Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with red skin sores and blood infection from Erysipelothrix
By Foster, Jonathan D et al.·Published in Veterinary dermatology·2012·Department of Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A case of apparent canine erysipeloid associated with Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae bacteraemia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female spayed Labrador retriever was brought to the vet because she was lethargic, not eating, and had red, irritated skin. Just four days earlier, she had chewed on a raw turkey carcass. Blood tests revealed an infection caused by a bacteria called Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. The vet treated her with amoxicillin, an antibiotic, for two weeks and stopped her other medication, which helped her recover completely, with her fever and skin issues resolving.
People also search for: dog red skin lesions · Labrador lethargy and not eating · Erysipelothrix infection treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is a Gram-positive facultative anaerobe found worldwide and is most commonly associated with skin disease in swine, while anecdotal reports of cases in dogs have been associated with endocarditis. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: Clinicians should consider systemic infectious diseases as a potential cause of erythematous skin lesions. ANIMALS: A 5-year-old female spayed Labrador retriever presented with lethargy, anorexia and erythematous skin lesions while receiving immunosuppressive therapy for immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia. Four days prior to presentation, the dog had chewed on a raw turkey carcase. METHODS: Complete blood count, serum chemistry profile, urinalysis and blood cultures. RESULTS: Blood cultures yielded a pure growth of E. rhusiopathiae serotype 1b. Amoxicillin 22 mg/kg orally twice daily for 2 weeks and discontinuation of azathioprine resulted in remission of fever and skin lesions. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: This report is the first documentation, to the best of the authors' knowledge, of Erysipelothrix infection, a known zoonosis, in an immunosuppressed dog, highlighting the need for infectious disease monitoring in patients receiving such therapy. This information may also help educate veterinarians to include Erysipelothrix infection as a differential diagnosis in dogs with fever and skin lesions, as well as the role of blood cultures in diagnosing this disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23140319/