title: A minimally invasive approach to spleen histopathology in dogs: A new method for follow-up studies of spleen changes in the course of Leishmania infantum infection.
abstract: Severe forms of zoonotic visceral leishmaniosis (ZVL) are associated with disruption of the spleen structure. However, the study of spleen histology requires splenectomy or necropsy. In this work, we present a minimally invasive cell-block technique for studying spleen tissue histology in dogs with ZVL. We examined 13 dogs with and seven dogs without Leishmania infantum infection. The dogs with Leishmania infection had a lower frequency of lymphoid follicles (2/13, Fisher's test, P<0.02) and a higher density of plasma cells (score 3, Fisher's test, P<0.02) than uninfected dogs (5/7 exhibiting lymphoid follicles and a plasma cell score of 1). The dogs with Leishmania infection also presented with granulomas (8/13) and infected macrophages (5/13). These differences in the histological presentations of spleen tissue from infected and uninfected dogs corresponded to changes observed in conventional histology. Hence, the cell-block technique described here may be used in the follow-up care and study of dogs with ZVL and other diseases in both clinical practice and research.
authors.affiliation: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Salvador, BA, Brazil;, Brazil; Laboratório de Infectologia Veterinária, Hospital de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Silvana Ornelas
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Salvador, BA, Brazil;, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jonathan L M
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Fontes
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Infectologia Veterinária, Hospital de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, BA, Brazil; Departmento de Anatomia, Patologia and Clínicas, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, UFBA, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniela F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Laranjeira
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vassallo
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Infectologia Veterinária, Hospital de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, BA, Brazil; Departmento de Anatomia, Patologia and Clínicas, Escola de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, UFBA, Salvador, BA, Brazil. Electronic address: barrouin@ufba.br.
authors.forename: Stella Maria
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Barrouin-Melo
authors.affiliation: Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Salvador, BA, Brazil;, Brazil. Electronic address: wluis@bahia.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Washington L C
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Dos-Santos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D004285:Dogs; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006099:Granuloma / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000469:parasitology; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan
keywords: Canine visceral leishmaniasis; Cell block; Dog; Fine-needle biopsy; Leishmania infantum; Minimally invasive histopathology; Spleen