Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Acute kidney infection in cats often caused by resistant E coli
By Whitehouse, William H et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2024·College of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Acute pyelonephritis in cats is frequently caused by Escherichia coli resistant to potentiated penicillins but has a better prognosis than other causes of acute kidney injury.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 32 cats with suspected acute kidney injury were found to have a bacterial infection called acute pyelonephritis, often caused by E. coli that was resistant to a common antibiotic. Older female cats, especially those with chronic kidney disease, were more likely to develop this condition. Treatment with antibiotics that are effective against E. coli, like fluoroquinolones or third-generation cephalosporins, was necessary since amoxicillin-clavulanate was not effective. Fortunately, 14 out of 20 cats followed up three months later were still alive, indicating a better prognosis than previously thought for this condition.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical findings, microbiological data, treatment, and outcome of a population of cats with suspected acute pyelonephritis (APN). ANIMALS: 32 client-owned cats. CLINICAL PRESENTATION AND PROCEDURES: Retrospective case series from 2 veterinary teaching hospitals between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2020. Cats were included if they had a positive bacterial urine culture and a clinical diagnosis of acute kidney injury. RESULTS: Older female cats with underlying chronic kidney disease have a higher probability to develop bacterial culture-positive acute kidney injury or APN. Escherichia coli was the most commonly cultured bacterial species, and E coli isolates with susceptibility testing were resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanate but susceptible to fluoroquinolones or third-generation cephalosporins. Of the 20 cats with available follow-up information in the medical record, 14 were alive at 3 months after hospital discharge. Markers of renal function including creatinine (P = .008), BUN (P = .005), and phosphorus (P < .001) at the time of presentation were all higher in nonsurvivors compared with survivors. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The survival rate with feline APN is higher than previous reports of acute kidney injury when all etiologies are considered. Nonsurvivors had more pronounced azotemia upon initial presentation. Amoxicillin-clavulanate was a poor empirical antimicrobial in this cohort based on the microbiological data.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37972477/