Fatal non-traumatic gas gangrene caused bytype A in a Siberian Husky dog.

Abstract

An 8-y-old, castrated male Siberian Husky dog was admitted to an emergency clinic with acute collapse and severe swelling of both forelimbs, ventral thorax, and axillary region. The clinical assessment, with laboratory tests and radiologic investigation, confirmed severe subcutaneous emphysema and multi-organ failure. The animal died while receiving emergency treatment. On postmortem examination,was isolated from the subcutaneous fluid and the effusion from the thoracic and abdominal cavities. Relevant histopathology findings included subcutaneous emphysema and multi-organ perivascular and intravascular, intralesional myriad 0.5-3-µm gram-positive rod bacteria, with no associated inflammation. Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis identifiedtype A. Virulence genes detected included(alpha toxin),(v-toxin),(collagenase A),(hyaluronidase),,,(sialidases), and(perfringolysin). These virulence genes have previously been reported to act synergistically with alpha toxin inmediated gas gangrene.