Successful medical treatment of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae‐ induced lumbosacral diskospondylitis in a dog

Abstract

THE lumbosacral disc is a common site for the settlement of local or systemic bacterial infections, leading to lumbosacral diskospondylitis (Gilmore 1987, Burkert and others 2005). More commonly isolated organisms include Staphylococcus species, Brucella canis, Streptococcus species and Escherichia coli; additional less common organisms include Pasteurella multocida, Actinomyces viscosus, Nocardia species, Mycobacterium avium, Proteus species and corynebacterium species (Betbeze and McLaughlin 2002, Burkert and others 2005). In human medicine, pyogenic vertebral osteomyelitis is mainly due to Streptococcus aureus, followed by E coli, coagulase-negative staphylococci and Propionibacterium acnes (Zimmerli 2010). Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is rarely recognised as zoonotic agent of osteomyelitis in immunodeficient patients but it is easily treatable. Whereas this organism is a very important pathogen in pigs, where acute disease is characterised by sudden death or general signs of septicaemia, the subacute form is characterised by classical diamond-skin light pink to reddish lesions or a chronic form can result with signs of local arthritis or proliferative pathological changes in the heart (Wang and others 2010). To the authors' knowledge, E rhusiopathiae has only been described in three fatal canine cases, of which two dogs had diskospondylitis as part of the disease (Houlton and Jefferies 1989, Burkert and others 2005, Seelig and others 2010). The present case report illustrates the clinical and radiological features; diagnostic procedure, clinical cure and longterm clinical follow-up of a dog diagnosed with E rhusiopathiae-induced lumbosacral diskospondylitis.The dog, a 13-year-old-male labrador retriever, was presented to the Neurology Service of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zurich for a second opinion about a long-term problem in failure to jump and walk normally. The dog had been living in Ibiza, Spain, since it was born where it was regularly vaccinated, dewormed and during the warm season was wearing a deltamehtrin-based collar to reduce the risk of Phlebotomus bites. Since two months before presentation the dog had shown apathetic behaviour, progressive worsening of difficulties to walk normally and jump into the car, with occasional tenesmus and uncontrollable pain during petting the lumbosacral area. At clinical examination, the dog was apathetic, febrile (40.3°C) and panting, the mucous membranes were mildly reddish and the heart rate was 150 bpm. The heart auscultation was mildly arrhythmic without murmurs. The dog had no neurological deficits, however, he showed pain on palpation of the caudal abdomen and in the lumbosacral area as well as pain upon extension of the hips (lordosis test) and trans-rectal palpation of the ventral aspect of the sacrum. On rectal palpation, the prostate was moderately enlarged but not painful. Lumbosacral disease was clinically suspected and an infectious cause was presumed; degenerative, neuropathic or neoplastic disease ...

C‐reactive protein in dogs with suspected bacterial diskospondylitis: 16 cases (2010–2019)

“…Diskospondylitis is infection of the intervertebral disc and the adjacent endplates of the vertebral bodies, most commonly bacterial,1–6 but can also be associated with fungal disease,7 that reaches the site most commonly by haematogenous spread, but can also be via migrating foreign body, penetrating wound or surgery 8. The dense capillary bed of the vertebral endplate8 9 is the hypothesised site for septic emboli to lodge and facilitate infection, with the urinary tract, skin and heart considered the most likely primary sites of infection 8.…”

Preclinical models of vertebral osteomyelitis and associated infections: Current models and recommendations for study design

“…Reports of infections caused by Salmonella , Bacteroides spp., Bordetella spp., Pasteurella multocida , and Proteus spp. have also been recorded 62‐66 . Fungal species were also identified in discospondylitis in dogs, such as Aspergillus terreus 67 .…”

“…have also been recorded. [62][63][64][65][66] Fungal species were also identified in discospondylitis in dogs, such as Aspergillus terreus. 67 Scedosporium apiospermum infection, an eutrophic filamentous fungus, has been recorded in a canine case report of osteomyelitis and discospondylitis.…”