Systemic Trichosporon loubieri infection in a cat

Abstract

Brief CommunicationTrichosporon is a genus of yeast-like anamorphic fungi with distinct morphological features of true mycelium that forms arthroconidia. 15 These organisms are not considered primary pathogens and are widely distributed in the environment, normally inhabiting the cutaneous, oral, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and reproductive tract of humans and other animals. 7,19 To date, there are 50 reported species of Trichosporon classified within different clades; only 15 species are of potential medical interest.7 Infection and clinical disease in humans is typically superficial and mild in immunocompetent individuals, but systemic and fatal in immunocompromised patients. 7In addition, allergic pneumonia has been attributed to inhalation of Trichosporon arthroconidia from the environment during the summer in Japan.2 In veterinary medicine, multiple species of Trichosporon have been associated with clinical disease, including dermatitis, rhinitis, and cystitis in cats, 9,12,17 meningoencephalitis in dogs, 5 mastitis in cattle, 8,11 and dermatitis in horses and nonhuman primates.14 Our study describes a case of systemic T. loubieri infection in an 8-year-old Domestic Longhair cat that was presented to a private clinic because of acute dyspnea, anorexia, and aggressiveness. No history of Feline immunodeficiency virus and Feline leukemia virus infection was available, but the cat had never been vaccinated. Thoracic radiographs and ultrasound revealed a possible diaphragmatic hernia and diffuse pleural effusion, respectively. The cat was placed under general anesthesia and subjected to a brief exploratory laparotomy. No diaphragmatic hernia was detected, but 2 ulcerative lesions were noted in the abdominal skin during surgery. Thoracic fluid was removed by thoracocentesis, and additional radiographs revealed multiple thoracic nodules, suggesting a possible lymphoma or granulomatous disease. The cat was discharged after recovery from anesthesia and prescribed cefovecin, buprenorphine, and furosemide, but re-presented a week later with severe dyspnea. Cytological examination of impression smears obtained from the thoracic effusion after a new thoracocentesis revealed scattered neutrophils and macrophages. Multiple other ulcerative lesions were also observed over the left aspect of the neck, right and left thorax, and abdomen (Fig. 1). Dyspnea persisted for an additional week, and other cutaneous lesions were found. Multiple punch biopsies and a swab sample were taken from the cutaneous lesions for histologic examination and culture, respectively. Biopsy samples were received immersed in 10% neutral buffered formalin, and were routinely processed for histology Abstract. Our study describes a case of systemic Trichosporon loubieri infection in a cat with acute dyspnea, anorexia, and aggressiveness. Physical examination revealed multiple ulcerative cutaneous lesions on the abdomen, neck, and thorax. Thoracic radiographs and ultrasound showed multiple mediastinal nodules and marked pleural effusion, respectively. ...

Identification, Genotyping, and Pathogenicity ofTrichosporonspp. Isolated from Giant Pandas

“…The 29 isolates of Trichosporon spp. were identified as belonging to 11 species, namely, T. laibachii (4 strains), T. gracile (1), T. brassicae (1), T. domesticum (1), T. guehoae (3), T. asteroides (5), T. jirovecii (5), T. cutaneum (1), T. shinodae (1), T. middelhovenii (3), and T. moniliiforme (4). T. jirovecii and T. asteroides were the commonest species (17%, 5/29).…”

“…asahii(19-24), but few mentions of other Trichosporon spp. (6, 25). However, there have been reports that some animals are susceptible to rare Trichosporon spp.…”

“…However, there have been reports that some animals are susceptible to rare Trichosporon spp. (25-27). Because the phylogenetic relationship between Trichosporon spp.…”

“…In recent years, reports of trichosporosis in animals have increased. Some cases in animals have been reported in the last decade, such as disseminated trichosporosis in cats(5), canine meningitis(6), and tortoise shell infection(7). A study described a case of systemic infection by T. loubieri in a cat with acute dyspnea, anorexia, and aggressive behavior; a cutaneous biopsy from ulcerated wounds revealed necrogranulomatous dermatitis and panniculitis with numerous intralesional fungal hyphae(5).…”

Full-length ITS1 Genes Amplicon Analysis of Gut Mycobiome Using Nanopore Flongle Sequencing Reveals Unique Fungal Communities between Indoor and Outdoor Felines in Malaysia

“…They can cause super cial, deep-seated and life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients, but rarely within animals [42], [43]. Multiple species of Trichosporon are associated with clinical diseases, such as nasal granuloma formation and systemic fungal infection which has been reported in cats and other animals [44], [45]. Similarly, while the Candida genus is another natural micro ora found in the gut, mouth and skin of animals and humans, it can lead to various health problems in individuals with compromised immune systems [46].…”