zoonoses and communicable diseases common to ... - PAHO/WHO

358 MYCOSESwith ketoconazole or some other oral antimycotic azole derivative (Yangcoet al., 1984).Entomophthoromycoses due to Basidiobolus haptosporus are characterized bythe formation of granulomas with eosinophilic infiltration in subcutaneous tissues.Generally, the region affected is the buttock or thigh, with hard tumefaction of thesubcutaneous tissue and a clear delimitation from the healthy tissue. The disease isusually benign, but can sometimes be invasive and cause death (Greenham, 1979;Kelly et al., 1980).Entomophthoromycoses due to Conidiobolus coronatus and C. incongruens generallyoriginate in the lower nasal conchae and invade the subcutaneous facial tissuesand paranasal sinuses. Lesions in the pericardium, mediastinum, and the lungshave also been described (CIOMS, 1982).The Disease in Animals: Zygomycosis in animals is usually found duringnecropsy or postmortem inspection in abattoirs. Few cases are confirmed by isolationand identification of the causal agent. Lesions are granulomatous or ulcerative.Zygomycosis in cattle, sheep, and goats usually appears as ulcers of the abomasum.A 10-year study of gastrointestinal mycoses in cattle was conducted in Japan. Of 692cattle autopsied, 45 had systemic mycosis, 38 of them in the gastrointestinal tract.The large majority (94.7%) of stomach infections were due to mucormycoses and thelesions consisted of focal hemorrhagic necroses. Many of the cattle were affected bypredisposing factors for ruminal acidosis, such as ruminal atony (Chihaya et al.,1992). In cattle, lesions can also be found in nasal cavities and bronchial, mesenteric,and mediastinal nodes (Carter and Chengappa, 1991). In some countries, these fungiare an important cause of mycotic abortions. In Great Britain, they account for 32%of abortions caused by fungi, and in New Zealand for 75%.In horses, zygomycosis takes the form of a chronic, localized disease that causesthe formation of cutaneous granulomas on the extremities. A clinical study of 266cases of zygomycosis conducted in tropical Australia found that 18% involvedBasidiobolus haptosporus and 5.3% involved Conidiobolus coronatus.In the disease caused by B. haptosporus (B. ranarum), lesions are found primarilyon the trunk and face. In contrast, lesions due to C. coronatus are located in thenasal region (Miller and Campbell, 1982). Pulmonary infection, disease of the gutturalpouch, systemic infection, and some mycotic abortions have also beendescribed in horses.Zygomycosis in piglets produces a gastric ulceration and appears in adult animalsas a disseminated infection. Gastroenteritis with diarrhea, dehydration, and somedeaths attributed to zygomycosis have been described in suckling pigs (Reed et al.,1987). Disseminated zygomycosis appears as granulomas in the submaxillary, cervical,and mesenteric nodes, and in the abdominopelvic organs. Three herd animalsweighing between 50 and 80 kg were found with very swollen submandibularnodes; systemic dissemination was confirmed postmortem in three of them (Sanfordet al., 1985).An epidemic occurred in 52 sheep farms in Australia, leading to the death of 700sheep within a period of three months. The affected animals had marked, asymmetricalswelling of the face, extending from the nostrils to the eyes. They weredepressed, without appetite, and had marked dyspnea and frequent bloody dischargefrom the nose. The animals would die between 7 and 10 days later. Necropsy con-