Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Abdominal aortic aneurysm linked to fungal infection in German
By Gershenson, Ryan T et al.Ā·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital AssociationĀ·2011Ā·Angell Animal Medical Center Department of Emergency and Critical Care, United StatesĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with systemic fungal infection in a German shepherd dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old spayed female German shepherd was brought to the vet because she suddenly couldn't walk and was losing weight. She had a fever and showed signs of muscle wasting. An ultrasound revealed a 4 cm dilation in her aorta, indicating an aortic aneurysm. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized shortly after her examination, and a post-mortem found fungal infections throughout her body, including in the aneurysm. This case is notable as it's the first reported instance of a fungal infection causing an aortic aneurysm in a dog.
People also search for: German shepherd sudden weight loss Ā· dog aortic aneurysm symptoms Ā· fungal infection in dogs
Abstract
A 2 yr old spayed female German shepherd presented with a chief complaint of acute onset paraparesis and weight loss. At presentation, the dog was pyrexic, nonambulatory, and had generalized muscle wasting. Neurolocalization was consistent with a thoracolumbar spinal cord lesion. An abdominal ultrasound was performed and revealed a focal dilation (4 cm) of the terminal aorta with evidence of blood stasis consistent with an aortic aneurysm. The dog was euthanized shortly after admission to the hospital and a post mortem examination was performed. Fungal organisms were identified in the aortic aneurysm as well as from the thoracic vertebrae, mesenteric lymph nodes, axillary lymph nodes, spleen, kidneys, liver, lungs, and heart. Although the morphology was consistent with Candida spp., immunohistochemistry and PCR could not definitively identify the causative organism. Mycotic aortic aneurysms are a rare finding in humans and have not been previously reported in the dog. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first known report of an aortic aneurysm associated with systemic fungal infection in a dog.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21164161/