besnoitiosis

bes·noi·ti·o·sis (bes-noi″te-oґsis) infection of herbivores with protozoa of the genus Besnoitia, transmitted mechanically by biting flies or by ingestion of oocysts shed in the feces of the cat, the definitive host. The organisms localize in the skin, blood vessels, mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, and subcutaneous and other tissues, where they eventually form characteristic thick-walled cysts. Other symptoms include fever, anasarca, loss of appetite, photophobia, rhinitis, sclerodermatitis, and alopecia of varying severity.