Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Immunotherapy used to treat skin pythiosis in a Labrador Retriever
By Hensel, Patrick et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2003·Department of Small Animal Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Immunotherapy for treatment of multicentric cutaneous pythiosis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old Labrador Retriever was brought to the vet for two painful, ulcerated lumps on its legs. After testing, it was found that the dog had a skin infection caused by a fungus called Pythium insidiosum, which is often linked to exposure to water. Instead of surgery or long-term antifungal medication, the vet used a special vaccine designed to treat this infection. After just two doses of the vaccine, the dog's lesions healed significantly, and a year later, tests showed no signs of the infection returning.
People also search for: dog skin infection treatment · Pythium insidiosum vaccine for dogs · Labrador Retriever skin lesions
Abstract
A 4-year-old Labrador Retriever was referred for evaluation of 2 ulcerative nodular cutaneous lesions. One lesion was located on the medial aspect of the right carpus; the other was located on the medial aspect of the left tarsus. The dog had spent its entire life in the southeastern part of the United States and approximately half of its time outdoors with free access to a nearby lake. Histologic examination of full-thickness wedge biopsy specimens from both lesions revealed severe, multifocal, puruloeosinophilic to pyogranulomatous deep dermatitis with intralesional filamentous structures, fibroplasia, and neovascularization. Examination of sections stained with Gomori methenamine silver stain revealed a moderate number of wide, bulbous, irregularly septate, branching hyphae. Results of an immunodiffusion test and an ELISA for anti-Pythium insidiosum antibodies were positive. Amputation was eliminated as a treatment option because lesions involved 2 limbs. Long-term systemic antifungal treatment was also rejected because of the cost, lack of therapeutic effect in many cases, and potential for adverse effects. The dog was treated with 2 doses of an anti-P insidiosum vaccine administered 2 weeks apart. One month later, the lesions were nearly completely healed, and values obtained via the immunodiffusion test and ELISA had decreased. Results of the immunodiffusion test and ELISA were negative 1 year later, and the dog had not had any recurrences.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12875449/