TREATMENT OF MYCOTIC RHINOSINUSITIS IN A BENNETT'S WALLABY ( MACROPUS RUFOGRISEUS) USING TOPICAL VORICONAZOLE SUSPENDED IN A REVERSE THERMODYNAMIC PLURONIC GEL.

An approximately 4-yr-old female Bennett's wallaby ( Macropus rufogriseus) was evaluated for chronic left-sided facial swelling and nasal discharge. Computed tomography, endoscopy, biopsy, mycologic culture, and panfungal polymerase chain reaction were consistent with destructive mycotic rhinosinusitis. The patient's infection was treated with a long-term injectable antibiotic, oral antifungal therapy, and multiple intranasal infusions of voriconazole suspended in a reverse thermodynamic pluronic gel. This case represents the first documented case of mycotic rhinosinusitis in a macropod and underlines the importance of advanced cross-sectional imaging in the diagnosis, monitoring, and management of nasal cavity disease in zoo animals.

CALVARIAL OSTEOSARCOMA WITH CEREBRAL COMPRESSION IN A FREE-RANGING POWERFUL OWL (NINOX STRENUA).

A free-ranging powerful owl (Ninox strenua) presented in a dull state with extensive bruising of the skin overlying the skull, due to suspected trauma. Supportive care was provided, which resulted in the return to a normal state, although intermittent subtle neurologic abnormalities remained. One month from original presentation, intermittent episodes of head turning and a possible seizure were noted, but behavior and appetite were otherwise normal. The owl was referred to Taronga Wildlife Hospital for evaluation. On presentation, the owl exhibited severe neurologic abnormalities, prompting euthanasia. At necropsy the dorsum of the skull exhibited marked osseous proliferation, extending ventrally and compressing the cerebrum. The skull was radiographed and submitted for histopathology. A diagnosis of osteoblastic osteosarcoma was made. This is the first report of a calvarial osteosarcoma in a powerful owl.

Surgical management of vertebral malformation in a Manx cat.

A 15-week-old Manx kitten was presented for evaluation of progressive hind limb paresis and ataxia. Spinal radiographs and computed tomography revealed a malformation of T3 causing thoracic spinal cord compression. Decompressive surgery consisting of dorsal laminectomy, without vertebral stabilisation, resulted in improvement of clinical signs.

Feline pyothorax: a retrospective study of 27 cases in Australia.

Pyothorax was diagnosed in 27 cats between 1983 and 2002. In 21 (78%) of the cases, pleural fluid culture and/or cytology was consistent with a mixed anaerobic bacterial infection of oropharyngeal origin. In six cases (22%), infection was caused by unusual pathogens or pathogens of non-oropharyngeal origin, including a Mycoplasma species, Cryptococcus gattii, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Staphylococcus aureus. The overall mortality rate was 22%. Treatment was successful in 18 of 19 cases (95%) where closed thoracostomy tubes were inserted. One case resolved only after thoracotomy. Actinomyces species were isolated in three cases and in contrast to dogs where thoracotomy is recommended, they were resolved with tube thoracostomy. Mechanical complications occurred in 58% of the cats with indwelling chest tubes. Probable mechanisms of pleural space infection were identified in 18 cats (67%) including haematogenous infection (n=1), direct inoculation of bacteria into the pleural space (n=1), intrathoracic oesophageal rupture (n=1) and parapneumonic extension of infection (n=15; 56%). Of the latter, perioperative aspiration was suspected in two cats, parasitic migration in two and antecedent upper respiratory tract infection was implicated in seven. Parapneumonic spread of infection after colonisation and invasion of lung tissue by oropharyngeal flora appears to be the most frequent cause of feline anaerobic polymicrobial pyothorax and contests the widespread belief that direct inoculation of pleural cavity by bite wounds is more common.

Polyostotic hyperostosis in a domestic shorthair cat.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION: An 11-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented for investigation of weight loss and inappetence. On physical examination there was palpable enlargement and thickening of many bones, and this finding was confirmed radiographically. PROPOSED DIAGNOSIS: Based on clinical, radiological and histopathological findings, a polyostotic bone disease, best described as generalised idiopathic hyperostosis, was diagnosed. This condition has not been reported in cats previously. Canine and human diseases with similarities to this presentation are discussed.

Vitamin D-dependent non-type 1, non-type 2 rickets in a 3-month-old Cornish Rex kitten.

UNLABELLED: CASE PRESENTATION AND ASSESSMENT: A 3-month-old female Cornish Rex kitten was found to have non-painful swelling of the carpal and tarsal regions when presented for routine neutering. The kitten was smaller in stature and less active than its siblings and, according to the owner, had a bunny-hopping gait, was reluctant to climb stairs and strained during defecation. Radiography of the affected limbs and a subsequent radiographic survey of the entire skeleton demonstrated features consistent with rickets. The three littermates were clinically and radiographically normal. As a nutritionally complete diet was being fed, it seemed most likely that the kitten had an inborn error related to vitamin D metabolism. Serum biochemistry demonstrated reduced total alkaline phosphatase activity and increased concentrations of parathyroid hormone. Concentrations of 1,25- and 25-hydroxycholecalciferol were markedly reduced, confirming the diagnosis of rickets. TREATMENT: The kitten was treated with calcitriol, administered orally once daily, and improved rapidly both clinically and radiologically. Serial laboratory studies suggested that the error in vitamin D metabolism was transient, and, at the time of writing, as an adult, the cat appears to require no ongoing replacement calcitriol therapy. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This case emphasises the value of examining a full 'calcium profile' via a human or veterinary reference laboratory, and a favourable prognosis in some kittens with rickets makes such investigations worthwhile. Even when finances preclude detailed investigation, trial therapy using a nutritionally complete diet and physiological doses of calcitriol or cholecalciferol is inexpensive and can produce a good response.

Concurrent infection with Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii species complex and Mycobacterium avium affecting the subcutis and bone of a pelvic limb in a cat.

This paper describes a cat with severe localised infections with Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii species complex and Mycobacterium avium affecting the subcutis and underlying fascia and bone of the right pelvic limb. The simultaneous isolation of both pathogens in this patient was unexpected and posed unique issues concerning both diagnosis and clinical management. The aetiopathogenesis of this infection is discussed in relation to aspects of diagnosis and therapy.

Synovial osteochondroma involving the elbow of a cat.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 12-year-old spayed domestic crossbred cat presented because she would not walk down stairs. A firm swelling on the medial aspect of the elbow was detected during physical examination. The lesion was not hot or painful on palpation and the lameness was mild, but the elbow had a reduced range of motion compared with the contralateral limb. DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT: Plain radiographs, physical findings, the appearance of the lesion at surgery and histopathological examination of biopsy specimens suggested the mass was a synovial osteochondroma arising from synovial membrane near the medial portion of the elbow joint. Resection of the lesion improved the cat's mobility and overall clinical status. At the time of writing, the cat continued to do well 18 months following surgery and was receiving standard doses of meloxicam for the concurrent elbow osteoarthritis. PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Practitioners should be alert to the possibility of this benign entity. Misdiagnosis as a chondrosarcoma, for example, might conceivably lead to radical and unnecessary amputation.