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Pathologic lesions of mycotic pneumonia in an alpaca following third compartment ulceration

Correspondence: ¹Corresponding Author: Katherine Hughes, Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0ES, United Kingdom. kh387{at}cam.ac.uk

A 4-year-old female alpaca was referred to The Queen's Veterinary School Hospital (Cambridge, United Kingdom) with a history of abortion 6 days previous, at approximately 245 days in gestation. The patient had developed watery diarrhea 24 hr after abortion and exhibited bruxism, progressive depression, and ultimately collapse. On presentation to the referral institute, the alpaca was unable to stand and exhibited severe tachypnea, dyspnea, and tachycardia. The patient was considered to be moribund and was euthanized. Macroscopic postmortem assessment and subsequent histological investigations revealed multifocal ulceration of the third gastric compartment, with vascular mycotic invasion and disseminated multifocal embolic mycotic pneumonia. Real-time polymerase chain reaction targeting the large ribosomal subunit (28S) performed on paraffin-embedded lung tissue successfully amplified 28S RNA specific for Aspergillus species. The primary cause of the depression and collapse of this animal was considered to be a combination of respiratory compromise due to severe embolic mycotic pneumonia and endotoxic shock associated with the ulcerative gastritis of the third gastric compartment. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of ulcerative gastritis of the third gastric compartment histologically illustrated as a portal of entry for Aspergillus species causing embolic mycotic pneumonia in an alpaca.

Key Words: Alpacas • Aspergillus spp. • camelid • fungus • pneumonia • ulceration