Acute visceral cysticercosis in a Black Bengal goat: A case report of hepatitis cysticercosa and pneumonitis cysticercosa.

Cysticercosis is a parasitic infection caused by Cysticercus, the metacestode (larval stage) of Taenia spp. This case report describes the gross and histopathological findings of acute visceral cysticercosis associated with Cysticercus tenuicollis in a Black Bengal goat with a history of sudden recumbency and death. Striking gross lesions were observed in the liver, which displayed multifocal to coalescing, tortuous hemorrhagic cords of variable length throughout and over the surface, along with a substantial number of wandering immature cysticerci. In the lungs, well-demarcated, dark red, irregular areas of consolidation were observed distributed along the lateral margins of the pulmonary lobes on both sides. The cysts were 5-7 mm in length, containing clear, jelly-like fluid; under the microscope, a large invaginated scolex and a serrated vesicular wall were evident. Histopathology revealed a wide range of hepatic lesions, including cross-sections of vesicular walls of cysticerci within the distended portal veins, and the migratory tracts filled with blood, fibrin, and cellular debris. The zone of inflammatory cells around the cysticerci and their migratory tracts consisted of eosinophils, predominantly along with a few mononuclear cells. Cross sections of cysticerci were also seen in lung sections, exhibiting a similar inflammatory cell infiltrate as seen in the liver. Necropsy, histopathological, and parasitological findings confirmed the diagnosis as parasitic traumatic hepatitis (Hepatitis cysticercosa) and parasitic pneumonia (Pneumonitis cysticercosa), with the cause of death being hypovolemic shock caused by severe blood loss resulting from traumatic hepatitis and acute fibrinous peritonitis.