Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Opportunistic Fungal Infections in Small Animals.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Dedeaux, Andrea et al.
- Affiliation:
- From the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences (A.D.
Plain-English summary
Opportunistic fungal infections are rare but can occur in healthy dogs and cats, especially with the increased use of certain medications that weaken the immune system, like cyclosporine. These infections can show up in different ways depending on the type of fungus involved, and they can be categorized based on specific features seen in tissue samples. The review discusses how these infections typically present, how they can be diagnosed, treatment options, and what the outlook is for pets with these infections, whether they have a normal immune system or not. An example case is provided to highlight the most common signs seen today. Overall, the findings aim to help veterinarians better understand and manage these infections in pets.
Abstract
Opportunistic fungal infections have long been recognized as rare causes of disease in immunocompetent dogs and cats. Recently, the escalating use of multiagent immunosuppression protocols (especially those that include cyclosporine) has resulted in an increased number of patients with opportunistic fungal infection encountered by small animal practitioners and has altered the typical case phenotype. Based on histologic and cytologic features such as pigmentation, hyphal diameter, and distribution in tissue, these opportunistic mycoses can be placed into categories such as phaeohyphomycosis, hyalohyphomycosis, and eumycotic mycetoma. This review aims to summarize the clinical presentations, methods for diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and prognosis for both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed patients with opportunistic fungal infections. An example case description is included to illustrate the most common current clinical presentation.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30272479/