Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
A rare case of feline congenital Toxoplasma gondii infection: fatal outcome of systemic toxoplasmosis for the mother and its kitten.
- Journal:
- Berliner und Munchener tierarztliche Wochenschrift
- Year:
- 2013
- Authors:
- Atmaca, Hasan Tarik et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Pathology
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This report discusses a tragic case involving a 2.5-year-old mixed breed pregnant cat who suffered from a severe infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can be transmitted from mother to kittens. The cat was taken to a veterinary clinic because she was having difficulty giving birth. An ultrasound showed that she was carrying five kittens, but three of them had already died. After a cesarean section was performed, the mother cat and the two surviving kittens sadly passed away shortly after. Tests confirmed that the mother cat had a serious infection in her lungs and liver due to the parasite, indicating that the infection was likely passed to the kittens before they were born. Unfortunately, this case highlights the severe risks associated with congenital toxoplasmosis in cats, and it ended fatally for both the mother and her kittens.
Abstract
This report describes a case of fatal systemic toxoplasmosis in a 2.5-year-old mixed breed pregnant cat and its kittens. The pregnant cat was presented to the gynecology clinic with symptoms of dystocia. The ultrasound examination revealed the presence of five fetuses in the uterus, three of which were not alive, and consequently a cesarean section was performed. However, the mother cat and the remaining two live kittens died two and ten days after cesarean section, respectively. Pathologically, severe alveolar edema, tachyzoite-like structures in the alveolar macrophages and multifocal necroses in the lungs of mother cat were observed. An intense Toxoplasma gondii immunopositive reaction was observed in the cytoplasms of alveolar macrophages, bronchial and bronchiolar epithelia, necrotic foci in the lungs, and Kupffer cells of the liver. PCR analyses amplified T. gondii DNA in tissue samples of the mother cat and kittens. The present study provides strong evidence for a transplacental transmission of T. gondii infection with deadly outcome for the mother cat, fetuses and kittens. As to the authors' knowledge, this report is the first case of fatal congenital toxoplasmosis in domestic cats in Turkey.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23758036/