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Severe eosinophilic dermatitis in Jersey cows infested with Leptotrombidium spp (Acari: Trombiculidae)
Cadiergues, M.C.; Moulin, J.P...
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Objectives: In cattle, the lesions of eosinophilic dermatitis are attributed to different causes, but mainly to scabies and insect bites (stable flies, horn flies, tabanids, ...). Harvest mites, also known as chigger mites, are rarely implicated and this work reports cases observed in Jersey cows. This study describes the clinical and histopathological lesions of several Jersey cows in an organic farming dairy herd in south-west France, that developed a severe outbreak of pruritic dermatitis mid-October suspected to be induced by Trombiculidae.
Material and methods: The herd consisted of 28 cows, including Jersey (21), Bretonne pie noir (3) and crossed Abondance-Montbéliarde (4) breeds. Lactating cows (17) had permanent grazing access except for indoor milking times since June. In addition, they received hay, concentrate and a vitamin/trace mineral supplement. Five 2-year-old and six 1-year-old heifers had been permanently kept in two different meadows, with no contact between them or with adults, since the beginning of the summer. Licking buckets of vitamin/trace mineral supplement were available. No antiparasitic treatment had been administered during the last five months.
Impression smears, multiple skin scrapes, swabs for bacterial culture and skin samples for histopathology were collected from the most affected individuals. Blood samples were taken and haematological parameters, activity of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and plasma concentrations of inorganic iodine, zinc, copper, vitamins A and E were determined. Jersey heifers were serologically examined for antibodies against Besnoitia besnoiti.
Results: Physical examination revealed no abnormalities other than dermatological. Pruritus was moderate to severe. Severe and extensive lesions of alopecia, lichenification and crusting were observed on the jaws, dewlap, face and distal limbs. Crusts overlying yellowish oozing material were present on the perineum and above the udder. Only Jersey cows were affected (10/13 lactating cows and 3/3 2-years-old heifers) with varying degrees of lesions severity. Lesions were more intense in 2-years-old Jersey heifers compared to the adults. The other group of heifers remained unaffected.
Differential diagnoses were parasitic skin disease (psoroptic or chorioptic mange, besnoitiosis, trombidiosis), zinc deficiency, superficial bacterial infection (staphylococcal pyoderma, dermatophilosis).
Cytologic examination of direct skin smears revealed very high numbers of eosinophils but no micro-organisms. Microscopic examination of skin scrapes showed numerous specimens of small-sized Trombiculidae larvae (150 μm x 250 μm) identified as Leptotrombidium spp and no other ectoparasite [1, 2]. Histopathological examination of skin biopsy specimens revealed severe hyperplastic, superficial and deep perivascular, and oedematous eosinophilic dermatitis. Bacterial culture yielded Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Pantoea agglomerans, gram negative facultative anaerobic strains, considered as contaminants from the soil. Jersey heifers were seronegative for besnoitiosis. Complete blood counts revealed mild to moderate eosinophilia (0.6-1.3Ʌ109/L, reference interval 0.1-1.2Ʌ109/L). GSH-Px activity and plasma concentration of inorganic iodine, zinc, copper, vitamins A and E were in normal range. Final clinicopathological diagnosis was eosinophilic dermatitis likely due to Trombiculidae bites. No treatment was administered. Lesions had completely self-resolved by the end of December in the absence of any specific or concurrent treatment or major modification of the feeding or husbandry conditions. Further complete blood counts and skin scrapes revealed a 20 % reduction of eosinophils and no presence of parasite.
Conclusions: This case report emphasizes the need to include harvest mites in the differential diagnosis of bovine pruritic dermatoses. Around 3000 nominal species of Trombiculidae are known worldwide. Only a few have been identified on cattle [3]. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of Leptotrombidium sp. in cattle in Europe. A concurrent contributing role of biting flies cannot be excluded. Finding lesions only in Jersey cows remained unexplained, but could be hypothetically consistent with individual genetic susceptibility to develop hypersensitivity reactions [4], or with numerous predisposing breed factors (feeding habits, skin characteristics...).
Keywords: Jersey cows, eosinophilic, skin, Leptotrombidium, Trombiculidae.
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Affiliation of the authors at the time of publication
Small Animal Clinic, Université de Toulouse, ENVT - UDEAR, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, ENVT, Toulouse, France;
Clinique vétérinaire, Saint-Céré, France;
Large Animal Clinic, Université de Toulouse, ENVT, Toulouse, France;
Université de Toulouse, ENVT, Toulouse, France;
Large Animal Clinic, Université de Toulouse, ENVT - IHAP, Université de Toulouse, INRA, ENVT, Toulouse, France.
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