Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ulcerated fungal skin mass on right hind leg of Maine Coon cat
By Norris, Samantha M et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2021·BluePearl Pet Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: in a Maine Coon cat: case report and literature review.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 15-year-old male Maine Coon cat was brought in because of a rapidly growing, ulcerated mass on his right hind leg that had been present for four months. The vet found a large, soft mass and performed a fine-needle aspiration, but it didn’t provide clear answers. Instead of further testing, the decision was made to amputate the leg. After surgery, the tissue was examined and revealed a fungal infection, which is quite rare in cats. Fortunately, the cat has been doing well a year after the surgery without any additional treatment needed.
People also search for: Maine Coon cat leg mass · cat fungal infection treatment · cat amputation recovery · why is my cat's leg swollen · soft tissue mass in cats
Abstract
A 15-y-old castrated male Maine Coon cat was evaluated for an ulcerated soft tissue mass on the right hindlimb that had been observed for 4 mo and had grown rapidly. A 3 × 3 cm soft, raised, amorphous, and ulcerated subcutaneous mass was observed on the lateral right metatarsus. In-house cytology via fine-needle aspiration was nondiagnostic. Incisional biopsy of the mass and further staging was declined, and amputation was elected. The amputated limb was submitted for histopathology, which revealed severe chronic nodular granulomatous dermatitis and multifocal granulomatous popliteal lymphadenitis with large numbers of intralesional fungal hyphae. Fungal PCR and sequencing on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue identified. No adjunctive therapy was elected at the time. The patient has done well clinically 1 y post-operatively.is a rare microfungus found worldwide and is considered a minor pathogen of several plants. To our knowledge, infection by this fungus has not been reported previously in veterinary species. Features in our case are comparable to other mycotic infections. Nodular granulomatous mycotic dermatitis and cellulitis, although uncommon, should be a differential for soft tissue masses in veterinary species;is a novel isolate.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34109901/