Histopathological study of splenitis in cattle induced by traumatic foreign body penetration

Aim: A detailed post mortem examination was conducted on the animal to know the cause of the death. Materials and Methods: Detailed post-mortem examination was carried out. The Impression smears from the affected organs was taken and subjected to Gram's staining technique for preliminary identification of the micro-organism. The suspected tissues were processed for histological investigation by formalin fixation and paraffin embedding technique as explained by Luna Results: Hardware diseases in cattle are a common feature in developing countries where organized farming is still not an adopted practice of management. During post mortem examination, a case of foreign body penetration induced splenitis was encountered. A large irregular abscess cavity was found with greenish liquefactive material found wherever the foreign body had penetrated. Multiple focal abscesses were found in the parenchyma along with congestion and edema. The histopathological investigation revealed inflammation with neutrophilic liquefactive debris, mild fibrosis, vascular sclerosis, focal lymphocytolysis and numerous chains of regular sized bacilli in the parenchyma, determined to be Bacillus spp. Trauma due to foreign body is rare in spleen due to its anatomical location. Conclusion: Foreign body penetration induced splenitis was encountered. The histopathological investigation revealed inflammation with neutrophilic liquefactive debris, mild fibrosis, vascular sclerosis, focal lymphocytolysis and numerous chains of regular sized bacilli in the parenchyma, determined to be Bacillus spp.


Introduction
aged 8 years and had a previous history of mastitis, due to which its productivity was reduced.As there was no Indiscriminate feeding practices have been the productivity from the animal, it was left to graze at major factors causing foreign body traumatic pathorandom in the vicinity without supervision.logical manifestations which have proven often fatal A detailed post mortem examination of a cattle was among cattle.It is still a common practice in rural/ conducted to know the cause of the death.semi-urban areas to allow the cattle to graze randomly on food leftovers etc., in the garbage dumps.Hence, Materials and methods the incidence of hardware diseases is commonly The animal was subjected to a detailed post mortem encountered.These affections can also be termed as Foreign examination and the organs showing macroscopic body syndromes in modern veterinary terminology.
lesions were systematically recorded.The affected

Case History
organs showing lesions were collected for histopathological examination.Impression smears from One such case was brought to the Dept of the affected organ was taken and subjected to Gram's Pathology, Veterinary College, Shimoga., for post staining technique for preliminary identification of the mortem examination.The animal had died exhibiting micro-organism.The suspected tissues were processed clinical signs of pyrexia, hurried respiration, dishing for histological investigation by formalin fixation and gait, tense abdomen, anorexia and dullness.It was effect, a small tract of indurated healed wound of 0.5-1 cm size was found on the serosal surfaces of the

Results and Discussion
reticulum and the rumen.Retention of the broken iron The spleen was enlarged and had a thickened wire within the splenic parenchyma was responsible capsule on the ventro-lateral surface adjacent to the for initiation of a suppurative reaction in the organ.rumen.The foreign body had already penetrated and The lesion suggests a chronic yet persistent irritation was embedded inside the parenchyma of the spleen.expended by the foreign body causing multifocal abscess Upon removal, a small wound was noticed which was cavitations spread out in the Splenic parenchyma.indurated.Surrounding the wound lips, a wide area It is recorded that Splenic abscesses may be miliary was also thickened and fibrotic.The reticulum at the or large and focal, but both types being uncommon [2].rumeno-reticular junction, showed similar indurated In one of the studies in horses having perforation of wound, partially healed.Upon incision at the site of gastro-intestinal tract by metallic wires, the wires were the wound, the spleen showed a thick greenish-creamy found contained within an abscess with multiple suppurative foci of lesion (Fig- 1).Few areas were adhesions with liver, spleen and mesentery, and a few found containing semi-solid greenish-creamy pus were encapsulated with adhesions in the small forming small abscess cavities.
intestines [3].It can be deduced that foreign body The path of entry of the foreign body was traced penetration is most likely to cause abscessation.by carefully following the embedded wire.The piece The impression smear from the edge of the of iron was approximately 5-6 cm long and 2-3 mm abscess cavity, stained with Gram's stain showed thick and had a jagged but sharp edge at the point of numerous G+ve bacilli, a few G+ve cocci and few penetration.The iron piece was lodged in the yeasts.It is stated that inflammatory or gangrenous parenchyma, along the course of which there was an conditions elicited by traumatic foreign bodies is usually encapsulated zone of inflammatory reaction.At the caused by Corynebacterium spp, and Fusobacterium point of the lodgement of the tip of the iron piece, there necrophorum respectively [4].In the abscess smear, was an irregular cavity of approximately 4-5 cm the bacteria showed pleomorphy, straight or slightly diameter filled with greenish-creamy suppurative bent rods, sometimes joined at an angle resembling exudate (Fig- 2).Several greenish yellow various sized Chinese letters, sometimes stout or dumb-bell shaped focal lesions were evident discharging purulent and some organisms were long rods of irregular size.material from the cut surface.
These morphology closely resemble the features of The introduction of the iron piece into the spleen Bacillus spp.like the Corynebacterium (Arcanobacterium) had occurred from the reticulum, which is usually rare.[5] and Clostridium spp.[2] has recorded that Due to peristaltic movements/contraction, the iron abscessation in spleen can be due to various organisms piece had either broken or was dislodged from the including Arcanobacterium pyogenes, but some reticulum tracing its path towards the spleen.To this commonly localize preferentially in the spleen and : Balasundara KR, Shekya GN, Ananda KJ (2012) Histo-Pathological study of Splenitis in cattle induced by Traumatic Foreign body penetration, Vet World 5(6): 373-375, doi: 10.5455/vetworld.2012.373-375paraffin embedding technique as explained by Luna [1].

Fig 1 .
Fig 1. Ventro-lateral surface of the spleen showing a lodged iron wire and multifocal abscesses surrounded by green necrotic areas in the parenchyma of the spleen dissected through the point of entry of the foreign body.Also note the focal induration of the wound lips with extensive fibrosis of the lip surface.

Fig 2 .
Fig 2. The suppuration tract in the splenic parenchyma traced from the point of entry of the iron wire.The tip of the wire is lodged in the parenchyma showing abscess cavitation with thick fibrotic reaction.Note the semi-solid dull greenish-creamy pus in the abscess.