Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Endocarditis from Corynebacterium mustelae infection in a dog
By Harvey, Alexandra et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2021·University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Corynebacterium mustelae Endocarditis in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male neutered Labrador Retriever was brought to the vet with a sudden fever, limping on different legs, and not wanting to eat. Sadly, he developed serious breathing problems and passed away. A thorough examination revealed he had endocarditis, an infection of the heart valve caused by a type of bacteria called Corynebacterium mustelae. This case highlights how challenging it can be to identify certain bacterial infections in dogs, and it shows the importance of advanced testing methods.
People also search for: dog fever and limping · Labrador Retriever heart infection · Corynebacterium mustelae in dogs
Abstract
A 7-year-old male neutered Labrador Retriever dog presented with acute-onset fever, shifting limb lameness and anorexia, with development of acute respiratory distress. At necropsy, there was vegetative endocarditis, which effaced the aortic valve. Gram staining of impression smears from the aortic valve and kidney revealed numerous gram-positive rods with some coryneform bacteria. Similar coryneform bacteria were isolated on aerobic culture of the aortic valve. Identification was attempted by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and 16S sequencing, the latter of which indicated Corynebacterium mustelae. This is the second reported case of endocarditis in a dog involving C. mustelae and the first with a description of post-mortem pathology. This case is an example of the utility of various modalities to identify facultative anaerobic bacterial pathogens that may be difficult to culture and may be more widespread than previously diagnosed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34119236/