2005 Volume 58 Issue 2 Pages 105-108
In June 2003, at an equestrian club in Ishikawa Prefecture, euthanasia was performed on a 10-year-old thoroughbred gelding demonstrating lassitude, fever, ataxia, and a tendency to fall. Necropsy revealed 2 granulomatous masses (5×5×3cm) in the right kidney. They were firm, gray, and partially fused. Microscopic evaluation revealed multifocal granulomatous nephritis with nematodes, a condition compatible with Malicephahbus gingivalis. Similar lesions were seen in the brain and superficial cervical lymph nodes as well. This is the third case report of Halicephalobus infection in Japan. Because the second of the incidents occurred at the same equestrian club in March 2000, the morphology of the nematodes in the case reported on here were compared with that of nematodes obtained from local soil samples. The numerous nematodes manifested various shapes: some corresponded to renal nematodes. Their number in the soil suggested that free-living environmental nematodes could be a potential source of equine Halicephalobus infection.
