Pythiosis in cats in northeastern Brazil

The epidemiological, clinical and anatomopathological aspects of pythiosis in cats in northeastern Brazil are described. From January 2000 to December 2018 the Laboratory of Animal Pathology of the Federal University of Campina Grande received 1928 tissue samples of cats, three of which were diagnosed as pythiosis. Grossly, the cats showed a multinodular mass in the oral cavity associated with facial deformity (case 1), a large multinodular mass thickening the jejunum wall (case 2), and an ulcerated nodule in the skin at the base of the tail (case 3). Histologically, pyogranulomatous inflammation and necrosis, with intralesional predominantly negatively stained hyphae, were observed in all cases. Immunohistochemistry for Pythium insidiosum revealed strong immunolabelling of the hyphae. The diagnosis of pythiosis was based on the epidemiological, clinical and anatomopathological findings, and was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Although uncommon in cats, pythiosis should be readily considered as a differential diagnosis of chronic pyogranulomatous infections of the gastrointestinal tract and skin, especially in endemic areas, where the disease is often diagnosed in other animal species.