Pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Beijing strain) infection in a stray dog : clinical communication

Abstract

<em>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</em> infection in dogs is rarely reported and has not previously been documented in South Africa. A case of a stray Maltese crossbreed dog with extensive multifocal pulmonary tuberculosis due to M. tuberculosis is described. Pulmonary granulomas in this case were poorly encapsulated and contained large numbers of acid-fast bacteria, highlighting the potential for infected companion animals to excrete the pathogen. Treatment of canine tuberculosis is generally not advised, and for this reason, euthanasia of diseased animals must be advocated in most instances. Physicians and veterinarians must be aware that companion animals with active disease caused by M. tuberculosis could act as a potential source of infection

Pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection with giant tubercle formation in a dog: a case report

“…Some of these clinical signs include non-productive coughing, weight loss, pyrexia, dyspnoea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and anorexia. Further, infected dogs can remain subclinical for long periods of time (Gay et al 2000;Hackendahl et al 2004;Turinelli et al 2004;Parsons et al 2008). As is characteristic of TB, it was difficult to determine the approximate time of exposure or onset of infection in this dog.…”

“…Cytological and histopathological examinations are useful for detecting rod-shaped, negative-staining bacilli on routine stains or acid-fast bacilli on Ziehl-Neelsen staining (Gay et al 2000;Hackendahl et al 2004;Parsons et al 2008;Martinho et al 2013). Definitive diagnosis of mycobacterial organisms and species can be made using bacterial culture, and molecular genetic techniques such as PCR or restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (Hackendahl et al 2004;Parsons et al 2008;Martinho et al 2013;Engelmann et al 2014).…”

“…Among them, thoracic involvement with tubercle formation is the type most frequently observed with TB infections in dogs because M. tuberculosis requires a high oxygen concentration for replication and survival (Gay et al 2000;Engelmann et al doi: 10.17221/8724-VETMED 2014). Pleurisy and pleural effusion may also develop concurrently and in association with pulmonary TB infection (Gay et al 2000;Turinelli et al 2004;Sykes et al 2007;Parsons et al 2008). However, the formation of giant tubercles in the thoracic cavity, and a comparison of different types of pleural effusion with pulmonary TB have not been described yet in veterinary medicine.…”

“…According to previous reports in the 1980s, M. tuberculosis was responsible for approximately 75% of reported canine mycobacterium infections caused by close contact with an infected human (Foster et al 1986). However, only a few case reports of canine M. tuberculosis infection have been reported within the past 10 years (Sykes et al 2007;Parsons et al 2008;Martinho et al 2013;Engelmann et al 2014). …”

“…Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease in humans and animals and has a wide range of hosts (Gay et al 2000;Hackendahl et al 2004;Turinelli et al 2004;Sykes et al 2007;Parsons et al 2008;Posthaus et al 2011;Martinho et al 2013;Engelmann et al 2014). TB is caused by members of the mycobacterium TB complex that includes M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. microti, M. canettii, M. africanum, and M. pinnipedii, all of which form tubercles.…”