title: First report of fatal systemic Halicephalobus gingivalis infection in two Lipizzaner horses from Romania: clinical, pathological, and molecular characterization.
abstract: Halicephalobus gingivalis (H. gingivalis) causes a rare and fatal infection in horses and humans. Despite the zoonotic potential and severity of the disease, the epidemiology and pathogenesis of halicephalobiasis are still poorly understood. Several European cases of equine halicephalobiasis have been documented; however, in South-Eastern European countries, including Romania, equine neurohelminthiasis caused by H. gingivalis has not been previously described. Two Lipizzaner horses with a clinical history of progressive neurological signs were referred to the Pathology Department of the Cluj-Napoca (Romania) for necropsy. Both horses died with severe neurological signs. Gross examination and cytological, histological, and molecular analyses were performed. The stallions came from two different breeding farms. No history of traveling outside Romania was recorded. At necropsy, granulomatous and necrotizing lesions were observed in the kidneys, lymph nodes, brain, retroperitoneal adipose tissue, and lungs, indicating a systemic infection. Parasitological and histopathological analyses evidenced larval and adult forms of rhabditiform nematodes consistent with Halicephalobus species. Parasites were observed in both lymph and blood vessels of different organs and were also identified in urine samples. A subunit of the large-subunit ribosomal RNA gene (LSU rDNA) of H. gingivalis (673 bp) was amplified from lesions in both horses.To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of equine systemic H. gingivalis infection in Romania and in South-Eastern Europe. Our findings provide new insights into the geographic distribution of specific genetic lineages of H. gingivalis, while also raising public health awareness, as the parasite is zoonotic.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Calea Manastur, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Marian A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Taulescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Calea Manastur, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. ionica.angela@usamvcluj.ro.
authors.forename: Angela M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ionicã
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Calea Manastur, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Diugan
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Calea Manastur, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pavaloiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Calea Manastur, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Roxana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cora
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.|Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Rua Júlio Amaral de Carvalho nr. 45, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.|Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Viana do Castelo, 4990-706, Ponte de Lima, Portugal.
authors.forename: Irina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Amorim
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Calea Manastur, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Cornel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Catoi
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences and Public Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roccabianca
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001344:Autopsy / Q000662:veterinary; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D018509:DNA, Helminth / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D006736:Horses; D007668:Kidney / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D017168:Rhabditida / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017196:Rhabditida Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D018509:DNA, Helminth
keywords: Equine; Fatal disease; Granulomatous nephritis; Halicephalobus gingivalis; Systemic infection