Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with widespread skin abscesses from Mycobacterium fortuitum
By Fox, L E et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·1995·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Disseminated subcutaneous Mycobacterium fortuitum infection in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 15-month-old male Doberman Pinscher was brought to the vet because he had multiple painful lumps on his neck, trunk, and legs that appeared two months after a dog bite. Despite trying antibiotics, the lumps didn’t go away, so the vet performed a biopsy and discovered the dog had a rare infection caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum. The dog was treated with doxycycline, and after eight months, the lumps completely resolved. It's possible that the initial treatment of the bite wound and the use of steroids may have contributed to the spread of the infection.
People also search for: dog abscess treatment · Doberman Pinscher skin infection · doxycycline for dog infection · dog bite wound care · Mycobacterium fortuitum in dogs
Abstract
A 15-month-old 27.7-kg sexually intact male Doberman Pinscher was examined because of multiple subcutaneous abscesses on the neck, trunk, and limbs that developed 2 months after a dog bite and were refractory to antibiotic treatment. Incubation of a biopsy specimen at 37 C on a Lowenstein-Jensen agar slant for 8 days yielded growth of a Runyon's Group IV mycobacterium, and disseminated subcutaneous Mycobacterium sp infection was diagnosed. The organism was identified as M fortuitum, and was susceptible to amikacin, doxycycline, cefoxitin, minocycline, trimethoprim/sulfadiazine, and sulfisoxazole. Lesions resolved after 8 months of treatment with doxycycline (5 mg/kg of body weight, PO, q 12 h). The cause of dissemination was unknown; however, delay in debridement of the bite wound and corticosteroid use in initial wound management may have potentiated dissemination.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7744663/