Objectives Dermatophytosis, commonly known as ringworm, is a superficial fungal skin disease and zoonosis. Pythium oligandrum is a micromycete with mycoparasitic properties that is used in agriculture to control fungal infections on plants. Formulations containing P oligandrum were also developed for the treatment of dermatophytoses, but only a small number of case studies have been published. In order to document the process in simplified conditions in vitro, we investigated the effectiveness of P oligandrum against three pathogenic dermatophytes common in domestic animals. Methods Cultures of the pathogens grown on nutrient media and experimentally infected cat hair were treated with P oligandrum preparations in therapeutic concentration and the changes were documented by microscopic videos and scanning electron microscopy. Results There was strong mycoparasitic activity of P oligandrum against Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Conclusions and relevance P oligandrum was demonstrated to be effective against three common causes of dermatophytosis in vitro.
A 6-month-old kitten, male, domestic shorthair cat was presented with dwarfism, ocular and nasal discharge, and Ascaris infestation. Congenital hyposomatotropism was diagnosed on the basis of serum level of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I). The cat was treated with human recombinant growth hormone for 9 weeks. After that, his liver enzymes became elevated, and the therapy was discontinued. His IGF-I levels were normal at the end of the therapy. Normal IGF-I was present 3 months after discontinuation of therapy with human recombinant growth hormone and even half a year after the discontinuation. All other comorbidities were addressed with the therapy. The cat is now the size of normal cats, living with the first author.
Background Cilia-associated respiratory bacillus (CARB; now known as Filobacterium rodentium gen. nov., sp. nov.) is a primary pathogen of rodents. A CARB-like organism was reported in post-mortem lung samples of cats using light and electron microscopy. Here we explore by molecular procedures if a Filobacterium sp. is a part of the normal feline lower respiratory microbiome and whether it could in some cats contribute to the development of chronic bronchial disease. Methodology A Filobacterium sp. was identified in three Czech cats clinically diagnosed as having chronic neutrophilic bronchitis. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) specimens obtained from these cats were subjected to panbacterial 16S rDNA PCR followed by Sanger sequencing of the V5 to V8 region. After these cats were treated with specific antimicrobials, their clinical signs resolved promptly, without recurrence. Next, BALF specimens from 13 Australian and 11 Italian cats with lower respiratory disease and an additional 16 lung samples of Italian cats who died of various causes were examined using next generation sequencing (NGS). Subsequently, a Filobacterium-specific qPCR assay was developed and used to re-test BALF specimens from the 11 Italian cats and lung tissue homogenates from the additional 16 deceased cats. Principal findings An amplicon of 548 bp with 91.24% sequence agreement with Filobacterium rodentium was obtained from all three patients, suggesting the novel Filobacterium sp. was the cause of their lower respiratory disease. The novel Filobacterium sp., which we propose to call F. felis, was detected in 3/3 Czech cats with chronic neutrophilic bronchitis, 13/13 Australian cats and 6/11 Italian cats with chronic lower respiratory disease, and 14/16 necropsy lung specimens from Italian cats. NGS and qPCR results all showed identical sequences. The Filobacterium sp. was sometimes the preponderant bacterial species in BALF specimens from cats with lower airway disease. There was an association between the presence of large numbers (greater than 105 organisms/mL) of Filobacterium and the presence of neutrophilic and/or histiocytic inflammation, although only a subset of inflammatory BALF specimens had F. felis as the preponderant organism. Conclusion The novel Filobacterium sp. comprises a finite part of the normal feline lower respiratory microbiome. Under certain circumstances it can increase in absolute and relative abundance and give rise to neutrophilic and/or histiocytic bronchitis, bronchiolitis and bronchopneumonia. These findings strongly suggest that F. felis could be an underdiagnosed cause of feline bronchial disease.
Although domestic cats are one of the most popular companion animals, current knowledge on the fate of micronutrients in cats according to their age, sex, and health is very limited. In this study, 72 whole blood and 54 plasma samples from cats of different ages and sex were collected at three veterinary offices in the Czech Republic, and the copper (Cu), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) concentrations were determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The results showed that Cu was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in both plasma and whole blood of males (980 and 958 μg L−1 in plasma and whole blood, respectively) than in females (741 and 766 μg L−1 in plasma and whole blood, respectively), whereas no significant differences between males and females were found for Se and Zn. Similarly, no significant differences were recorded for any of the three elements according to age, although animals older than 7 years tended to have lower plasma concentrations of all three elements. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is one of the most prevalent diseases of domestic cats. The potential relationship between the essential microelement status in the blood of cats with HCM vs. cats with no clinical signs of HCM was taken into account, but the limited number of HCM-positive individuals did not allow any clear conclusion. Thus, the potential relationships between micronutrient status in cats and the incidence of HCM should be elucidated in further research.
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