Haemonchus Contortus como causa de atrofia gelatinosa cardíaca em caprino: Relato de caso

Abstract

Haemoncosis is an important parasitic disease that normally affects sheep and goats and is caused by the nematode of the genus Haemonchus, of the Trichostrongyloidea family. Its evolutionary cycle has a period of development in the host, called the parasitic phase, and another called the environmental phase. This parasite is known for its extreme resistance to anthelmintics, becoming a major problem for goat and sheep farming. The control of haemoncosis depends on early awareness by the producer, monitoring the proliferation of H. contortus and management protocols and prophylactic measures such as anthelmintic treatments. The clinical signs observed are anemia, apathy, hypoproteinemia, anorexia, dehydration, weight loss, generalized edema and decreased milk production. Among the necropsy findings, gelatinous atrophy of cardiac fat can be seen, which is normally observed in cachectic animals, or those undergoing some process of carbohydrate deprivation, or any process that results in an abrupt loss of body weight, requiring the use of lipid reserves, initiating a process of lipolysis and mobilization of this fat for ATP synthesis. The present study aims to report a case of haemoncosis in a goat in which gelatinous cardiac atrophy was observed as one of the necropsy findings.