Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Systemic Mycobacterium kansasii infection in two sibling cats
By P. Černá et al.·Published in Pathogens·2020·View original on Semantic Scholar →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Systemic Mycobacterium kansasii Infection in Two Related Cats
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Two sibling indoor cats were diagnosed with a rare infection caused by Mycobacterium kansasii, which led to skin problems and issues in their bones and lungs. The first cat showed symptoms two and a half years before the second cat, and both were confirmed to have the infection through tests on tissue samples. Thankfully, after receiving a combination of antibiotics, including rifampicin and azithromycin, both cats made a full recovery. This case emphasizes the importance of recognizing and treating this uncommon infection in cats.
People also search for: cat skin problems · cat lung infection treatment · Mycobacterium kansasii in cats · antibiotics for cat infections
Abstract
Mycobacterial infections are a major concern in veterinary medicine because of the difficulty achieving an etiological diagnosis, the challenges and concerns of treatment, and the potential zoonotic risk. Mycobacterium kansasii, a slow-growing non-tuberculous mycobacteria, causes disease in both humans and animals. While infections have been well described in humans, where it may be misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, there are fewer reports in animals. Only four cases have been reported in the domestic cat. This case report describes systemic M. kansasii infection in two sibling indoor-only cats that presented two and half years apart with cutaneous disease that was found to be associated with osteolytic and pulmonary pathology. Infection with M. kansasii was confirmed in both cats by polymerase chain reaction on fine-needle aspirate of a lumbosacral soft tissue mass in one cat and on a tissue punch biopsy of a skin lesion in the other; interferon-gamma release assay inferred M. avium-complex and M. tuberculosis-complex infection in the two cats, respectively. Both patients made a full recovery following antimicrobial therapy with rifampicin, azithromycin, and pradofloxacin (plus N-acetyl cysteine in cat 2). This report highlights successful treatment of systemic M. kansasii mycobacteriosis in the cat and the challenge of accurately diagnosing this infection.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on Semantic Scholar: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/33218094