Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Signs, MRI results, treatment, and outcome of fungal spine infection
By Samuel Okonji et al.·Published in Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine·2025·Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Veterinarie, Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences Università degli Studi di Bologna Ozzano dell'Emilia Italy, GB·View original on DOAJ →
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Original publication title: Clinical Signs, Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Findings, Treatment, and Outcome of Mycotic Discospondylitis in 11 Dogs
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Eleven dogs, mostly German shepherds, were diagnosed with mycotic discospondylitis, which is an infection causing inflammation in the spine. All the dogs showed signs of pain, and nine had trouble walking. Advanced imaging like MRI revealed multiple affected discs, and fungal infections were confirmed in some cases. Unfortunately, despite treatment with antifungal medications, ten of the dogs did not survive beyond 30 days. This highlights how critical it is to diagnose this condition accurately, even though the prognosis remains poor.
People also search for: dog back pain · mycotic discospondylitis treatment · German shepherd spine infection · dog fungal infection symptoms
Abstract
ABSTRACT Background Discospondylitis refers to inflammation of the intervertebral disc and adjacent vertebral endplates. The literature on mycotic discospondylitis (MD) in dogs is limited. Objective To describe clinical and advanced diagnostic imaging findings, therapeutic strategies, and outcomes in dogs with a confirmed diagnosis of MD. Animals Eleven client‐owned dogs with a diagnosis of MD. Materials and Methods Medical records from five veterinary neurological referral centers were retrospectively reviewed between 2017 and 2024. The confirmed diagnosis of MD was based on clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and the detection of fungal hyphae in urine, intervertebral disc, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Results German shepherd (GS) were the most prevalent breed (7/11). Pain was the main clinical sign reported in all dogs, associated with gait abnormalities in 9 dogs. T3‐L3 neuroanatomical localization was described in 10 dogs. MRI showed multiple intervertebral disc involvement in 7 dogs. Fungal hyphae were identified in urine sediment in 5 dogs and by CT‐guided needle aspiration of the affected disc in 2 dogs. Aspergillus spp. was the most common etiological agent being reported in 7 dogs. Ten dogs were dead at the end of data analysis, with a median survival time of 30 days. Conclusion and Clinical Importance This case series demonstrates the necessity of accurate diagnosis to set an appropriate treatment, despite the poor prognosis after antifungal therapy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.70097