Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Disseminated fungal infection by Westerdykella in German Shepherd dog
By Armentano, Robert A et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2013·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Disseminated mycotic infection caused by Westerdykella species in a German Shepherd dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old neutered male German Shepherd was brought in due to ongoing kidney issues that weren't improving with standard treatment. Tests showed signs of a fungal infection caused by a rare mold called Westerdykella. The dog was treated with various antifungal medications, including itraconazole and posaconazole, but his condition continued to worsen, leading to additional health problems. Unfortunately, after five months of treatment, the dog was euthanized due to a decline in health and persistent kidney failure.
People also search for: German Shepherd kidney disease · dog fungal infection treatment · chronic azotemia in dogs
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: A 5-year-old 34.3-kg (75.5-lb) neutered male German Shepherd Dog was evaluated because of chronic azotemia that was unresponsive to typical medical management. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Urinalysis revealed pyuria and fungal hyphae. Fungal culture of a urine sample grew a sterile mold that was identified as Westerdykella spp via PCR assay. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME-: he dog was treated empirically with itraconazole orally and amphotericin B IV for 5 weeks. Because of progressive azotemia, treatment was modified to oral administration of posaconazole. The dog improved but then developed progressive azotemia, hyperphosphatemia, and suspected diskospondylitis. Treatment was again modified to oral administration of terbinafine on the basis of results of antifungal susceptibility testing. The dog was euthanized after 5 months of antifungal treatment because of a deteriorating clinical condition and progressive azotemia. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Westerdykella spp are filamentous hyphal organisms from the family Sporomiaceae and had not previously been reported to cause infections in dogs. Fungal PCR assay and antifungal susceptibility testing may be useful for a patient with a suspected fungal infection that does not respond to empirical treatment or when traditional culture methods for fungal identification are unsuccessful. Westerdykella spp should be considered as a possible etiologic agent when systemic mycosis is diagnosed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23327182/