Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with severe low blood cells caused by visceral leishmaniasis
By Marcos, Ricardo et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2009·ICBAS - Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pancytopenia in a cat with visceral leishmaniasis.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old female spayed domestic shorthair cat was brought to the vet because she had a poor appetite and seemed depressed. Tests revealed she had severe pancytopenia, which means her blood had low levels of red and white blood cells and platelets. Despite treatments including a blood transfusion and medications, her condition did not improve. Further testing showed she was infected with Leishmania, a parasite that can cause serious illness. Unfortunately, her health continued to decline, and she was euthanized.
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Abstract
A 4-year-old, domestic shorthair, female spayed cat was presented for decreased appetite and depression. Severe pancytopenia with erythrocyte autoagglutination was found. The cat was seronegative for feline immunodeficiency and leukemia viruses. Immune-mediated hemolytic anemia was suspected but no response to treatment with a blood transfusion, enrofloxacin, and prednisone was observed. Blood and bone marrow smears obtained 11 days later contained Leishmania amastigotes in the cytoplasm of neutrophils and macrophages, respectively. Serologic and PCR testing of peripheral blood confirmed infection with Leishmania infantum. Despite treatment, the cat worsened clinically and was euthanized. At necropsy, visceral dissemination of the parasite was confirmed. The findings in this case indicate that visceral leishmaniasis should be considered as a differential diagnoses in cats with pancytopenia in areas endemic for Leishmania. In addition, amastigotes may be observed in peripheral blood neutrophils.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19490573/