Cytology application in the diagnosis of infectious diseases in domestic animais: Review

Abstract

The diagnostic cytology is extraction of cells from the injured tissue in order to deteITnine the nature of the pathological process involved . More routinely, this technique is used in cancer diagnosis, both in human medicine and in veterinary , however, you can extend the diagnostic boundaiies in infectious diseases in domestic animals, in view of p1ior knowledge of the clinica! and pathological aspects of the diseases, morphotinctorial well as the characteristics of the agents. For success in the diagnosis, it is necessary to know the basic techniques of collection of biological samples to be analyzed, highlighting the fine-needle aspiration (FNA), imprint and swab. The main agents detectable in cytological exainination are bacteiial, although it is a minority that can be identified by this techniq ue; fungal, especially yeast and protozoa order. Early info1mation obtained by cytology ai·e valuable enough to avoid unnecessary surgical procedures when the lesions resemble neoplasms. Although the Pap test is effective in the diagnosis of many infectious diseases, this technique should not replace other diagnostic methods such as histopathology, microbiology and immunohistochemistry.