Toxoplasosis in a Cat

History: 5-year-old intact male cat, showing pyrexia, weight loss, vomiting, anorexia, and low white blood cell count. Exploratory surgery showed a 4 x 2 cm mediastinal lymph node, liver had a nutmeg appearance, and the pancreas was red.

Cytological description (liver): The smears contain several large clusters of well preserved hepatocytes. These show mild vacuolar degeneration and mild to moderate intracellular accumulation of bile pigments. There is mild to moderate infiltration by neutrophils in good morphological condition with occasional small lymphocytes and plasma cells. Scattered aggregates and isolated small crescent bodies with paracentral nuclei are scattered throughout the smears. Their morphology is compatible with Toxoplasma organism.

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