Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bacteremia on blood smear in emergency pets and survival chances
By Summer Scout Ford et al.·Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science·2025·Department of Emergency and Critical Care, Angell Animal Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States, CH·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Bacteremia detected on peripheral blood smear in small animal patients presenting to the Emergency Department and its association with prognosis to discharge
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 16 pets, including cats, were brought to the emergency department with a serious condition called bacteremia, which means bacteria were found in their blood. Unfortunately, 75% of these animals did not survive their hospital stay. The study found that high blood sugar levels were linked to a better chance of survival, but all the pets that did recover were cats. This highlights the severity of bacteremia in small animals and suggests that more research is needed to understand its impact and treatment options.
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Abstract
ObjectiveDetection of bacteremia on peripheral blood smear (PBS) is rare and may be a poor prognostic indicator for small animal patients. This study aimed to determine the relationship between bacteremia on PBS and survival to discharge in clinically ill patients presenting through the Emergency Department (ED).MethodsThis retrospective study analyzed data from two veterinary tertiary care facilities from 2014 to 2024. Records from 16 client-owned animals presenting to the ED with PBS-detected bacteremia were reviewed. The primary outcome was survival to discharge. Secondary outcomes evaluated associations between survival in these patients with glucose level, leukocyte count, toxic change, band neutrophils, total bilirubin, blood pressure, and antibiotic use. Statistical comparisons between categorical data were made using Fisher’s exact test. A p-value of <0.05 was considered significant.ResultsIn-hospital mortality of the 16 patients was 75% (12/16). Hyperglycemia was positively associated with survival (p = 0.0099). All survivors were cats. No other parameters showed statistical significance between survivors and non-survivors.ConclusionPBS-detected bacteremia in clinically ill small animals was associated with a high in-hospital mortality in this study. Further investigation is warranted to better understand its clinical relevance and potential diagnostic utility.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1550732