Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal stomach and intestine infection by Flexispira in a kitten
By Kipar, A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary medicine. B, Infectious diseases and veterinary public health·2001·Institut fü, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Fatal gastrointestinal infection with 'Flexispira rappini'-like organisms in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old male British Blue cat was brought to the vet with severe diarrhea and vomiting, showing signs of a serious gastrointestinal infection. Tests revealed a large number of spiral-shaped bacteria in his stomach and intestines, causing inflammation and damage to the gut lining. Unfortunately, despite the vet's efforts to treat the infection, the cat did not survive. This case highlights the dangers of gastrointestinal infections in young cats and the importance of prompt veterinary care.
People also search for: cat diarrhea treatment · kitten vomiting causes · gastrointestinal infection in cats
Abstract
A 4-month-old male British Blue cat with catarrhal to haemorrhagic enteritis showed massive colonization of the stomach, small intestine and caecum with spiral-shaped bacilli. In the stomach, organisms were located in foveolae and gland lumina and within unaltered and degenerate epithelial cells. Inflammatory infiltration was moderate and T cell dominated. In the intestine, bacilli were found in the gut lumen, berween villi, in crypt lumina and within epithelial cells. Degeneration of crypt epithelial cells as well as crypt dilation and moderate to massive macrophage-dominated infiltration of the mucosa and submucosa were observed. Immunohistochemically, bacilli were positive with an antibody against Helicobacter. Ultrastructurally, the organisms strongly resembled 'Flexispira rappini', a spiral-shaped Helicobacter species known as a normal intestinal colonizer in dogs and mice.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11471846/