Case Study #4 Matt Igleski Neil Schock *Note missing head this is important later in the talk

Introduction Taxonomy Family: Cervidae White-Tailed Deer Odocoileus virginianus Range: North America Importance: –Recreation –Commercial

List of Possible Protozoal infections Toxoplasmosis –Intermediate host Neosporosis –Member of Sylvatic cycle –Seroprevalence 40% in IL 19% in WI Cryptosporidium –Virginia- fecal samples (Rickard et al. 1999) Oocytes in 5-8.8% of samples

Test Brain tissue from hunter killed deer Heads shipped to USDA laboratory 50 g of brain tissue homogenized then digested with trypsin enzyme Digest injected subcutaneously into mice 5 mice inoculated for each deer

Results 58 deer were positive for parasite 25 of 28 groups of mice were asymptomatic Only 3 groups of mice became ill according to histopathology 28 total mice were positive according to immunochemistry

Results Histopathology Tachyzoites found in lung tissue of 5 mice, 10 total mice infected Immunochemistry Heart –23 mice with positive infection Pancreas –9 mice with positive infections Other organs affected –Gall bladder, brain, lung, liver, intestines, ovaries, aorta, stomach, and kidneys

Predominant lesion Non-suppurative myocarditis –No pus, inflammation of heart Focus of necrosis in heart.Two cyst structures

Diagnosis Toxoplasmosis –Causes tissue necrosis –Immune response drives parasite into tissue cyst form –Both symptoms present in this study Neosporosis –Forms cyst in tissue –One symptom present in this study