Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Lung fine-needle tests and bacteria culture for pneumonia in dogs
By Preibisz, Aleksandra & Schwedes, Claudia Sabine·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2025·Anicura Kleintierspezialisten Augsburg, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Transthoracic fine-needle aspiration of the lungs, and bacterial culture with antimicrobial susceptibility testing used in diagnosing bacterial pneumonia in dogs and cats: 14 dogs and 2 cats (2009-2021).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Labrador and a 3-year-old domestic shorthair cat were diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia after showing symptoms like coughing and difficulty breathing. The veterinarians used a procedure called fine-needle aspiration to collect samples from their lungs, which helped identify the bacteria causing the infections. Most of the samples tested positive for bacteria, and the common treatment with amoxicillin and clavulanate was effective for most cases. Both pets responded well to the treatment and showed improvement in their breathing and overall health.
People also search for: dog coughing treatment · cat pneumonia symptoms · amoxicillin for dog pneumonia
Abstract
Transthoracic fine-needle aspiration of the lungs (TFNA) combined with positive bacterial culture is used less frequently than airway lavage in diagnosing bacterial pneumonia in dogs and cats. This retrospective study evaluated TFNA results and bacterial culture findings in 14 dogs (1 dog twice) and two cats with bacterial pneumonia. Bacterial culture yielded positive results in 9/16 (56.3%) of samples. Only 1/11 (9.1%) of isolated bacterial species showed resistance to empiric treatment (amoxicillin with clavulanate). Six patients without prior antimicrobial treatment had negative bacterial cultures, despite the presence of intracellular bacteria on cytology samples. For patients with suspected bacterial pneumonia, we should consider performing both cytological examination and bacterial culture of lung aspirates, with careful interpretation of the results. Bacterial culture should be considered regardless of ongoing or previous antibiotic treatment, and even in cases where intracellular bacteria are not identified on cytology. Based on our antimicrobial susceptibility findings, first-line empirical treatment with amoxicillin with clavulanate might be an appropriate choice in most of cases regardless of the previous treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40144519/