Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cats with gallbladder infection and jaundice treated with antibiotics
By Brain, Philip H et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2006·Allambie Veterinary Clinic, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline cholecystitis and acute neutrophilic cholangitis: clinical findings, bacterial isolates and response to treatment in six cases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old cat was brought in for lethargy and not eating for several days. During the exam, the vet found the cat had a fever, jaundice, and pain in the abdomen. Tests revealed the cat had cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) and bacteria in the bile, including E. coli and Salmonella. The cat was treated with antibiotics, and five out of six cats in the study responded well to treatment, but one cat with a serious intestinal condition had to be euthanized.
People also search for: cat not eating lethargy · cat gallbladder infection treatment · why is my cat jaundiced
Abstract
Clinicopathological findings from six cats with confirmed cholecystitis or acute neutrophilic cholangitis are presented. Historical findings included lethargy and anorexia or inappetence of up to five days duration. On physical examination all cats were pyrexic and four out of six were jaundiced and had cranial abdominal pain. Bile samples were obtained by cholecystocentesis at exploratory coeliotomy (two cases) or by percutaneous, ultrasound-guided cholecystocentesis (four cases). Gall bladder rupture and bile peritonitis occurred subsequent to ultrasound-guided cholecystocentesis in one case. The most common bacterial isolate was Escherichia coli (four cases); E coli was isolated alone in two cases, in combination with a Streptococcus species (one case) and in combination with a Clostridium species (one case). Streptococcus species alone was isolated from one case, as was Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. The latter is the first reported case of Salmonella-associated cholecystitis in a cat. Concurrent pancreatic or intestinal disease was detected histologically in three cases. All cases were treated with antimicrobials based on in vitro susceptibility results. Treatment was successful in five cases. One cat with concurrent diffuse epitheliotropic intestinal lymphoma was euthanased. Percutaneous ultrasound-guided cholecystocentesis is an effective, minimally-invasive technique enabling identification of bacterial isolates in cats with inflammatory hepatobiliary disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16278090/