Furuncular Myiasis Caused by the Human Botfly,Dermatobia hominis,in the Domestic Rabbit: Case Report

The human botfly, Dermatobia hominis (Linnaeus Jr., 1781) (Diptera: Cuterebridae), is geographically found throughout Neotropical America, is considered the major causal agent of furuncular myiasis. This parasite generates considerable damage in affected livestock. Its low host specificity leads to reports of parasitism in several domestic species. The goal of the present study is to report a case of natural infestation by the human botfly (D. hominis) in the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).     

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exophiala jeanselmei in a domestic cat

Abstract

Extract

The term phaeohyphomycosis is applied to granulomatous nodules and abscesses usually single, usually involving only skin and subcutis and caused by species of soil and wood-dwelling fungi which produce dark (dematiaceous) hyphae and spores. In a recent publication, Ajello listed 71 species of dematiaceous fungi from 39 genera which have been found to cause phaeohyphomycosis in humans and in lower animals ⁽¹⁾ Ajello, L. 1986. Hyalohyphomycosis and phaeohyphomycosis: two global disease entities of public health importance. European Journal of Epidemiology, 2: 243–251.  [Google Scholar]. There have been two published reports of feline phaeohyphomycosis in which the fungus Exophiala jeanselmei has been isolated ⁽²⁾ Bostock, DE, Coloe, PJ and Castellani, A. 1982. Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exophiala jeanselmei in a domestic cat. Journal of Comparative Patholoev, 92: 479–482.  [Google Scholar] ⁽³⁾ Pukay, BP and Dion, WM. 1984. Feline phaeohyphomycosis: treatment with ketoconazole and 5-fluorocytosine. Canadian Veterinary Journal, 25: 130–134.  [Google Scholar], and in Australia the closely related E. spinifera has been isolated from a further two cases ⁽⁴⁾ Kettlewell, P, McGinnis, MR and Wilkinson, GT. 1989. Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exophiala spinifera in two cats. Journal of Medical and Veterinary Mycology, 27: 257–264. [Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]. There are a number of cases in the literature in which the diagnosis has been based solely on histopathology, which, although characteristic, gives no indication as to the identity of the fungus involed ⁽⁵⁾ Haschek, WM and Kasali, OB. 1977. A case of cutaneous feline phaeohyphomycosis caused by Phialophora gougerotii. Cornell Veterinarian, 67: 467–471.  [Google Scholar] ⁽⁶⁾ Hill, JR, Migaki, G and Phemister, RD. 1973. Phaeomycotic granuloma in a cat. Veterinary Pathology, 15: 559–561.  [Google Scholar] ⁽⁷⁾ Sisk, DB and Chandler, FW. 1982. Phaeohyphomycosis and cryptococcosis in a cat. Veterinary Pathology, 19: 554–556.  [Google Scholar].     

Nasal myiasis in a cat caused by larvae of the nasal bot fly, Oestrus ovis

An 8-year-old desexed male Burmese cat, which lived on a sheep-grazing property in central New South Wales, Australia, was presented following the sudden onset of dyspnoea, moist coughing and violent sneezing. The respiratory distress started several hours after the cat had made an outdoor excursion. Anterior rhinoscopy demonstrated small, white objects moving across oedematous and moderately inflamed nasal mucosa. These were retrieved via a series of vigorous nasal flushes and subsequently identified as larvae of the nasal bot fly, Oestrus ovis. The cat was treated with ivermectin followed by selamectin 7 days later. It went on to make a complete recovery over 2-3 weeks.     

A Case of a Dermatobia hominis Infection in a Dog in The Netherlands

Abstract— The first case of a Dermatobia hominis infection in a dog in the The Netherlands is described. The dog was imported from Brazil. The life cycle of the parasite and the therapeutic measures are emphasized.
Zusammenfassung— Beschrieben wird der erste Fall einer Dermatobia hominis —Infektion bei einem Hund in den Niederlanden. Der Hund wurde aus Brasilien eingeführt. Der Lebenszyklus des Parasiten und die therapeutischen Maßriahmen werden behandelt.
Resumen  En el presente artículo se describe el primer caso de infección causada por Dematobia hominis en Holanda. El perro habia sido importado desde Brasil. Se describe la vida del parásito y las medidas terapéuticas.     

Identification of domestic cat hepadnavirus from a cat blood sample in Japan

The hepatitis B virus (Hepadnaviridae) induces chronic hepatitis and hepatic cancer in humans. A novel domestic cat hepadnavirus (DCH) was recently identified in several countries, however, the DCH infection status of cats in Japan is unknown. Therefore, we investigated the DCH infection rate of 139 cat samples collected in Japan. We identified one positive blood sample (0.78%) from a 17-year-old female cat with chronically elevated alanine aminotransferase. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the DCH strain identified in this study is genetically different from strains in other countries. Further investigations are required to elucidate the evolution of DCH and the impact of DCH infection on hepatic diseases in domestic cats.     

Paraparesis caused by epidural granuloma in a cat

Caudal paraparesis in a cat was determined to be caused by an epidural mass. Surgical decompression was performed, and the mass was determined to be a granuloma. Fusobacterium and Bacteroides spp were isolated from the granuloma. Epidural granulomas are seldom reported in dogs and cats. Decompression and administration of antibiotics led to recovery of this cat even though in human beings an unfavorable prognosis is given if neurologic deficits have developed.     

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Alternaria alternata in a cat

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Alternaria alternata was diagnosed in a 6-year-old cat. A lesion in the nose resulted in enlargement of the dorsum of the nose. Similar appearing lesions had been removed from the dorsum of the nose 1 and 4 years earlier. The lesion recurred 3 months after surgical excision and irregular administration of ketoconazole. A second cytoreductive operation followed by 5 months' treatment with ketoconazole resolved the infection. Nasal trauma occurring at 8 months and at 5 years before initial examination may have predisposed the cat to development of the Alternaria infection.     

Leptospirosis in a British domestic cat

A leptospire was isolated from thoracic fluid, aqueous humour, and kidney of a cat, which at gross post-mortem had widespread haemorrhages and excess straw-coloured fluid in the thoracic and peritoneal cavities.
Histopathological examinations revealed severe centrilobular necrosis of the liver, and vascular lesions with haemorrhage were present in lung and brain.
Spirochaetes were demonstrable in lung, kidney and brain by silver impregnation techniques.
Strong fluorescence was observed in lung, liver, brain and kidney with bratislava antiserum.     

Myelopathy caused by a histiocytic sarcoma in a cat

An eight-year-old, female spayed, domestic shorthair cat presented with a three-week history of progressive general proprioceptive ataxia and upper motor neuron paresis of the hindlimbs. Computed tomography revealed a mediastinal mass invading the vertebral canal with the T1 spinal nerve and roots, causing extramedullary compression of the cranial thoracic spinal cord. Histopathological and immunohistochemical studies of the mass during postmortem examination disclosed a neoplasm, later determined to be a poorly differentiated histiocytic sarcoma. Feline histiocytic tumours are rare, with only two prior reports existing in the veterinary literature. This report details a case work-up and reviews the literature on feline histiocytic diseases and tumours affecting the feline spinal     

Fucosidosis in a domestic shorthair cat

This paper documents the first reported case of fucosidosis in a cat. The cat presented with signs of forebrain and cerebellar dysfunction and a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain suggested a degenerative or metabolic disease process. A fine needle aspirate of grossly normal lymph nodes revealed vacuolated lymphocytes and a renal biopsy of an irregular shaped kidney identified vacuolated tubular epithelial cells. A white cell lysosomal enzyme screen revealed negligible α-fucosidase activity. Fucosidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of young cats with cerebellar dysfunction and must be added to the list of lysosomal storage diseases affecting the cat.