Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Disseminated candidiasis causing nodules and lameness in a young dog
By Willems, Nicole et al.·Published in Mycopathologia·2017·Department of Clinical Sciences of Companion Animals, Netherlands·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Disseminated Candidiasis in a Young, Previously Healthy, Dog and Review of Literature.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 1.5-year-old female Hovawart was brought to the vet with unusual symptoms including lumps under her skin, excessive thirst, and frequent urination. As her condition worsened, she developed a fever, became lethargic, and started limping. After various tests, including blood work and imaging, the vet discovered a serious fungal infection caused by Candida yeast. Unfortunately, despite the diagnosis, the dog did not survive. This case highlights the potential for serious infections in dogs without any known risk factors.
People also search for: dog lumps under skin · excessive thirst in dogs · Hovawart fungal infection treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The reports on disseminated candidiasis in dogs so far describe at least one predisposing factor. This case report, however, highlights candidiasis in a dog without any known predisposition. PATIENT: A 1.5-year-old intact female Hovawart dog was presented with subcutaneous nodules and polyuria/polydipsia. An excisional biopsy revealed a chronic pyogranulomatous and necrotizing inflammation with mycotic structures. The patient became febrile and lethargic, and developed lameness. METHODS: A physical examination, blood tests, urinalysis, thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasonography of the abdomen, fine-needle aspiration biopsies, and a culture of a subcutaneous nodule aspirate were obtained. Selected sections of multiple organs were collected for routine histology postmortem. The isolate and a subcutaneous mass were subjected to molecular identification and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis. RESULTS: Clinical, laboratory, and radiological findings were consistent with a granulomatous chronic systemic inflammation. Cytology and histology showed a pyogranulomatous and necrotizing inflammation with myriads of intra- and extra-cellular yeasts and extracellular hyphae. Culture yielded numerous yeast colonies, which appeared Candida albicans-like, but showed a negative serum test and a low identification in API 20 C AUX. Nucleic acid sequences showed homology with the C. albicans-type strain CBS 562. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) resulted in a new type with designation DST121. The identification of the isolates was confirmed by MALDI-TOF-MS analysis. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Future MLST typing and investigation of virulence can provide further evidence whether this MLST-type is associated with clinical cases of disseminated candidiasis without an apparent predisposing condition.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27905002/