Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bacterial cholangitis and cholecystitis in dogs explained
By Tamborini, A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·School of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Bacterial Cholangitis, Cholecystitis, or both in Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 27 dogs with symptoms like jaundice, fever, and abdominal pain were diagnosed with bacterial cholangitis (infection of the bile duct) and cholecystitis (infection of the gallbladder). Many of these dogs had elevated liver enzymes and abnormal ultrasound findings. The most common bacteria found were E. coli and Enterococcus. Some dogs faced serious complications, including bile duct rupture, which led to higher mortality rates. While most dogs that were treated survived for at least two months, some continued to have elevated liver enzymes even after treatment.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bacterial cholangitis and cholecystitis are rarely reported, poorly characterized diseases in the dog. OBJECTIVES: To characterize the clinical features of these conditions. ANIMALS: Twenty-seven client-owned dogs with bacterial cholangitis, cholecystitis, or both. METHODS: Multicenter, retrospective cases series of dogs with bacterial cholangitis, cholecystitis, or both, presenting January 2000 to June 2011 to 4 Veterinary Schools in Ireland/United Kingdom. Interrogation of hospital databases identified all cases with the inclusion criteria; histopathologically confirmed cholangitis or cholecystitis and bile culture/cytology results supporting a bacterial etiology. RESULTS: Twenty-seven dogs met the inclusion criteria with approximately 460 hepatitis cases documented over the same study period. Typical clinical pathology findings were increases in liver enzyme activities (25/26), hyperbilirubinemia (20/26), and an inflammatory leukogram (21/24). Ultrasound findings, although nonspecific, aided decision-making in 25/26 cases. The most frequent hepatobiliary bacterial isolates were Escherichia coli (n = 17; 16 cases), Enterococcus spp. (n = 8; 6 cases), and Clostridium spp. (n = 5; 5 cases). Antimicrobial resistance was an important feature of aerobic isolates; 10/16 E. coli isolates resistant to 3 or more antimicrobial classes. Biliary tract rupture complicated nearly one third of cases, associated with significant mortality (4/8). Discharged dogs had a guarded to fair prognosis; 17/18 alive at 2 months, although 5/10 re-evaluated had persistent liver enzyme elevation 2-12 months later. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Bacterial cholangitis and cholecystitis occur more frequently than suggested by current literature and should be considered in dogs presenting with jaundice and fever, abdominal pain, or an inflammatory leukogram or with ultrasonographic evidence of gallbladder abnormalities.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27203848/