Pneumocystis carinii Infection in a Domestic Goat (Capra hircus domesticus) with Multibacillary Paratuberculosis

Abstract

Pneumocystis carinii (P. carinii) is an opportunistic fungal pathogen commonly found in many mammalian host species, but rarely in goats. A 3-year-old, female, Tokara-native-goat (Capra hircus domesticus) died of apparent malnutrition caused by multibacillary paratuberculosis. While inflammatory response was slightly observed in the respiratory organs, P. carinii trophozoites and cysts were immunohistochemically observed in the pulmonary alveoli of the infected animal. P. carinii specific DNA was amplified from the formalin fixed and paraffin embedded lung samples. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial large subunit ribosomal RNA region of P. carinii revealed genetic divergence from previously described P. carinii isolates from other mammalian host species. This is the first description of concurrent infection with P. carinii and the Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in a domestic goat.