title: Sarcocystis spp. Infection in two Red Panda Cubs (Ailurus fulgens).
abstract: Two neonatal male red panda (Ailurus fulgens) littermates were submitted for necropsy examination. One animal was found dead with no prior signs of illness; the other had a brief history of laboured breathing. Post-mortem examination revealed disseminated protozoal infection. To further characterize the causative agent, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), immunohistochemistry (IHC), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and amplification and nucleic acid sequencing were performed. IHC was negative for Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum, but was positive for a Sarcocystis spp. TEM of cardiac muscle and lung revealed numerous intracellular apicomplexan protozoa within parasitophorous vacuoles. PCR and nucleic acid sequencing of partial 18S rRNA and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-1 region confirmed a Sarcocystis spp. that shared 99% sequence homology to Sarcocystis neurona and Sarcocystis dasypi. This represents the first report of sarcocystosis in red pandas. The histopathological, immunohistochemical, molecular and ultrastructural findings are supportive of vertical transmission resulting in fatal disseminated disease.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA; Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA. Electronic address: zollwhit@ufl.edu.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Zoll
authors.affiliation: Comparative Medicine and Integrated Biology, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Needle
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: French
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bolin
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA; Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Langohr
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Agnew
mesh_terms: D053822:Ailuridae / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012522:Sarcocystis; D012523:Sarcocystosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission / Q000662:veterinary*
keywords: Sarcocystis spp.; disseminated infection; immunohistochemistry; red panda