Aspergillus Section Fumigati Pneumonia and Oxalate Nephrosis in a Foal

Hattab, Jasmine; Vulcano, Antonella; D’Arezzo, Silvia; Verni, Fabiana; Tiscar, Pietro Giorgio; Lanteri, Giovanni; Gjurcevic, Emil; Tosi, Umberto; Marruchella, Giuseppe

Equine pulmonary aspergillosis is a rare deep mycosis often due to the hematogenous spread of hyphae after gastrointestinal tract disease. We describe herein the main clinic-pathological findings observed in a foal, which spontaneously died after showing diarrhea and respiratory distress. Necropsy and histopathological investigations allowed to diagnose pulmonary aspergillosis, which likely developed after necrotic typhlitis-colitis. Biomolecular studies identified Aspergillus section Fumigati strain as the causative agent. Notably, severe oxalate nephrosis was concurrently observed. Occasionally, oxalate nephropathy can be a sequela of pulmonary aspergillosis in humans. The present case report suggests that the renal precipitation of oxalates can occur also in horses affected by pulmonary aspergillosis and could likely contribute to the fatal outcome of the disease.