Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with urinary bypass system got UTI from Staphylococcus schleiferi
By Sato, Yoshinori et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2025·Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Urinary tract infection due to Staphylococcus schleiferi biofilm formation in the subcutaneous ureteral bypass system in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 9-year-old female cat with a subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUB) system developed a urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by Staphylococcus schleiferi, a type of bacteria. Although the cat had been healthy for years, she started showing signs of blood in her urine and developed skin wounds due to excessive grooming around the SUB system. After trying doxycycline without success, the SUB system was removed, which led to the complete resolution of the infection. This case highlights the importance of monitoring for infections in cats with SUB systems, as bacteria can form biofilms and cause problems even with regular flushing.
People also search for: cat urinary tract infection treatment · Staphylococcus schleiferi in cats · cat subcutaneous ureteral bypass infection
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus schleiferi is mainly isolated from dogs and occasionally infects cats. We recently encountered a case of a biofilm-related urinary tract infection (UTI) caused by S. schleiferi in a cat with a subcutaneous ureteral bypass (SUB) system. This report presents a case of biofilm formation by S. schleiferi in the SUB system and discusses the causes of UTIs. CASE PRESENTATION: A 9-year-old female cat had been using the SUB system since 4 years-of-age. The cat had no significant clinical history or UTIs for 4 years after the first implantation of the SUB system. The SUB system was flushed once per month. When the cat was 8 years-of-age, the subcutaneous port of the SUB system was contaminated with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and replaced with a new one. Subsequently, the SUB system had no particular problem for 8 months. The SUB system was flushed once every 2 months. However, the cat occasionally developed gross haematuria. Additionally, S. schleiferi was detected in urine. Although doxycycline was administered to the cat, 6 weeks later, the cat had cutaneous wounds with abscesses caused by excessive grooming of the skin in contact with the subcutaneous port of the SUB system. S. schleiferi was detected in a severe abscess in the cutaneous wound, and skin necrosis was observed. As bacterial contamination of the SUB system was suspected, the SUB system was removed from the cat. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed biofilm formation inside the locking loop catheters and outside the subcutaneous port of the SUB system. In an in vitro assay, S. schleiferi isolated from a catheter of the SUB system had low biofilm-forming ability. After the SUB system was removed, S. schleiferi was not detected in the urine and the infection was completely cured. CONCLUSION: Considering these results, bacterial infections in cats with SUB systems should be carefully monitored, as contamination by biofilm-forming bacteria can occur regardless of flushing frequency.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41039565/