Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Viral and bacterial causes of pneumonia in dogs by age group
By Wöhrer, Daniela et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Hungarica·2016·Institute of Pathology and Forensic Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Age-related presence of selected viral and bacterial pathogens in paraffin-embedded lung samples of dogs with pneumonia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs diagnosed with pneumonia had their lung tissue tested for various viruses and bacteria to understand what might be causing their illness. The study found that nearly half of the samples contained at least one infectious agent, with some dogs showing multiple pathogens. Canine distemper virus was mostly found in puppies under one year old, while bacteria like Bordetella and Pasteurella were common in both very young and older dogs. This research helps veterinarians identify the specific pathogens involved in pneumonia cases, which can guide treatment decisions.
People also search for: dog pneumonia symptoms · puppy distemper virus treatment · Bordetella infection in dogs
Abstract
The aim of this retrospective study was to detect selected pathogens in pneumonic lung tissue of dogs of different age groups by immunohistochemistry (IHC), in situ hybridisation (ISH) or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in order to get information about their involvement in pneumonia formation. In archived formalin-fixed and paraffin wax-embedded lung samples from 68 cases with the clinical and histologic diagnosis of pneumonia the histological pattern of pneumonia was re-evaluated and the samples were further investigated for the following infectious agents: canine distemper virus (CDV), canine adenovirus type 2 (CAV-2), canine respiratory coronavirus (CRCoV), Bordetella (B.) bronchiseptica, Pasteurella (P.) multocida, Mycoplasma spp., and Pneumocystis spp. In 47.1% of the samples at least one of the featured respiratory pathogens was detected. In 31.3% of these positive samples more than one pathogen could be found. The correct detection of CDV had been achieved in ten out of eleven positive cases (90.9%) upon initial investigation, but the presence of bacterial pathogens, like B. bronchiseptica (10 cases) and P. multocida (17 cases) had been missed in all but one case. While CDV and CRCoV infections were exclusively found in dogs younger than one year, the vast majority of infections with P. multocida and B. bronchiseptica were both common either in dogs younger than 4 months or older than one year. Thus, this retrospective approach yielded valuable data on the presence, absence and prevalence of certain respiratory pathogens in dogs with pneumonia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26919147/