Use of Terbinafine in the Treatment Protocol of Intestinal Cryptococcus neoformans in a Dog

A 2.5 yr old sexually intact male vizsla was admitted to the Iowa State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for persistent diarrhea, weight loss, and panhypoproteinemia. Examination revealed an emaciated condition and melena. Two masses were palpated in the cranial abdomen. Hematology and serum biochemistry exhibited a regenerative anemia and confirmed the presence of panhypoproteinemia, suggestive of a protein-losing eneteropathy. Distinct areas of thickened intestinal wall and enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes were found on abdominal ultrasound. Cytology from those nodes showed the presence of suspected Cryptococcus spp., and infection was confirmed utilizing a cryptococcal antigen titer. Medical therapy with lipid-complexed amphotericin B and fluconazole was unsuccessful. Two surgical procedures were performed to remove the affected areas of intestine and lymph nodes, but the disease persisted as evidenced by a persistently elevated cryptococcal antigen titer. Terbinafine was prescribed, which resulted in complete resolution of clinical signs and a steadily decreasing cryptococcal antigen titer. Very few cases of intestinal cryptococcosis have been reported. In this case, infection resulted in a protein-losing enteropathy. In addition, this article describes the use of terbinafine in the treatment of intestinal cryptococcal infection in the dog, which has not been previously reported.This article is published as Olsen, Gavin L., Krysta L. Deitz, Heather A. Flaherty, Shawn R. Lockhart, Steven F. Hurst, and Joseph S. Haynes. "Use of terbinafine in the treatment protocol of intestinal Cryptococcus neoformans in a dog." Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association 48, no. 3 (2012): 216-220. 10.5326/JAAHA-MS-5813. Posted with permission.</p

Disseminated aspergillosis in a dog due to Aspergillus alabamensis

Disseminated aspergillosis is uncommon in dogs and often associated with Aspergillus terreus. A case of disseminated disease in an English springer spaniel is reported from which Aspergillus alabamensis was recovered by culture and identified by molecular means suggesting a potential role for this agent as a primary pathogen of dogs.This article is published as Burrough, Eric, Krysta Deitz, Joann Kinyon, Claire Andreasen, Timothy Frana, Deanna Sutton, Elizabeth Thompson, Jianmin Fu, Brian Wickes, and Jesse Hostetter. "Disseminated aspergillosis in a dog due to Aspergillus alabamensis." Medical Mycology Case Reports 1, no. 1 (2012): 1-4. DOI: 10.1016/j.mmcr.2012.02.002. Copyright 2012 International Society for Human and Animal Mycology. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) Posted with permission