Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with intestinal Cryptococcus infection treated with terbinafine
By Olsen, Gavin L et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2012·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Use of terbinafine in the treatment protocol of intestinal Cryptococcus neoformans in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2.5-year-old male Vizsla was brought to the vet for ongoing diarrhea, weight loss, and low protein levels in his blood. The dog was very thin and had dark, tarry stools. Tests showed he had a serious intestinal infection caused by a fungus called Cryptococcus, which was not responding to initial treatments. After unsuccessful surgeries and other medications, the vet started him on terbinafine, a medication that helped clear the infection. The dog eventually recovered, with his symptoms resolving and his health improving significantly.
People also search for: dog diarrhea weight loss treatment · Vizsla intestinal infection · terbinafine for dogs · Cryptococcus in dogs · protein-losing enteropathy in dogs
Abstract
A 2.5 yr old sexually intact male vizsla was admitted to the Iowa State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for persistent diarrhea, weight loss, and panhypoproteinemia. Examination revealed an emaciated condition and melena. Two masses were palpated in the cranial abdomen. Hematology and serum biochemistry exhibited a regenerative anemia and confirmed the presence of panhypoproteinemia, suggestive of a protein-losing eneteropathy. Distinct areas of thickened intestinal wall and enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes were found on abdominal ultrasound. Cytology from those nodes showed the presence of suspected Cryptococcus spp., and infection was confirmed utilizing a cryptococcal antigen titer. Medical therapy with lipid-complexed amphotericin B and fluconazole was unsuccessful. Two surgical procedures were performed to remove the affected areas of intestine and lymph nodes, but the disease persisted as evidenced by a persistently elevated cryptococcal antigen titer. Terbinafine was prescribed, which resulted in complete resolution of clinical signs and a steadily decreasing cryptococcal antigen titer. Very few cases of intestinal cryptococcosis have been reported. In this case, infection resulted in a protein-losing enteropathy. In addition, this article describes the use of terbinafine in the treatment of intestinal cryptococcal infection in the dog, which has not been previously reported.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22474053/