Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fungal discospondylitis caused by Spiromastix in a German Shepherd dog
By Rizzo, L et al.·Published in Mycoses·2014·Sonora Veterinary Specialists, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Isolation and characterisation of the fungus Spiromastix asexualis sp. nov. from discospondylitis in a German Shepherd dog, and review of Spiromastix with the proposal of the new order Spiromastixales (Ascomycota).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old German Shepherd was diagnosed with discospondylitis, a serious spinal infection, after showing signs of pain and difficulty moving. During treatment, a biopsy revealed a previously unknown fungus, Spiromastix asexualis, which was identified as the cause of the infection. Although this type of fungus is usually not harmful, it was linked to the dog's condition. The dog received appropriate treatment for the infection, and the outcome was not specified, but the identification of the fungus could help guide future care.
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Abstract
The genus Spiromastix consists of several fungal species that have been isolated from soil and animal dung in various parts of the world. However, these species are considered to be of low pathogenic potential, as no cases of infections caused by these fungi have been reported. Here, we describe the clinical course of discospondylitis in a dog from which a fungus was cultured from a biopsy and identified as a Spiromastix species by morphologic characteristics and sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis determined this to be a new species, Spiromastix asexualis, which is described, and a new order, Spiromastixales, is proposed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24621407/