Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Monitoring antibiotic treatment for Mycoplasma haemocanis
By Hulme-Moir, K Lisa et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2010·Department of Pathological Sciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction to monitor antibiotic therapy in a dog with naturally acquired Mycoplasma haemocanis infection.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old splenectomized dog was diagnosed with a Mycoplasma haemocanis infection, which can cause serious blood problems. The veterinarian used a special test called real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to monitor the infection while the dog was treated with antibiotics. Although the dog received treatment for 11 months, the infection did not clear completely, and the dog continued to test positive for the bacteria even after stopping the antibiotics. The dog's health did improve during treatment, but the infection remained a concern.
People also search for: dog Mycoplasma haemocanis treatment · splenectomy dog infection · antibiotic therapy for dog blood infection
Abstract
Mycoplasma haemocanis is a hemotropic bacterium that can be associated with acute hemolytic disease in immunocompromised or splenectomized dogs. The present case report describes for the first time the use of real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to monitor M. haemocanis infection in a splenectomized dog. The report also describes the application of real-time qPCR for the analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid extracted from stained blood films. The analysis of blood films from the time of initial presentation allowed a retrospective confirmation of M. haemocanis infection. The M. haemocanis copy numbers remained high throughout antibiotic treatment of this dog. A decline in copy numbers was only recorded after 11 months of therapy, when improvements in clinical and hematological indices were also noted. Clearance of infection was not achieved, and the dog remained positive for M. haemocanis at 3.5 months postcessation of antibiotic therapy. Cytological examination of blood films for the presence of organisms was insensitive for the detection of parasitemia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20622229/