Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with persistent pleural fluid infection from Mycobacterium
By Pressler, Barrak M et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2002·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Isolation and identification of Mycobacterium kansasii from pleural fluid of a dog with persistent pleural effusion.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old spayed female Whippet was brought to the vet for coughing and trouble breathing. After diagnosing lung lobe torsion and performing surgery, the dog continued to have fluid buildup in her chest for 27 months. Despite multiple surgeries, including a second lung lobectomy, the cause of the fluid remained unknown until Mycobacterium kansasii, a type of bacteria, was finally found in the pleural fluid. Unfortunately, the dog was euthanized before any treatment could be started. This case highlights the need for special testing in dogs with ongoing pleural effusion, as standard cultures may not detect mycobacterial infections.
People also search for: dog coughing and breathing problems · Whippet pleural effusion treatment · persistent pleural effusion in dogs
Abstract
A 3-year-old spayed female Whippet was examined for cough and respiratory distress. Lung lobe torsion with pleural effusion was diagnosed, and lung lobectomy was performed. Pleural effusion recurred during the following 27 months; conventional bacteriologic cultures of pleural effusion did not result in bacterial growth. A second lung lobectomy, pleuroperitoneal shunt placement. and pericardectomy were subsequently performed. Mycobacterium kansasii was eventually isolated from pleural fluid and identified by polymerase chain reaction amplification and DNA sequencing. The dog was euthanatized before therapeutic response could be evaluated. To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. kansasii infection in a dog. Additionally, this is the first report of mycobacterial isolation from pleural fluid, and one of few reports of antemortem mycobacterial isolation from a body fluid, as opposed to identification in specimens during histologic examination. Routine bacteriologic culture methods are insufficient to isolate mycobacterial agents, and special methods are indicated in dogs with persistent pleural effusion.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11991412/