Retrospective and spatial study of pathological diagnoses of canine and feline cryptococcosis in municipalities in the State of São Paulo

Abstract

Cryptococcosis is a systemic mycosis caused by the genus Cryptococcus that affects humans and animals. The present study aimed to describe the epidemiological and anatomopathological profiles, occurrence, and distribution of the infection by Cryptococcus spp. in 30 dogs and 110 cats residing in the State of São Paulo, from 2014 to 2020. The study evaluated the results from 140 necropsies and histopathology and cytopathology tests provided by Veterinary Pathology services. A higher occurrence of positive diagnosis was observed in females of both cats and dogs, adults, and mixed breeds of both species. The main diagnostic method used was histopathology, with a predominance of integumentary lesions in dogs and cats (skin pattern), with no significant difference between species and lesion location (p≤ 0.827). The time-spatial distribution showed a significant increase in the diagnoses in dogs and cats over the seven years, the identification of areas with a higher rate of diagnosis of cryptococcosis such as Campinas and São José do Rio Preto, and the positive correlation of a diagnosis with climatic data. Retrospective studies of anatomopathological data help to identify suspected cases of cryptococcosis and demonstrate the importance of monitoring and surveillance of cryptococcosis.