Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Successful treatment of infective heart valve infection in a Maltese
By Bae, Hyeona et al.·Published in The veterinary quarterly·2022·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Successful treatment of canine infective endocarditis caused by.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old female Maltese was brought to the vet with a month-long history of fever, depression, weight loss, and limping in her back legs. Tests showed she had anemia and signs of infection in her heart, specifically vegetation on the mitral valve. Blood cultures revealed she was infected with a type of bacteria usually found in probiotics. The vet treated her with antibiotics and blood thinners for four months, and she gradually improved, with no more fever and a decrease in the size of the blood clots. After treatment, follow-up tests showed no bacteria in her blood.
People also search for: dog fever and limping · Maltese heart infection treatment · antibiotics for dog endocarditis
Abstract
Bacillus amyloliquefaciens is a gram-positive bacterial species that is utilised as a probiotic in humans and animals. There are no reports of infective endocarditis (IE) in dogs. An 8-year-old, spayed, female Maltese presented with a 1-month history of fever, depression, weight loss, and hindlimb lameness. Laboratory test results indicated non-regenerative anaemia, neutrophilia, hyperglobulinemia, and proteinuria. Echocardiography revealed vegetation on the septal leaflet of the mitral valve and thromboemboli in the left atrium. Consecutive blood culture results revealed that the blood samples were consistently positive for Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, which is generally considered a probiotic bacterial species for animals. Broad-spectrum antibiotics (amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and cefotaxime) and anticoagulants (clopidogrel and rivaroxaban) were administered for 4 months. The clinical signs were responsive to antibiotic treatment. After 4 months, the dog was no longer febrile and the size of the thromboemboli in the left atrium had decreased. Bacteria were no longer isolated in blood cultures after antibiotic therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of canine IE caused by bactaeremic infection with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35068361/