Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How bacterial culture testing helps diagnose and treat chronic nasal
By Emming, Christin et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Small Animal Clinic, Germany·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Impact of culture-based bacteriological examination on diagnosis and treatment in cats with chronic nasal disease - Insights from a case series of 25 cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 25 cats with chronic nasal problems were treated to find out how effective a specific bacterial culture test (cBE) was in diagnosing and treating their conditions. Most cats had positive results from the test, but it didn't always help determine the best treatment. For cats with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), some improved after a 21-day course of doxycycline, while others needed immunosuppressive therapy, like cyclosporine, to see results. The study suggests that while cBE has its limits, using doxycycline and immunosuppressive treatments can be helpful for certain cases of CRS.
People also search for: cat nasal disease treatment · chronic rhinosinusitis in cats · doxycycline for cat sinus infection · immunosuppressive therapy for cats
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Diagnosing feline nasal cavity diseases typically involves computed tomography, rhinoscopy, mycological examination, and histopathology. Culture-based bacteriological examination (cBE) is frequently performed, though its diagnostic and therapeutic relevance remains uncertain. Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), a diagnosis of exclusion, often responds poorly to standard antibiotics. This retrospective case series aimed to describe the correlation of cBE findings (1) across nasal diseases and (2) treatment responses in CRS cases. METHODS: Medical records of 25 cats with confirmed nasal disease using comprehensive diagnostics were reviewed. RESULTS: Included were 11 CRS cats, 7 with mycotic rhinitis, and 7 with nasal neoplasia. In 24/25 cats, cBE was positive, with similar bacterial isolates across all groups. In CRS cats, treatment response did not consistently correlate with cBE results or antimicrobial susceptibility. 5/11 CRS cats showed clinical improvement following a 21-day doxycycline course. The remaining 6/11 CRS cats had not responded to previous targeted antibiotic therapy or empirical doxycycline for potentialspecies infection. 3/6 cats responded only to immunosuppressive therapy notably cyclosporine in two CRS cats, representing the first report in feline medicine. Non-responders were 3/6 CRS cats with marked turbinate destruction; 2/3 tested positive for feline herpesvirus 1. CONCLUSION: For diagnosing nasal diseases, cBE showed limited diagnostic relevance. In CRS, observations suggest that cBE may have limited diagnostic and therapeutic utility, leading to a clinical dilemma in interpretation. Empirical doxycycline treatment and immunosuppressive strategies, including cyclosporine, may be beneficial in selected CRS cases. Given the limitations of cBE, PCR testing forspecies and viral pathogens may improve clinical decision-making in cats with CRS, both by helping to identify potential candidates for doxycycline treatment, and by assessing the risk of viral reactivation prior to initiating immunosuppressive therapy.
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/41246262/