Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How nasal sample method affects culture results in cats
By Johnson, Lynelle R & Kass, Philip H·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2009·Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Effect of sample collection methodology on nasal culture results in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study involving 44 cats with chronic nasal issues found that taking a nasal flush sample was more effective than a tissue biopsy for identifying bacteria. The nasal flush resulted in more positive culture results, which helps vets choose the right antibiotics and reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance. However, Mycoplasma bacteria were sometimes only found in one type of sample or the other, so if a nasal flush doesn't show Mycoplasma, it doesn't necessarily mean it's not there. Overall, using a nasal flush can be a good option for diagnosing bacterial infections in cats with nasal problems.
Abstract
Empiric antibiotic therapy is often employed to treat feline chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), however, collection of samples for culture should result in improved antibiotic selection and development of less antibacterial resistance. This study evaluated the effect of sampling method on culture results in 44 cats and found that aerobic and anaerobic cultures were positive significantly more often from nasal flush samples than from tissue biopsy samples. Frequency of positive Mycoplasma species culture did not differ between the two sampling methodologies, although results were discordant in eight sample pairs. Mycoplasma species were cultured from flush samples only in three cats and from biopsy samples only in five cats. These results suggest that a nasal flush sample is adequate for determining the presence of bacterial organisms in feline nasal disease, however, failure to culture Mycoplasma species from a nasal flush must be interpreted with caution.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19201636/