Surtos de conidiobolomicose ovina por Conidiobolus lamprauges no Estado da Bahia, Nordeste do Brasil

The present work describes the occurrence of two conidiobolomycosis outbreaks in Santa Ines breedsheep, in the state of Bahia. The first outbreak (FO) occurred in a property located in Santo Estevao city,involving three animals, and the second outbreak (SO) occurred in a property in Entre Rios city, affecting one  sheep. In both outbreaks, the clinical findings were characterized by progressive weight loss, dyspnea, andbloody serous nasal discharge. In the FO was also observed unilateral craniofacial asymmetry, associatedwith exophthalmia and epiphora of the right eye. Autopsies performed on the three FO sheep showeda large mass predominantly yellowish-white with red-black areas of the uneven surface, finely granular,moist and crumbly located in the ethmoidal region, invading the nasopharyngeal, choana, sinuses, retrobulbar region, who infiltrated the cribriform plate and reached the meninges. In two sheep of the FO, themass reached the front portion of the brain. In SO sheep it was found, on the mucous membrane of thenasal vestibule, small red-black multifocal to coalescing nodules, with eroded surface and hyperemiaof the nasal turbinates with hemorrhagic catarrhal secretion, and in the most rostral portion of nasalcavity, the mucosa had a irregular, wet, bleeding and red-black surface, with blackish gray and brownishareas, displaying partial focal destruction of nasal turbinates. Microscopic examination of granulomatouslesions revealed multiple areas of coagulation necrosis containing intense reaction of Splendore-Hoeppliassociated with negative images of fungal hyphae and granulomatous inflammation. In all cases, theGMS and PAS staining showed numerous wide hyphae, with bulbous distension at one end. By PCRtechnique it was characterized Conidiobolus lamprauges by analysis of serum samples of two sheep andparaffin block lesions of one sheep. Immunohistochemical analyzes were positive for C. lamprauges inall animals. It can be proved, for the first time, the occurrence of nasopharyngeal / rhinocerebral andrhinofacial conidiobolomycosis infection by C. lamprauges in the state of Bahia.