Pyogenic Ventriculitis and Ventricular Empyema associated with Staphylococcus pseudintermedius in a Puppy.

A 40-day-old male, blue heeler puppy with hindlimb ataxia, nystagmus, apathy, motor incoordination and hyperaesthesia of the forelimbs died 3 days after the onset of clinical signs. Significant gross findings included cerebellar herniation, cerebral oedema and dilation of the third and right lateral cerebral ventricles due to the accumulation of a purulent exudate. Histopathological examination revealed pyogenic ventriculitis and purulent meningoencephalitis. Pure colonies of a coagulase-positive Staphylococcus were isolated from the purulent cerebral exudate. A polymerase chain reaction assay that targeted the 16S rRNA gene of bacteria amplified the desired product from bacterial colonies. Direct sequencing revealed the organism to be Staphylococcus pseudintermedius. Phylogenetic analyses showed that the organism was antigenically similar to Staphylococcus intermedius and Staphylococcus delphini, being part of the S. intermedius group of bacteria. These findings confirmed the participation of S. pseudintermedius in the development of the pathological manifestations and lesions observed in this puppy.

Pneumonia due to Talaromyces marneffei in a Dog from Southern Brazil with Concomitant Canine Distemper Virus Infection.

The pathological and molecular findings associated with Talaromyces marneffei-induced pneumonia with concomitant infection by canine distemper virus (CDV) are described in a dog. The principal pathological alteration occurred in the lungs. Histopathology confirmed multifocal granulomatous pneumonia associated with numerous intralesional and intracellular septate fission cells consistent with T. marneffei. A molecular assay designed to amplify a partial fragment of the 18S rRNA gene of T. marneffei provided positive results from two fungal cultures derived from the lung. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the results of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Furthermore, antigens of the CDV N protein were identified within the bronchial epithelium by immunohistochemistry and a PCR assay amplified the CDV N gene from hepatic and pulmonary fragments. Collectively, the pathological and molecular techniques confirmed a diagnosis of T. marneffei-induced pneumonia with concomitant infection by CDV. These findings represent the first description of pulmonary penicilliosis in the dog and extend the geographical niche of this emerging infectious pathogen. In this case, infection by CDV may have induced immunosuppression, which facilitated the development of pulmonary penicilliosis.