Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Transtracheal wash test in a puppy with breathing problems
By Williams, Matthew et al.Ā·Published in Veterinary clinical pathologyĀ·2006Ā·Department of Microbiology, United StatesĀ·View original on PubMed ā
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Original publication title: Transtracheal wash from a puppy with respiratory disease.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old Boxer puppy was brought to the emergency vet with symptoms like nasal discharge, coughing, and trouble breathing. He had previously been diagnosed with kennel cough and intestinal parasites. After examining his lungs with X-rays and performing a transtracheal wash (a procedure to collect fluid from the airways), the vet found a type of bacteria called Mycoplasma. The puppy was treated with antibiotics and made a full recovery.
People also search for: puppy coughing treatment Ā· Boxer puppy respiratory problems Ā· Mycoplasma infection in dogs
Abstract
A 4-month-old, intact male Boxer puppy was presented to the Animal Emergency and Critical Care Services of South Florida because of nasal discharge, dehydration, dyspnea, and coughing. The dog had been diagnosed with intestinal parasites and kennel cough approximately 10 days before presentation. Lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs of the thorax revealed an increased bronchointerstitial pattern throughout the lungs. A transtracheal wash was performed. On cytologic examination of direct, Wright-Giemsa-stained smears, small basophilic coccoid structures (0.3-0.9 microm in diameter) were observed in low to moderate numbers within neutrophils and adherent to epithelial cells. The small size of the organisms raised suspicion for Mycoplasma. Culture of the transtracheal wash fluid resulted in growth of a Mycoplasma sp. The patient was treated with enrofloxacin and amoxicillin/clavulanate and made a full recovery. Recognizing Mycoplasma in transtracheal washes could aid in recommending the appropriate culture media or immunologic techniques, which could result in an accurate diagnosis of mycoplasmosis.
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Search related cases āOriginal publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17123258/