Natural Sarcocystis gigantea infection in sheep from Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT: Protozoal diseases caused by species of Sarcocystis can cause serious damage in sheep flocks, inducing decreased growth conversion rates and partial or complete loss of carcasses at the slaughterhouse. This article describes an outbreak of Sarcocystis gigantea infection in sheep slaughtered in a farm in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. Between July and September 2013, three sheep showed multiple nodules in the esophagus that were microscopically characterized as encapsulated cysts filled with elongated, basophilic, nucleated structures morphologically consistent with S. gigantea bradyzoites. Diagnosis was made based on the epidemiological, macroscopic, and microscopic findings. This is the first report of this infection in sheep in Rio Grande do Sul and should be recognized by veterinarians, especially during meat inspection.