Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Survival in cats with acute cytauxzoonosis treated with atovaquone
By Cohn, L A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2011·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Efficacy of atovaquone and azithromycin or imidocarb dipropionate in cats with acute cytauxzoonosis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old cat with a severe infection from Cytauxzoon felis was treated at a veterinary clinic after showing signs of illness. The cat received either a combination of atovaquone and azithromycin or imidocarb, along with supportive care like fluids and heparin. The results showed that 60% of cats treated with the combination of atovaquone and azithromycin survived, compared to only 26% of those treated with imidocarb. This suggests that the combination treatment may be more effective for improving survival in cats with this serious infection.
People also search for: cat Cytauxzoon felis treatment · cat infection survival rate · atovaquone azithromycin for cats
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Imidocarb or a combination of atovaquone and azithromycin (A&A) has been suggested for treatment of cats with cytauxzoonosis, but neither has been prospectively evaluated for efficacy. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: That survival to hospital discharge is improved by treatment with A&A as compared with imidocarb. ANIMALS: Eighty acutely ill cats with Cytauxzoon felis infection treated at one of 18 veterinary clinics in 5 states. METHODS: An open-label, randomized prospective study compared survival in cats treated with atovaquone (15 mg/kg p.o. q8h) and azithromycin (10 mg/kg p.o. q24h) or imidocarb (3.5 mg/kg i.m.). All received heparin, fluids, and supportive care. Clinical and clinicopathologic data from initial presentation were collated. Parasitemia was quantified (n = 79) and pathogens genotyped (n = 60). Logistic regression was used to determine the impact of treatment group on the primary endpoint, survival to hospital discharge or death. Covariants were analyzed by rank-sum testing. RESULTS: Of 53 cats treated with A&A, 32 (60%) survived to discharge while only 7 of 27 cats (26%) treated with imidocarb survived (P = .0036; odds ratio 7.2, 95% CI 2.2, 24). Cats with a lower parasitemia were more likely to survive, as were cats with higher white blood cell counts and lower total bilirubin. Unique pathogen genotypes were identified from 15 cats, while genotype isolated from 21 cats had been described previously. There were multiple pathogen genotypes identified in 24 cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Survival to discharge was more likely in cats treated with A&A as compared with imidocarb, although case fatality rate remained high.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21143646/