Sarcocystis neurona-Induced Myeloencephalitis Relapse Following Anticoccidial Treatment.

Sarcocystis neurona-Induced Myeloencephalitis Relapse Following Anticoccidial Treatment. J Parasitol. 2019 Apr;105(2):371-378 Authors: Hay AN, Witonsky SG, Lindsay DS, LeRoith T, Zhu J, Kasmark L, Leeth CM Abstract Sarcocystis neurona is a ubiquitous parasite in the eastern United States, which is the principal causative agent in the neurologic disorder equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). While much is known about this protozoa's life cycle in its natural host, the opossum (Didelphis virginiana), little is known of how it acts in the aberrant equine host, which displays a high incidence of exposure with a relatively low rate of morbidity. For this study, we employed the popular interferon gamma knockout mouse model to determine the potential for recrudescence of S. neurona infection after treatment with the anticoccidial drug diclazuril. Mice were infected with S. neurona merozoites, and 7-days post-infection (DPI) they were treated with diclazuril for 30 or 60 days or not treated at all. All infected non-treated mice developed neurologic signs consistent with S. neurona infection within 30 DPI. All diclazuril-treated infected mice remained clinically normal while on treatment but developed neurologic signs within 60 days of treatment cessation. Histological examination of cerebella from all infected mice demonstrated characteristic lesions of S. neurona infection, regardless of treatment status. Cerebellar samples collected fr...
Source: The Journal of Parasitology - Category: Parasitology Authors: Tags: J Parasitol Source Type: research