Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with skin and lymph node infection from Paracoccidioides
By Headley, Selwyn Arlington et al.·Published in Mycopathologia·2017·Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Paracoccidioides brasiliensis-associated dermatitis and lymphadenitis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female Labrador from Southern Brazil was brought in with swollen lymph nodes and skin problems. Tests showed she had a fungal infection called paracoccidioidomycosis, caused by a fungus known as Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. The vet confirmed the diagnosis through skin and lymph node samples, which revealed signs of infection. Treatment details weren't specified, but the diagnosis indicates that the dog will need antifungal therapy to help her recover. This case highlights the importance of recognizing fungal infections in pets, especially in areas where these fungi are common.
People also search for: dog skin problems · Labrador swollen lymph nodes · paracoccidioidomycosis treatment in dogs
Abstract
Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is an endemic disease of humans from Latin America that is caused by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis and P. lutzii, with most cases of PCM in domestic animals being associated with P. brasiliensis. This study presents the clinical, cytological, mycological, serological, and molecular findings associated with P. brasiliensis in a dog from Southern Brazil. Fine needle biopsies were collected from the skin and several lymph nodes of a 5-year-old female Labrador dog that had enlargement of most superficial lymph nodes. Cytology of the skin and lymph nodes revealed pyogranulomatous dermatitis and lymphadenitis associated with fine-necked, budding fungal structures consistent with the Paracoccidioides genus of organisms; mycological culture derived from the lymph node aspirate demonstrated similar budding structures. Serological assays using exoantigens obtained from the fungal culture demonstrated that the fungal organisms derived from the lymph node were antigenically similar to P. brasiliensis by immunodiffusion and Western blot. A PCR assay, using the fungal culture as input, amplified a partial segment of the internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 regions of P. brasiliensis; direct sequencing and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the PCR product as P. brasiliensis. The combined cytological, mycological, serological, and molecular findings confirmed a diagnosis of fungal dermatitis and lymphadenitis due to P. brasiliensis in this dog. This case represents the third description of clinical PCM in dogs and the first confirmation of mycotic dermatitis associated with P. brasiliensis in this species. The participation of dogs in the possible dissemination of PCM is reviewed, and it is proposed that dogs are probable accidental hosts in the epidemiological cycle associated with P. brasiliensis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27757778/