Trypanosomiasis and laryngeal paralysis in a dog

Laryngeal paralysis and trypanosomiasis were diagnosed in a 12-year-old Labrador Retriever. Bilateral vocal fold resection and partial excision of the left aryepiglottic fold resolved the dog's respiratory difficulty. Trypomastigotes resembling Trypanosoma cruzi were seen in blood smears during hospitalization. In spite of treatment with nifurtimox and dexamethasone, the dog died. Histologic examination of tissues did not reveal amastigotes of T cruzi or granulomatous myositis previously described in canine trypanosomiasis reported from North America. The lack of granulomatous myositis and amastigotes in muscle is unusual and suggests a strain variation in the behavior of T cruzi.