Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain cryptococcosis improved by fluconazole treatment
By O'Toole, Therese E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2003·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cryptococcosis of the central nervous system in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old female German Shepherd was brought in for worsening confusion and balance issues. The vet diagnosed her with cryptococcosis, a fungal infection affecting the central nervous system, after testing her spinal fluid and blood. She started a long-term treatment with fluconazole, a medication that works well for this type of infection because it reaches high levels in the brain. After several weeks of treatment, the dog showed significant improvement, but ongoing monitoring of her condition was recommended to ensure she continued to recover.
People also search for: dog confusion treatment · German Shepherd balance problems · cryptococcosis in dogs · fluconazole for dog fungal infection
Abstract
A 3-year-old female German Shepherd Dog was evaluated for progressive mental obtundation and vestibular signs. Central nervous system cryptococcosis was diagnosed on the basis of growth of Cryptococcus neoformans in fungal culture of CSF, as well as detection of the organism in CSF via microscopy. Cryptococcal capsular latex antigen agglutination titer was 1:262,144 in CSF and 1:1,048,576 in serum samples. Imaging with magnetic resonance augmented diagnosis. The dog improved after long-term treatment with fluconazole. Fluconazole is useful in the treatment of CNS cryptococcosis, because it attains high concentration in the CNS. Long-term therapy is often required for resolution of clinical signs, and affected animals may require long-term follow-up with periodic evaluation of CSF via fungal culture and latex agglutination tests. Monitoring serum latex agglutination test results may provide a safe, less invasive means of monitoring response to treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12830865/