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Successful treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis in a cat
Author(s) -
Hazell KLA,
Swift IM,
Sullivan N
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2010.00664.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pleural effusion , aspergillosis , pneumonia , thoracotomy , pneumonectomy , histopathology , lung , aspergillus fumigatus , fungal disease , surgery , radiology , pathology , dermatology , immunology
A 7‐year‐old, spayed female Domestic Longhair cat was evaluated for a 6‐week history of coughing. Thoracic radiography revealed a pleural effusion. Thoracic ultrasound revealed a pleural effusion and a focal lung mass. The cat underwent exploratory thoracotomy and a total left pneumonectomy was performed. Histopathology and cultures revealed fungal pneumonia and pyothorax caused by Aspergillus fumigatus . Abdominal ultrasound, repeat thoracic radiography, urinalysis with culture, and retroviral screening failed to detect evidence of systemic disease. The cat's poorly regulated diabetes mellitus is suspected to be the predisposing factor allowing a fungal pulmonary infection to become established. At 18 months after surgery the cat was still disease‐free. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of successful treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis in the cat.