Pyothorax caused by Nocardia sp. in a cat – Case report
PDF
XML

Keywords

nocardiosis, dyspnea, pleural effusion, retrovirus.

How to Cite

Intrieri, J. de M., de Almeida, G. P. S., Bonfim, I. V., Miranda, F. R. ., Reis, A. A. L., Nak , S. Y., do Amaral, G. B., Bonci, M. M., & Campos, D. R. (2023). Pyothorax caused by Nocardia sp. in a cat – Case report . Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 45, e005522. https://doi.org/10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm005522

Abstract

Nocardiosis is an infection caused by ubiquitous opportunistic bacteria and is rare in felines. In retrospective studies of the infection in the species, pyothorax was found in only about 5% of the cases described, with the most frequent forms being cutaneous and subcutaneous. This report describes Nocardia spp. as an etiologic agent of pyothorax in a feline leukemia virus (FeLV)-positive female cat. A 10-year-old female mixed-breed cat, positive for FeLV, with chronic kidney disease IRIS stage 2, was examined with a severe dyspneic onset, suspected of pleural effusion. It also had skin lesions in the interscapular region. The patient underwent thoracentesis, and a dense, creamy, fetid, and flocculated liquid was collected. Radiography was performed after draining the pleural fluid, which showed images suggestive of atelectasis of the left lung lobes and pneumonia. The collected material was sent for analysis, which found that it was a septic exudate. In addition, it was referred for bacterial culture in a special medium due to suspicion of nocardiosis. Long-term treatment with amoxicillin + clavulanic acid resolved the clinical case.

https://doi.org/10.29374/2527-2179.bjvm005522
PDF
XML

References

Barrs, V. R. D. (2011). Piotórax In J. August. Medicina interna de felinos. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Barrs, V. R., Allan, G. S., Martin, P., Beatty, J. A., & Malik, R. (2005). Feline pyothorax: A retrospective study of 27 cases in Australia. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 7(4), 211-222. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2004.12.004. PMid:16055006.

Barrs, V. R., & Beatty, J. A. (2009). Feline pyothorax – new insights into an old problem: Part 2. Treatment recommendations and prophylaxis. The Veterinary Journal, 179(2), 171-178. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.03.019. PMID: 18485765.

Bauer, A.W., Kirby, W.M., Sherris, J.C. and Turck, M. (1966). Antibiotic susceptibility testing by a standardized single disk method. American Journal of Clinical Pathology, 45(4), 493-496. PMID: 5325707.

Beatty, J., & Barrs, V. (2010). Pleural effusion in the cat: A practical approach to determining aetiology. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 12(9), 693-707. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jfms.2010.07.013. PMid:20800210.

Bonifaz, A., Flores, P., Saúl, A., Carrasco‐Gerard, E., & Ponce, R. M. (2007). Treatment of actinomycetoma due to Nocardia spp. with amoxicillin–clavulanate. British Journal of Dermatology, 156(2), 308-311. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2006.07557.x. PMid:17223871.

Brooks, M. B., Harr, K. E., Seelig, D. M., Wardrop, K. J., & Weiss, D. J. (Eds.). (2022). Schalm’s Veterinary Hematology. Wiley-Blackwell.

Condas, L. A. Z., Ribeiro, M. G., Muro, M. D., de Vargas, A. P., Matsuzawa, T., Yazawa, K., Siqueira, A. K., Salerno, T., Lara, G. H., Risseti, R. M., Ferreira, K. S., & Gonoi, T. (2015). Molecular identification and antimicrobial resistance pattern of seven clinical isolates of Nocardia spp. IN BRAZIL. Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, 57(3), 251-256. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0036-46652015000300012. PMid:26200967.

Epstein, S. E., & Balsa, I. M. (2020). Canine and feline exudative pleural diseases. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 50(2), 467-487. PMid:31813554.

Hofmann-Lehmann, R., & Hartmann, K. (2020). Feline leukaemia virus infection: A practical approach to diagnosis. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 22(9), 831-846. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1098612X20941785. PMid:32845225.

Holland, M., & Hudson, J. (Eds.). (2020). Feline diagnostic imaging. John Wiley & Sons. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/9781118840931.

Javaly, K, Horowitz, H. W., & Wormser, G. P. (1992). Nocardiosis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Report of 2 cases and review of the literature. Medicine, 71(3), 128-138. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00005792-199205000-00003. PMid:1635438.

Lipovan, I., Burlacu, M., Mares, M., & Vulpe, V. (2015). Multiple dermal ulcers in a case of feline nocardial mycetoma. Scientific Works. Series C, Veterinary Medicine (University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Bucharest), 61(2), 139-142.

Malik, R., Krockenberger, M. B., O’Brien, C. R., White, J. D., Foster, D., Tisdall, P. L., Gunew, M., Carr, P. D., Bodell, L., McCowan, C., Howe, J., Oakley, C., Griffin, C., Wigney, D. I., Martin, P., Norris, J., Hunt, G., Mitchell, D. H., & Gilpin, C. (2006). Nocardia infections in cats: A retrospective multi‐institutional study of 17 cases. Australian Veterinary Journal, 84(7), 235-245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.2006.00004.x. PMid:16879126.

Norsworthy, G. D. (Ed.). (2018). The feline patient. John Wiley & Sons.

Silkworth, A., Cavanaugh, R., Bolfa, P., & Becker, A. A. (2019). Cutaneous Pyogranulomas Associated with Nocardia jiangxiensis in a Cat from the Eastern Caribbean. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease, 4(4), 130. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/tropicalmed4040130. PMid:31627308.

Sim, J. J., Lau, S. F., Omar, S., Watanabe, M., & Aslam, M. W. (2021). A retrospective study on bacteriology, clinicopathologic and radiographic features in 28 cats diagnosed with pyothorax. Animals (Basel), 11(8), 2286. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11082286. PMid:34438744.

Souza, H. J. M. (2003). Coletâneas em medicina e cirurgia felina. LF Livros.

Sykes, J. E. (2012). Actinomycosis and Nocardiosis. In J. E. Sykes. Greene’s infectious diseases of the dog and cat (4th ed.). WB Saunders; Elsevier Science.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2023 Juliana de Moraes Intrieri, Gabriela Pereira Salça de Almeida, Isabelle Vilela Bonfim, Fernando Rocha Miranda, Andressa Aparecida Lima Reis, So Yin Nak , Gabriele Bernardo do Amaral, Mario Mendes Bonci, Diefrey Ribeiro Campos