Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with fragile skin and widespread histoplasmosis infection
By Tamulevicus, Amy M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2011·Kansas State University, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Disseminated histoplasmosis accompanied by cutaneous fragility in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old spayed female domestic shorthair cat was brought to the vet after losing weight, not eating, and having diarrhea for two months. The vet noticed that her skin was very fragile, with a large tear on her neck. Tests ruled out common causes of skin fragility, and a necropsy (post-mortem examination) revealed that she had a serious fungal infection called histoplasmosis affecting her skin. This case highlights that fungal infections can lead to skin problems in cats. Unfortunately, the cat did not recover due to the severity of the infection.
People also search for: cat skin problems · cat weight loss and diarrhea · feline histoplasmosis treatment
Abstract
A 4 yr old, spayed female domestic shorthair was referred with a 2 mo history of weight loss, anorexia, and diarrhea. Skin fragility was noted on presentation and a large skin tear measuring 5 cm × 5 cm was obvious over the dorsal cervical region. The patient was previously treated with short-term prednisone that was discontinued 6 wk before presentation. Initial diagnostics (complete blood count and biochemistry) did not indicate an endocrine disorder, the most common cause of acquired feline skin fragility. Necropsy revealed diffuse histoplasmosis (most significantly affecting the skin), epidermal atrophy, dermal collagen separation, and infiltration in the dermis and subcutis by inflammatory cells containing yeast organisms consistent with Histoplasma spp. Infiltrative fungal infection should be considered as a potential cause of acquired feline skin fragility.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21531971/