Registered users receive a variety of benefits including the ability to customize email alerts, create favorite journals list, and save searches.
Please note that a BioOne web account does not automatically grant access to full-text content. An institutional or society member subscription is required to view non-Open Access content.
Contact helpdesk@bioone.org with any questions.
Case summary A 12-year-old male castrated domestic shorthair cat exhibited right Horner’s syndrome, right facial nerve paresis, difficulty swallowing, coughing, gait abnormalities and weight loss. Despite prior unspecific treatment by a primary care veterinarian with cortisone and antibiotics, the cat’s condition worsened, culminating in tetraparesis and right hemispasms. Imaging studies, including CT and MRI, identified a mass extending from the carotid body into the neurocranium, causing displacement of adjacent brain structures and meningeal contrast uptake. Histopathology confirmed a malignant B-cell lymphoma. Differential diagnoses are explored, with a particular focus on carotid body tumours, which originate from the chief cells of the carotid body. These neoplasias are rare in non-human primates, dogs, cats and horses, possibly influenced by genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as hypoxia.
Relevance and novel information Carotid body tumours are rare in cats, as they are in other animal species. Although lymphomas are the most common feline neoplasms, to our knowledge, no previous case of a B-cell lymphoma in the carotid body has been described in the feline species to date. This case underscores the importance of considering rare and common neoplastic entities in feline patients with atypical clinical presentations and locations. Thereby highlighting the diagnostic challenges in veterinary oncology.
Case summary This report describes a case of gastric mucormycosis in a young Ragdoll cat with a 5-day history of vomiting. Physical examination detected mild dehydration and tenderness was elicited on abdominal palpation. The results of blood work-up and radiographic study were unremarkable; however, abdominal ultrasonographic examination revealed multiple hyperechoic neoformations at the level of the pyloric antrum, which were confirmed on endoscopic examination. Non-septate hyphae of irregular diameter with a branched appearance were observed on cytology, and histological examination revealed severe diffuse necrotising and granulomatous gastritis with the presence of intralesional fungal hyphae indicative of mucormycosis, which was confirmed by PCR tests. Antifungal therapy with ketoconazole in addition to supportive treatment temporarily improved the clinical condition. Lethargy, fever and abdominal effusion developed in the following days. Cytological examination of abdominal fluid was compatible with septic peritonitis and, given the severity of the condition, euthanasia was opted by the owners. Post-mortem examination confirmed septic peritonitis resulting from perforation of the gastric wall at one of the neoformations of the pyloric antrum.
Relevance and novel information To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first reported case of gastric mucormycosis in a cat. Previous literature includes a case of mucormycosis in a Persian cat affecting only the duodenum. In both the Persian cat and the cat described here, gastrointestinal mucormycosis disease progressed rapidly and was fatal.
Case summary A 9-year-old male castrated domestic shorthair cat from northern California was evaluated for a 12-month history of dermal and subcutaneous dermatitis in the inguinal region. Histopathologic examination of a biopsy revealed severe, chronic, multifocal to coalescing pyogranulomatous dermatitis and panniculitis, accompanied by ulceration and central necrosis. Aerobic bacterial culture of lesions yielded mycobacterial growth. Empiric antimicrobial therapy was initiated with doxycycline and marbofloxacin pending culture and susceptibility. Culture of a biopsy followed by rpoB gene sequencing at a mycobacterial reference laboratory yielded Mycobacterium porcinum after 6 weeks. Ten months after initial antimicrobial administration, the lesions resolved.
Relevance and novel information To date, in cats, M porcinum panniculitis has been reported from Ohio, Massachusetts and British Columbia in North America; two additional cases were reported from southeastern Australia. In humans, M porcinum infections have been reported from several states in the USA, predominantly in the Midwest and coastal south, but not from the west. This report extends the known spatial distribution of M porcinum to the western USA and strengthens its association with panniculitis in cats. It also demonstrates the need for prolonged incubation for diagnosis of some rapidly growing mycobacteria infections using culture.
Case summaryToxoplasma gondii is a globally distributed apicomplexan protozoan infecting all warm-blooded animals. Cats are the definitive host, susceptible to clinical disease. In Spain, studies have shown the widespread presence of Toxoplasma IgG antibodies in cats but there are no published data on clinical toxoplasmosis in cats from Spain. We describe a case of fatal disseminated toxoplasmosis in a 7-year-old outdoor domestic shorthair cat. The cat, an active hunter, was presented with a 1-week history of malaise and acute deterioration over 24 h. Fever, tachypnoea and abdominal discomfort were detected on physical examination. No evidence of immunosuppressive disease or previous treatment could be found. A moderate increase in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was found on serum biochemistry. Radiography revealed hepatomegaly and a small patchy pulmonary alveolar pattern in the caudal lung lobes. In 48 h, the AST and ALT levels were severely increased and the cat’s respiratory signs worsened. Parenteral clindamycin administration (25 mg/kg IV q12h) and supportive treatment could not prevent progression to death. Cytology from the liver and lungs revealed organisms morphologically consistent with T gondii. Indirect immunofluorescence antibody test Toxoplasma titres were 1:100 IgM and 1:100 IgG. PCR performed on scraped material from glass cytology slides was positive for T gondii in both lung and liver aspirates.
Relevant and novel information To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case of fatal disseminated toxoplasmosis in a cat described in Spain, confirmed by PCR. Fine-needle aspirates from the liver could assist in the diagnosis of fatal disseminated toxoplasmosis when liver enzymes are increased.
Case summary A 13-year-old male castrated domestic shorthair cat presented with a 2-month history of progressive lameness, poor appetite and constipation. Physical examination revealed palpable lesions in muscles of several extremities. Ultrasound examination confirmed the presence of round lesions with a hypo- or anechoic centre within the muscles. These lesions were characterised by an anechoic, occasionally trabeculated, central area surrounded by a hyperechoic band with heterogeneous echotexture. In total, seven lesions affecting six appendicular muscles were detected in different evolution stages, as suggested by their sizes and ultrasonographic features. Fine-needle aspiration of the muscle lesions revealed nests and isolated pleomorphic large neoplastic cells consistent with a carcinoma (vs sarcoma) and one mass was surgically removed. The histological and immunohistochemical studies confirmed a diagnosis of metastatic urothelial carcinoma. Although this neoplasia typically originates from the urothelium of the urinary bladder or renal pelvis, the primary tumour could not be detected in repeated abdominal ultrasound examinations. The cat was euthanased and further evaluations were declined by the author.
Relevance and novel information Urothelial carcinoma is a rare and highly aggressive neoplasia in the cat. While metastasis to regional lymph nodes and lungs are common in cats and dogs, to the authors’ knowledge, there have been no reports of metastasis to multiple appendicular muscles in cats. This clinical presentation should be considered in the differential diagnoses of multiple nodular or cystic lesions affecting long muscles in cats.
This article is only available to subscribers. It is not available for individual sale.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have
purchased or subscribe to this BioOne eBook Collection. You are receiving
this notice because your organization may not have this eBook access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users-please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
Additional information about institution subscriptions can be foundhere