Autochthonous feline leprosy caused by Mycobacterium sp. strain Tarwin affecting a cat from the Central Coast of New South Wales

Abstract

There was no recurrence of the lesion at the time of writing, 16 months after the surgery. This is the second autochthonous case of feline leprosy caused by M. sp. strain Tarwin originating in New South Wales, Australia.

Feline leprosy due to Candidatus ‘Mycobacterium tarwinense’: Further clinical and molecular characterisation of 15 previously reported cases and an additional 27 cases

“…The two discordant cases were from Lane Cove, Sydney, and the Central Coast of New South Wales (NSW), near Gosford. 37…”

“…The two discordant cases were from Lane Cove, Sydney, and the Central Coast of New South Wales (NSW), near Gosford. 37 Where lifestyle was recorded, all cats had unsupervised outdoor access and many were known hunters and/or fighters. only one cat (case 8) had previous immunosuppressive drug therapy prior to the diagnosis of feline leprosy.…”

Skin as a marker of general feline health: Cutaneous manifestations of infectious disease

“…While select laboratories have been successful in culturing a few species using specialized techniques, this group of mycobacteria are better identified using molecular techniques. 80,[95][96][97][98][99] The geographic distribution of each species is variable, but they tend to be more common in regions with mild maritime climates, including Australia, New Zealand, coastal Europe, Western Canada and the Southwestern United States. [100][101][102][103][104][105] The majority of cases of Candidatus 'M tarwinense', M lepraemurium and Candidatus 'M lepraefelis' have been reported from Australia and New Zealand.…”

In this issue August 2016

“…5 Lead toxicity is relatively uncommon in dogs and cats, and it can be a difficult condition to diagnose without significant clinical suspicion. Blood tests and imaging showed metarubricytosis in dog 1 but not dog 2.…”

“…Awareness of lead toxicity as a potential cause of proximal renal tubular dysfunction offers another tool to assist clinicians in the diagnostic process. 5 Lead toxicity is relatively uncommon in dogs and cats, and it can be a difficult condition to diagnose without significant clinical suspicion. Neither the owner nor the clinician may consider lead ingestion as a concern, especially where owners have not seen ingestion occur.…”