Evaluation of Coccidioides Antigen Detection in Dogs with Coccidioidomycosis

Kirsch, Emily J.; Greene, Robert L.; Prahl, Annalisa; Rubin, Stanley A.; Sykes, Jane E.; Durkin, Michelle; Wheat, L. Joseph

doi:10.1128/cvi.05631-11

Cited by 25 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Feline serology has less false positives; a clinically unwell cat with serum antibodies at any level is likely to have coccidioidomycosis; but monitoring titers during treatment does not provide definitive evidence that treatment can be discontinued . More recently, an antigen test has become available, which may improve diagnosis . For cases suspected to have neurological coccidioidomycosis but for which antibody and antigen tests are negative or unclear, surgical histology would be central in achieving a firm diagnosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FEATURES AND OUTCOME FOR SOLITARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMCOCCIDIOIDESGRANULOMAS IN 11 DOGS AND CATS

Bentley

Heng

Thompson

et al. 2015

Vet Radiology Ultrasound

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Little published information is available to guide therapy for canine and feline patients with Coccidioides infections involving the central nervous system (CNS). The purpose of this cross-sectional retrospective study was to describe magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and outcome for a group of dogs and cats with solitary CNS Coccidiodes granulomas. Nine canine and two feline cases met inclusion criteria; four diagnosed and treated with surgery and fluconazole and seven diagnosed by serology or cytology and treated medically. Three cases had left Coccidioides endemic areas long before developing neurological disease. The MRI lesions shared many features with neoplastic masses. The extra-axial granulomas often had a lack of a distinct border between the mass and neural parenchyma. Four cases were extra-axial and seven were intra-axial, but distinguishing between extra-axial and intra-axial locations was sometimes challenging. The surgical cases had good outcomes and histology allowed definitive diagnosis. Medically managed patients also had generally good outcomes, with resolution of clinical signs in most cases. Findings indicated that distinction between neoplasia and focal Coccidioides granulomas based on MRI features is likely to be imprecise. Demonstration of the organism by cytology or histology is required for definitive diagnosis. The role of surgery for improving the outcome of brain or spinal coccidioidomycosis granulomas warrants further study.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FEATURES AND OUTCOME FOR SOLITARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMCOCCIDIOIDESGRANULOMAS IN 11 DOGS AND CATS

Bentley

Heng

Thompson

et al. 2015

Vet Radiology Ultrasound

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“…Recently coccidioidal antigen testing has become commercially available, however this test has thus far proven useful only in cases of widely disseminated infection114 and has a poor sensitivity in veterinary samples 115…”

Section: Risk Factors For Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coccidioidomycosis: epidemiology

Thompson¹,

Brown²,

Benedict³

et al. 2013

CLEP

143

106

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Coccidioidomycosis consists of a spectrum of disease, ranging from a mild, self-limited, febrile illness to severe, life-threatening infection. It is caused by the soil-dwelling fungi, Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii, which are present in diverse endemic areas. Climate changes and environmental factors affect the Coccidioides lifecycle and influence infection rates. The incidence of coccidioidomycosis has risen substantially over the past two decades. The vast majority of Coccidioides infections occur in the endemic zones, such as California, Arizona, Mexico, and Central America. Infections occurring outside those zones appear to be increasingly common, and pose unique clinical and public health challenges. It has long been known that elderly persons, pregnant women, and members of certain ethnic groups are at risk for severe or disseminated coccidioidomycosis. In recent years, it has become evident that persons with immunodeficiency diseases, diabetics, transplant recipients, and prisoners are also particularly vulnerable.

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“…The only reported study that used EIA for detection of anti- Coccidioides antibodies in animals other than humans is a report by Catalán-Dibene et al, who developed and field tested an EIA for testing rodents, using a mouse-specific secondary antibody. In addition, Durkin et al developed a Coccidioides antigen EIA that can be applied to multiple host species [25], but a later investigation using this assay in dogs found antigen detection to be an insensitive method as compared to antibody detection [26]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of an enzyme immunoassay for detection of antibodies against Coccidioides in dogs and other mammalian species

et al. 2017

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Coccidioides is a soil-dwelling fungus that causes coccidioidomycosis, a disease also known as Valley fever, which affects humans and a variety of animal species. Recent findings of Coccidioides in new, unexpected areas of the United States have demonstrated the need for a better understanding of its geographic distribution. Large serological studies on animals could provide important information on the geographic distribution of this pathogen. To facilitate such studies, we used protein A/G, a recombinant protein that binds IgG antibodies from a variety of mammalian species, to develop an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) that detects IgG antibodies against Coccidioides in a highly sensitive and high-throughput manner. We showed the potential of this assay to be adapted to multiple animal species by testing a collection of serum and/or plasma samples from dogs, mice, and humans with or without confirmed coccidioidomycosis. We then evaluated the performance of the assay in dogs, using sera from dogs residing in a highly endemic area, and found seropositivity rates significantly higher than those in dogs of non-endemic areas. We further evaluated the specificity of the assay in dogs infected with other fungal pathogens known to cross-react with Coccidioides. Finally, we used the assay to perform a cross-sectional serosurvey investigating dogs from Washington, a state in which infection with Coccidioides has recently been documented. In summary, we have developed a Coccidioides EIA for the detection of antibodies in canines that is more sensitive and has higher throughput than currently available methods, and by testing this assay in mice and humans, we have shown a proof of principle of its adaptability for other animal species.

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Evaluation of Coccidioides Antigen Detection in Dogs with Coccidioidomycosis

Cited by 25 publications

References 9 publications

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FEATURES AND OUTCOME FOR SOLITARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMCOCCIDIOIDESGRANULOMAS IN 11 DOGS AND CATS

MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING FEATURES AND OUTCOME FOR SOLITARY CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEMCOCCIDIOIDESGRANULOMAS IN 11 DOGS AND CATS

Coccidioidomycosis: epidemiology

Development of an enzyme immunoassay for detection of antibodies against Coccidioides in dogs and other mammalian species

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