Presence of amastigote forms of Leishmania sp in lesions of inguinal breasts in a bitch

Abstract

Leishmaniasis is considered public health matter, where the interaction of several factors affects a significant amount of species. It is a chronic disease, which has as vector the Lutzomyia mosquito, inoculating the parasite Leishmania sp in the hosts when in its blood supply, this disseminated rapidly, taking advantage of immunosuppression and parasitizing previously unreported tissues. In this case report will be described the involvement by the parasite in the tissues of the mammary lesions, in a dog of 4 years, presenting vulvar swelling and lesions in the inguinal breasts. Tests were performed as a hemogram and biochemical profile, complementing with oncological cytologies of lesion sites. Some changes were observed as normocytic normochromic anemia, hyperproteinemia, and the concomitant presence of the parasite Hepatozoon canis, both in the blood and cytologic smear. In the cytologic smear, it was verified the compatibility with the Canine Transmissible Venereal Canine tumor (TVTC) and the mammary lesion, an inflammatory process, with pleomorphism, atypias, large amount of neutrophils and macrophages parasitized by amastigotes forms of Leishmania sp. The involvement of the parasite in tissues not yet reported, shows that it is opportunistic, use immunosuppression to spread more quickly, and a more careful investigation of the lesions present in the patients is necessary.