Isolation of Vibrio cholerae from the brain of a feedlot heifer with meningoencephalitis.
A 700-pound, 9-month-old Angus heifer from a feedlot presented with acute neurologic signs, characterized by circling, posterior weakness, and nonresponsiveness, followed by death. Histologically, the frontal lobe and the thalamus contained multiple foci of liquefaction that contained numerous degenerative neutrophils and foamy macrophages. Some of these foci were centered on blood vessels that contained fibrin thrombi and exhibited varying degrees of fibrinoid necrosis of the vessel wall. There was adjacent axonal degeneration and neuronal necrosis characterized by pronounced cytoplasmic eosinophilia, peripheralization of the nuclei, and loss of Nissl substance. Aerobic culture of the brain yielded moderate growth of Vibrio species, which was determined to be Vibrio cholerae by polymerase chain reaction analysis of a 438-base pair fragment of the 16 S ribosomal RNA gene. V. cholerae are motile, gram-negative, curved rod-shaped bacteria. Some strains of V. cholerae are important food- and water-borne bacterial pathogens that produce an often fatal diarrhea in humans. This is the first known case report of V. cholerae meningoencephalitis and cerebral abscessation in a bovine.
Bush
Jamie M
JM
Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Fort Collins, CO 80524, USA.
Hyatt
Doreene R
DR
Bolte
Denise
D
Pandher
Karamjeet
K
D000818:Animals; D001344:Autopsy / Q000662:veterinary; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D002771:Cholera / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D013788:Thalamus / Q000473:pathology; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*