Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with fungal infection causing cerebellum inflammation and damage
By Velázquez-Jiménez, Y et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2019·Departamento de Patologí·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline Phaeohyphomycotic Cerebellitis Caused by Cladosporium cladosporioides-complex: Case Report and Review of Literature.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old neutered male domestic cat was diagnosed with a rare fungal infection in the brain, specifically affecting the cerebellum, which is responsible for coordination and balance. The cat showed signs of neurological issues due to the presence of dark lesions in the brain tissue, which were found to contain pigmented fungal cells. Testing confirmed that the infection was caused by a type of fungus called Cladosporium cladosporioides. This case highlights a unique and serious condition that can affect cats, and it is important for pet owners to be aware of unusual neurological symptoms in their pets.
People also search for: cat brain infection symptoms · cat neurological issues · Cladosporium fungus in cats
Abstract
Cerebellar phaeohyphomycosis was diagnosed in an 8-year-old neutered male domestic cat. Gross lesions were limited to the cerebellum, which had a focally extensive dark brown-black, soft, irregular area affecting the cortex and white matter of the left hemisphere and extending to the reticular formation. Microscopically, multifocal pyogranulomatous meningoencephalitis with intralesional pigmented fungal hyphae effaced the cerebellar grey and white matter. Fungal hyphae were 3-6 μm in diameter, septate and non-dichotomously branched, with parallel, thin and slightly bulbous walls. Polymerase chain reaction for the internal transcribed spacer 1-2 ribosomal RNA genes was performed on tissue samples from formalin-fixed and paraffin wax-embedded sections of cerebellum. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the amplified fragment identified the fungal agent as Cladosporium cladosporioides. This is the first confirmed report of cerebellar phaeohyphomycosis attributable to C. cladosporioides-complex in a domestic cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31375163/