Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Campylobacter infection found in liver abscess of Boston Terrier dog
By Boston, Tahj A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2025·Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Isolation of Campylobacter upsaliensis From an Abscessed Hepatic Mass in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 11-year-old male Boston Terrier was brought to the vet because he was suddenly very tired and vomiting. The vet found that he had a fever and a painful abdomen, and an ultrasound revealed a fluid-filled mass in his liver. Tests showed that the mass was infected with a type of bacteria called Campylobacter upsaliensis. Unfortunately, due to the poor prognosis, the owner chose to euthanize the dog, and a later examination revealed that the mass was actually caused by liver cancer.
People also search for: dog vomiting and lethargy · Boston Terrier liver mass · Campylobacter infection in dogs · dog cancer symptoms · euthanasia decision for sick dog
Abstract
An 11-year-old male castrated Boston Terrier dog presented with acute onset lethargy and vomiting. On examination, the dog was febrile, tachycardic, and thought to have generalized abdominal pain. Abdominal ultrasonography identified a fluid-filled hepatic mass with suspected surrounding steatitis. Cytology from the hepatic mass indicated septic neutrophilic inflammation with extracellular and intracellular curved to spiral small bacterial organisms consistent with Campylobacter spp. The cytology results prompted appropriate isolation techniques composed of microaerophilic culture methods, which resulted in isolation of Campylobacter upsaliensis. Anaerobic and aerobic cultures also were performed and yielded no growth. Because of prognosis, the owner elected euthanasia, and necropsy identified a hepatocellular carcinoma as the underlying lesion for the abscessed hepatic mass.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40811733/