Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Spread of Mycobacterium bovis infection among domestic cats
By Murray, Aisling et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2015·University College Dublin·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nosocomial spread of Mycobacterium bovis in domestic cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Five domestic cats were euthanized due to suspected infections with Mycobacterium bovis, which can cause tuberculosis. One cat had a noticeable discharge from a lump under its jaw, and it likely spread the infection to four other cats, either through direct contact or during routine veterinary procedures. Two of the cats showed clear signs of tuberculosis during post-mortem examinations, and one had bacteria consistent with M bovis found in a surgical wound. This situation highlights a concerning case of how infections can spread in veterinary settings.
People also search for: cat tuberculosis symptoms · Mycobacterium bovis in cats · cat lump under jaw treatment
Abstract
Five domestic cats were euthanased owing to confirmed or suspected Mycobacterium bovis infection. The initial source of infection remains unclear. Cat A was presented to a veterinary clinic in County Kildare, Ireland, with a discharging submandibular lesion. The infection appears to have been transmitted to four other cats through direct (cats B and C living in the same household as cat A) and non-direct (nosocomial spread during routine operations; cats D and E) contact over a 13.5-week period. Of the five cases, two (B and D) had post-mortem examinations in which gross changes consistent with tuberculosis were seen, moderate numbers of acid-fast bacteria (AFB) were seen on microscopy and M bovis (spoligotype SB0978) was confirmed on culture. Of the remaining three cats, one had a swab taken from its draining ovariohysterectomy wound, which revealed large numbers of AFB with morphology consistent with M bovis (cat E). Two cases were euthanased without diagnostic tests; however, their history and clinical presentations were highly suggestive of tuberculosis (cats A and C). To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of nosocomial spread of M bovis in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24710594/