Toxoplasma gondii spinal granuloma in a cat.

Case summary: A 7-year-old female spayed domestic shorthair cat was presented with a history of progressive pelvic limb ataxia. A CT scan of the thoracic spine identified an extradural, left lateralised and compressive soft tissue mass at the level of T9. A decompressive hemilaminectomy at the level of T8-T10 and tissue sampling of the mass were performed. Histopathological examination revealed a parasite granuloma caused by Toxoplasma gondii infection. Postoperatively, the cat improved consistently, but mild left pelvic limb lameness remained. At 5 weeks, a recheck CT scan showed a small, enhancing soft tissue lesion in the left epidural space at T9, causing a mild left lateral compression of the spinal cord. After 9 months, the cat acutely deteriorated neurologically and was euthanased without postmortem examination. Relevance and novel information: To our knowledge, this is the first report of a T gondii spinal granuloma in a cat. Such a granuloma should be considered as a differential in cats with evidence of an extradural soft tissue mass.

Tuberculosis in a pet ferret (Mustela putorius furo).

A 9-month old pet ferret was presented to a veterinarian with symptoms of weight loss, apathy, and hyporexia. Explorative laparotomy identified a firm mass of approximately 2 × 2 × 2 cm in size in the mesentery of the jejunum. Because of the poor general condition and the unfavorable prognosis, the ferret was euthanized during surgery. The mass was resected in total and submitted to histological examination which revealed a granulomatous and necrotizing lymphadenitis. Acid fast bacteria were detected by Fite-Faraco staining leading to the suspicion of an infection with Mycobacteria sp. PCR confirmed presence of DNA of members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, subsequently specified as M. bovis. The detected spoligotype SB2548 was described for the first time. Ferrets are presented to veterinarians with increasing frequency because of their growing popularity as pet animals. Since these animals are highly susceptible to mycobacterial infections, mycobacteriosis and especially zoonotic relevant tuberculosis should be considered as differential diagnosis.

[Nephroblastoma in a 2-year-old female dog]. / Nephroblastom bei einer 2-jährigen Hündin.

An intact female 2-year-old boxer presented with polydipsia, polyuria, and decreased feed intake. Palpation of the abdomen was painful. Sonography revealed an abdominal mass of the left kidney causing displacement of the organs located in the cranial and mid-abdomen. Dimen sion and invasiveness of the process were evaluated both by contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Histopathological examination of a biopsy sample revealed a nephroblastoma. The case report describes the clinical, sonographic, and computed tomographic results and the outcome in the untreated dog over a period of 5 months.

Localized cowpox infection in a 5-month-old Rottweiler.

Cowpox virus (CPXV) infections are a sporadic cause of localized or disseminated skin disease in domestic animals and humans in Europe. Rodents are considered the primary reservoir host for CPXV. Cats can become infected by close contact with rodents and are the most important source of human infections. Recently, public awareness has also been drawn to CPXV infections by an outbreak of rat to human infections in central Europe. In dogs, CPXV infections are rare. Here we report a case of a 5-month-old Rottweiler with a focal nodule on the muzzle. The lesion was fully excised, and recovery was uneventful. The preliminary diagnosis of a CPXV infection was established by the characteristic inclusion bodies on histopathological examination. The diagnosis was confirmed by electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sequencing of the PCR product led to a 231 bp sequence of the orthopoxvirus HA gene that was identical to a CPXV strain previously isolated from a cat. This is the third documented case of a canine CPXV infection.