Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with mitral valve infection from Bartonella and resistant
By Antonella Colella et al.·Published in Veterinary Record Case Reports·2023·View original on Semantic Scholar →
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Original publication title: Bartonella henselae mitral valve endocarditis associated with multi‐resistant Enterococcus faecalis bacteraemia in a cat
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old cat was diagnosed with a serious heart infection called endocarditis caused by the bacteria Bartonella henselae, along with a dangerous strain of bacteria known as Enterococcus faecalis in the bloodstream. This condition can be hard to detect early and often has a poor outlook. The cat had been on long-term corticosteroid treatment, which may have contributed to the development of this infection. Echocardiography, a type of heart ultrasound, was used to identify the heart lesions associated with the endocarditis. Unfortunately, the prognosis for recovery in such cases is generally not good.
People also search for: cat heart infection symptoms · Bartonella henselae in cats · cat endocarditis treatment · Enterococcus faecalis in cats · long-term corticosteroid effects in cats
Abstract
Feline infective endocarditis is a difficult condition to detect and diagnose early, with a poor long‐term prognosis. This case report describes the clinical, laboratory, instrumental and histological findings in a 12‐year‐old cat with Bartonella henselae endocarditis associated with multi‐resistant Enterococcus faecalis bacteraemia. The latter pathogen recently emerged as deadly nosocomial bacteria in humans and is considered a common cause of infective endocarditis. The prolonged corticosteroid therapy administered in the cat probably played a role in the onset of B. henselae endocarditis and E. faecalis intestinal translocation and bacteraemia. Echocardiography remains the tool of choice to suspect infective endocarditis, as it can detect vegetative lesions consistent with this condition. Feline infective endocarditis should always be considered as a differential diagnosis in cats, especially when there are signs of systemic disease, a history of prolonged corticosteroid treatment or concomitant infections.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/09183f2c6b38f980bb10479fdf969a3b95db52dc