Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with fungal heart infection linked to systemic aspergillosis
By Drake, L Kay·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Veterinary Specialty Hospital - North County, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case report: Clinical fungal endocarditis as a component of presumptive systemic aspergillosis infection in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old mixed breed dog was brought in for severe kidney issues, a new heart murmur, loss of appetite, and tiredness. Tests showed significant kidney damage and an abnormal growth on the heart valve, indicating a serious infection. The dog tested positive for a fungal infection called aspergillosis. Despite aggressive treatment, her condition worsened, and she had trouble breathing, which only improved temporarily with medication. Sadly, the dog was euthanized, and further examination confirmed the fungal infection in her heart.
People also search for: dog kidney problems · heart murmur in dogs · aspergillosis treatment in dogs
Abstract
A 2-year-old 26-kilogram female spayed mixed breed dog presented for acute azotemia, a new heart murmur, anorexia, and lethargy. Further workup revealed marked azotemia with bilateral renal changes on abdominal ultrasound. An echocardiogram detected vegetative lesion on the mitral valve, consistent with infective endocarditis. The patient tested positive for the galactomannan antigen (Aspergillus EIA Galactomannan Test by MiraVista) leading to a presumptive diagnosis of systemic aspergillosis. Despite aggressive treatment, the patient continued to deteriorate and developed signs of dyspnea which temporarily improved with furosemide therapy (VetOne; Boise, ID). After humane euthanasia, postmortem evaluation confirmed fungal endocarditis. This is the first published case of clinical endocarditis in a dog suspected to be from aspergillosis based on both antemortem diagnostics and postmortem pathology. Thus, this case serves to further our understanding of systemic aspergillosis manifestations which in turn can aid in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40104544/