aim of this article is to study the presence of BVDV in three young water buffaloes, displaying nonspecific clinical signs, compatible with the BVDV infection. Both immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR confirmed the presence of BVDV in the animals. The sequence analysis on RT-PCR amplicons revealed high identity with reference strains of genotypes 1a and 1b. Although BVDV was unequivocally identified in the sick animals, it has not been proved it is responsible for the clinical signs. Further studies are needed to clarify the pathogenic role of BVDV infection in this animal species, and the role of buffaloes in the epidemiology of BVDV infection.

To identify carriers of Leptospira spp. in Argentina, wild animals were trapped in Buenos Aires Province during three nights, capturing 12 Didelphis albiventris (white-eared opossum), six Chaetophractus villosus (big hairy armadillo), five Lycalopex griseus (South American gray fox), and two Conepatus chinga (Molina's hog-nosed skunk). All were tested by microscopic agglutination test, and five (two gray foxes, two armadillos, and one skunk) were positive for Leptospira interrogans serovars Canicola and Icterohaemorrhagiae, L. borgpetersenii serovar Castellonis, and L. kirschneri serovar Grippotyphosa, at titers of 1:50 and 1:100. Kidney tissue from all animals was cultured, and one isolate of L. interrogans from a gray fox was obtained. Hamsters inoculated with the isolate died after 6 days with no macroscopic lesions at necropsy. However, histologic examination revealed glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis, and pneumonia. The Leptospira strain from the South American gray fox was analyzed serologically and its pathogenicity was established. Genotyping through multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis showed that the strain was a new genotype related to the L. interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae.

Non–enterotoxin (CPE)–producing Clostridium perfringens type A has been associated with enteritis in calves. Recent evidence has suggested that a novel toxin, named beta2 (CPB2), is implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease, although there is little evidence supporting this. In the current study, the role of C. perfringens type A in an outbreak of enteritis in calves was studied. Two 20-day-old dairy calves exhibiting apathy and reluctance to eat, with paresis of the anterior limbs, were euthanized for postmortem examination. Gross and histological changes compatible with acute enteritis, rumenitis, meningitis, and pneumonia were seen in both calves. Clostridium perfringens type A non-CPE, non-CPB2 was isolated from the abomasum and the small intestine. Escherichia coli ONT:H8 (with cdtBIII and f17 virulence genes detected by polymerase chain reaction) was also isolated from the brain, abomasum, and intestine from both calves. All the samples were negative for Salmonella spp. When the C. perfringens strain was inoculated into bovine ligated small and large intestinal loops, cell detachment, erosion, and hemorrhage of the lamina propria were observed, predominantly in the small intestine. The results suggest that non-CPE, non-CPB2 C. perfringens type A is able to induce pathologic changes in the intestine of calves, probably enhanced by other pathogens, such as some pathogenic E. coli strains.

This study reports 3 cases of spontaneous papillomavirus infection in 1-week-old calves. Thickening of the omasum and abomasum wall, with acute inflammation, necrosis, ulceration, and neoplastic changes were seen in 1 calf. In the other 2, small papillomas were observed in the omasal mucosa, exhibiting proliferation of the parakeratinized epithelium. Papillomavirus antigens were detected by immunohistochemistry and virus-like particles were seen through electron microscopy.