Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Generalized bacterial infection with lupus in a 6-year-old Beauceron
By Clercx, C et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·1999·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nonresponsive generalized bacterial infection associated with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Beauceron.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old female Beauceron was brought to the vet with a range of troubling symptoms, including pus coming from her nose and eyes, skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes, and lameness. As her condition worsened, she developed facial swelling, a cough, and a serious throat infection caused by bacteria. The vet diagnosed her with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease, and confirmed the bacterial infection through tests. Unfortunately, the dog's condition was severe, and despite treatment, the outcome was not successful.
People also search for: Beauceron skin lesions · dog nasal discharge treatment · systemic lupus erythematosus in dogs · bacterial infection in dogs · swollen lymph nodes in dogs
Abstract
A case of concurrent canine systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and generalized bacterial infection in a six-year-old female Beauceron is reported. The dog presented with purulent nasal and ocular discharges, skin lesions (including seborrhea, hyperkeratotic areas, and papules as well as ecchymoses around the eyes, on both sides of the pinnae, and on the vulva), generalized lymph node enlargement, a mitral murmur, and lameness. Later, facial swelling, a retrobulbar abscess, and a cough also developed. Occurrence of a generalized bacterial infection was established by culture of group-C, beta-hemolytic Streptococcus from the throat, the mouth, a biopsy site (popliteal lymph node area), the retrobulbar abscess, and the lung. The diagnosis of SLE was based on the clinical signs and particularly on the occurrence of antinuclear antibody (ANA) and antidoublestranded-desoxyribonucleic acid (ds-DNA) antibody. Interestingly, the latter type of antibodies were also detected in two young female puppies whelped by this dog. Salient histological findings included an extreme cell depletion of the lymph nodes and spleen and severe pneumonitis and peribronchiolitis. The results of this case indicate that a definite diagnosis of canine SLE can, at times, be made on the basis of the presence of serum ANA and ds-DNA antibodies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10333260/