Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Mycobacterial infections in cats in northern California and treatment
By Munro, Matthew J L et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2021·Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Feline mycobacterial disease in northern California: Epidemiology, clinical features, and antimicrobial susceptibility.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Nineteen cats in northern California were diagnosed with mycobacterial infections, which are tough to treat. Four of these cats had a specific type of infection called Mycobacterium avium, while the others had rapid-growing mycobacterial infections. Cats with rapid-growing infections often showed skin problems and had access to the outdoors, and while some of them improved with treatment, three of the Mycobacterium avium cases sadly resulted in death or euthanasia. The study suggests that using a combination of medications may be more effective, and regular follow-ups are important to monitor the infection.
People also search for: cat skin infection treatment · mycobacterial disease in cats · Mycobacterium avium symptoms · cat outdoor access health risks
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mycobacterial infections in cats are challenging to treat and incompletely described. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To describe the features of mycobacterial infections in cats from northern California. ANIMALS: Nineteen cats, all with nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections; 4 with Mycobacterium avium infection, 15 with rapid-growing mycobacterial (RGM) infection. METHODS: Retrospective study. Cases with positive mycobacterial culture, species identification, and susceptibility testing were included. Descriptive statistics were used. Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for comparisons between M avium and RGM infections (P ≤ .05). RESULTS: Rapid-growing mycobacterial cases included Mycobacterium smegmatis (9), Mycobacterium fortuitum (4), Mycobacterium abscessus (1), and Mycobacterium thermoresistibile (1). Mycobacterium avium infections were more likely than RGM infections to be disseminated (3/4 vs 0/15; P = .004). Disease of the skin/subcutis (15/15 vs 0/4; P < .001) and outdoor access (14/15 vs 0/4; P = .001) were primary features of RGM infections. Resistance to fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides was common among M avium isolates. A high prevalence of resistance to third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins was noted in RGM species. Death/euthanasia was noted only in M avium cases (3/4). Twelve of 15 cats with RGM infection had available follow-up; 4 of these cats achieved remission. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: The most prevalent RGM species isolated from cats from northern California are M smegmatis and M fortuitum. Susceptibility to prescribed antimicrobials does not appear to guarantee treatment success. Combination drug treatment is recommended. Repeat culture and susceptibility testing should be performed when disease is persistent/relapsing.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33346952/