Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fungal lung infection in horses - symptoms and fluconazole treatment
By Secombe, C J et al.Ā·Published in MycopathologiaĀ·2017Ā·College of Veterinary Medicine, AustraliaĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Equine Pulmonary Cryptococcosis: A Comparative Literature Review and Evaluation of Fluconazole Monotherapy.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
In horses, a common fungal infection called Cryptococcus can cause serious lung issues, often showing up as lumps in the lungs. How severe the disease is when the horse is first examined can depend on how much the horse has been used for athletic activities. To diagnose this condition, veterinarians look at the horse's symptoms, analyze samples from the respiratory tract, use imaging techniques, and conduct specific blood tests. There are two main tests to check for the fungus, and it's noted that one type of the fungus is more common in horses than another. Fortunately, this infection can be treated effectively with a medication called fluconazole, and the length of treatment depends on how severe the infection is.
Abstract
Cryptococcus is the most common fungal respiratory pathogen in Australian horses, manifesting primarily as pulmonary granulomas. Disease severity at presentation is dependent on the athletic use of the horse. The diagnosis and estimation of disease severity are centred around clinical findings, cytological evaluation of respiratory tract secretions, diagnostic imaging, and antigen titre testing. Both the lateral flow assay and the latex cryptococcal antigen titre are used, and important similarities and differences between species are discussed. Cryptococcus gattii occurs with greater frequency than Cryptococcus neoformans in equine pulmonic cryptococcosis and can be successfully treated with enteral fluconazole monotherapy, with disease severity determining treatment length.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27655152/