Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Protothecosis infection signs in four dogs in New Zealand
By Price, Psa et al.·Published in New Zealand veterinary journal·2023·Eyevet Services Ltd.·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Protothecosis in four dogs in New Zealand.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Four dogs in New Zealand, aged 4 to 9 years, were diagnosed with a rare infection called protothecosis, which can cause serious health issues. One dog had a cough and eye problems, while the others experienced diarrhea and skin lesions. Unfortunately, despite various treatments, including medication for the infection, all four dogs had worsening symptoms and were ultimately euthanized due to concerns about their quality of life. This case highlights the importance of considering protothecosis in dogs showing signs like eye problems, gastrointestinal issues, or skin lesions.
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Abstract
CASE HISTORIES: Medical records of four dogs diagnosed with protothecosis in New Zealand were reviewed. The dogs were aged between 4 and 9 years and three of the four dogs were female. Breeds were one Labrador, one Miniature Schnauzer and two crossbreeds. The reasons for initial veterinary evaluation were a cough and opaque appearance of the right eye (Case 1), diarrhoea (Cases 2 and 3), and cutaneous disease (Case 4). CLINICAL FINDINGS: The ocular signs were characterised by panuveitis, retinal detachment and secondary glaucoma. Gastrointestinal signs included chronic haemorrhagic diarrhoea due to colitis. Three cases had disseminated infection and developed both bilateral, blinding, ocular disease and chronic gastrointestinal disease. Cutaneous signs consisted of draining fistulae over the olecranon, multifocal cutaneous nodules, and ulceration and tracts of the foot pads. Disseminated protothecosis was confirmed by histopathology of biopsied ocular tissues in Cases 1 and 2 and by gastrointestinal biopsies in Case 3.spp. were also identified in cytological specimens from Cases 1 and 4 and recovered by culture in Cases 2 and 4. Cutaneous protothecosis was diagnosed in Case 4 initially by cytology and histopathology of skin lesions, andwas confirmed by PCR of cultured organisms. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: Prior to diagnosis of protothecosis, a variety of treatments were prescribed to treat the gastrointestinal and ocular signs. After diagnosis, only Cases 2 and 4 received medication aimed at treating the protothecal infection, which was itraconazole in both cases. Following the progression of clinical signs and concerns about quality of life, all four dogs were euthanised. DIAGNOSIS: Disseminated protothecosis in three dogs, cutaneous protothecosis in one dog. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Canine protothecosis is rarely reported, despite the ubiquity of the causal algae, and the disease usually carries an extremely grave prognosis when infection is generalised. In New Zealand, protothecosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in dogs with panuveitis, chorioretinitis or retinal detachment, colitis, or nodular, ulcerative or fistulating cutaneous lesions.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37584100/