Cytologic diagnosis of disseminated histoplasmosis in the wall of the urinary bladder of a cat.

Abstract

A 10 yr old domestic longhair presented with a 2.5 mo history of recurrent hematuria. Abdominal ultrasound examination demonstrated a thickened urinary bladder, abdominal lymphadenopathy, and a thickened and rounded spleen. Cytologic examination of fine-needle aspirate samples revealed Histoplasma capsulatum organisms in the urinary bladder wall and spleen. The cat was treated with itraconazole (10 mg/kg per os q 24 hr for 2.5 wk). The cat was euthanized after 19 days of treatment because of lack of improvement. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first documented case of feline disseminated histoplasmosis diagnosed in the urinary bladder wall.