02161naa a2200265 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400340006010000200009424501570011426000090027150000640028052012520034465300140159665300200161065300280163065300200165865300190167865300170169770000180171470000200173270000210175270000180177377301040179110596212019-10-17       2019    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 a10.1177/10406387198343302DOI1 aWÜNSCHMANN, A.  aIntrapericardial Encephalitozoon pogonae-associated arteritis with fatal hemopericardium in two juvenile central bearded dragons.h[electronic resource]  c2019  aArticle History: First published online: February 22, 2019.  aAbstract. Two male juvenile central bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) were submitted for postmortem examination after dying at their respective homes. Dragon 1 had marked hemopericardium with restrictive epicarditis. The inner aspect of the distended pericardial sac was lined by a fibrinoheterophilic membrane. In addition, granulomas abutted the testes. Dragon 2 had acute hemopericardium and granulomatous arteritis of the great vessels exiting the heart. Histologically, both animals had granulomatous arteritis of the large arteries with intrahistiocytic gram-positive, slightly elongated, up to 2 ?m long microorganisms that contained a vacuole. These microorganisms were also present in the paratesticular granulomas. On transmission electron microscopy, the microorganisms were identified as microsporidians given the presence of exospore, endospore, vacuole, nucleus, and a filament with 4?6 coils. The microsporidia were identified as Encephalitozoon pogonae based on sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 of the ribosomal RNA genes. Microsporidia are agents of disease in bearded dragons. Intrapericardial arteritis of large arteries with hemopericardium or restrictive epicarditis is a fatal manifestation of this infection.  aARTERITIS  aBEARDED DRAGONS  aENCEPHALITOZOON POGONAE  aHEMOPERICARDIUM  aMICROSPORIDIAN  aSALUD ANIMAL1 aARMIÉN, A.G.1 aCHILDRESS, A.L.1 aWELLEHAN, J.F.X.1 aGIANNITTI, F.  tJournal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation, 2019 Feb 22:1040638719834330. [Epub ahead of print]