Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Septic arthritis and granulomatous synovitis caused by infection with Mycobacterium avium complex in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 2005
- Authors:
- Hewes, Christina A et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old American Saddlebred gelding was taken to a veterinary hospital because he had been limping badly on his right front leg for a long time. He had previously received cortisone injections for arthritis in the same joint over the past three years. X-rays and a CT scan showed a significant defect in the bone near the joint, and an ultrasound found a soft tissue mass. When the joint was examined with a camera, doctors saw a lot of abnormal tissue and inflammation. A biopsy revealed a specific type of infection called Mycobacterium avium complex, which is important to consider in horses with ongoing arthritis and inflammation.
Abstract
A 12-year-old American Saddlebred gelding was referred to a veterinary teaching hospital for evaluation of a chronic lameness problem in the right radiocarpal joint. The horse had been treated for osteoarthritis of the right radiocarpal joint with multiple injections of cortisone during the past 3 years. The horse was severely lame on the right forelimb at a trot. Radiography and computed tomography revealed a 3 x 2-cm lytic defect in the distal portion of the radius and periarticular bone proliferation around the right radiocarpal joint. Ultrasonography of the distal portion of the radius revealed a soft tissue mass in the palmarolateral aspect of the joint. Proliferative synovium with a large amount of fibrin was observed in the dorsal and palmar aspects of the joint via arthroscopic examination of the right radiocarpal joint. Histologic examination of synovial biopsy specimens revealed proliferative granulomatous synovitis with giant cells. Mycobacterium avium complex was cultured from the synovial fluid. Infection with M avium complex should be considered in horses with chronic recurring arthritis associated with granulomatous synovitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15989187/