Hepatic Abscesses in Cats: 14 Cases (1985–2002)

Abstract

In this retrospective study, we describe 14 cats diagnosed with hepatic abscesses. The objective of the study was to report the clinical signs, physical examination findings, clinicopathologic findings, and outcomes in affected cats. These findings were then compared with those previously reported in dogs and humans. Clinical signs were vague and included anorexia, lethargy, and weight loss. Only 23% of cats had fever, whereas 31% were hypothermic. Increases in serum activities of alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase were found in 45 and 18%, respectively, of the 11 cats that had laboratory work performed. Abdominal ultrasound examinations were performed in 7 cats, and abnormalities were found in 71% of them. Four cats had solitary abscesses, all of which were located in the right liver lobes. The other 10 cats had multifocal small abscesses or microabscesses, and all of these cats had clinical signs suggestive of sepsis. Cytologic evaluation of samples obtained by abdominocentesis indicated septic inflammation in 67% of cats in which peritoneal fluid was analyzed. Hepatic abscess cultures yielded polymicrobial growth in 66% of the cats: Escherichia coli was the most commonly cultured organism. Overall mortality rate was 79%. All survivors underwent exploratory laparotomy for partial hepatectomy to resect the abscess followed by medical management. Hepatic abscesses should be considered in cats with signs consistent with sepsis. More routine use of ultrasonography may aid in earlier diagnosis of hepatic abscesses, potentially improving prognosis and outcome.

Bacterial Culture Results from Liver, Gallbladder, or Bile in 248 Dogs and Cats Evaluated for Hepatobiliary Disease: 1998–2003

“…Our results support previous observations from smaller case series, 3,4,[6][7][8][9][10]12,13 in which the predominant bacteria isolated from the hepatobiliary system of dogs and cats were of enteric origin. Bacteria that were identified as contaminants in this study primarily were those associated with the skin, mostly coagulase-negative staphylococci, and probably were the result of collectionor specimen-handling contamination.…”

“…A similar list of bacterial isolates has been compiled from cats and dogs diagnosed with a broader range of hepatobiliary diseases. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] However, the overall prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of the different bacterial species cultured has not been evaluated in a large group of cases. Therefore, the purpose of this retrospective study was to characterize the results of biliary and liver cultures from dogs and cats evaluated for hepatobiliary disease at a veterinary teaching hospital, including the prevalence of positive cultures, the identity and antimicrobial susceptibility of common isolates, and clinical predictors of positive bacterial culture results.…”

“…1,2 In veterinary patients, bacteria have been isolated from cases of suppurative cholangitis, hepatic abscesses, cholecystitis, choledochitis, and choleliths. [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] In humans with biliary disease, certain conditions have been associated with a higher incidence of infection, such as cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, previous biliary-tract surgery, or other causes of obstructive jaundice. [14][15][16][17][18] In these studies, the most commonly identified biliary pathogens in human patients are enteric bacteria (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Klebsiella spp., Bacteroides spp., and Clostridium spp).…”

Liver

“…A study in humans compared ultrasound-guided percutaneous catheter drainage with needle aspiration in the management of pyogenic liver abscess. 69 Many of the clinical features and ultrasound findings were similar to those of dogs. 64,65 The hepatic abscesses were often associated with infection of other organs or organ systems, and bacteria were cultured from the abscesses in the majority of cases.…”

Ischaemic distal limb necrosis andKlebsiella pneumoniaeinfection associated with arterial catheterisation in a cat

“…Arterial thrombosis could have been secondary to haematogenous spread of K pneumoniae liberated from the entrapped liver lobes or gall bladder following surgical manipulation. 13,14 This cannot be confirmed because samples of liver were not submitted for bacterial culture.…”