Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Four cats with fungal rhinitis.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2005
- Authors:
- Whitney, Beth L et al.
- Affiliation:
- Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center · United States
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
In this study, four cats were diagnosed with a rare condition called fungal rhinitis, which is an infection in the nose caused by fungi. The cats showed symptoms like nosebleeds, sneezing, thick nasal discharge, and bulging eyes. Brachycephalic breeds, which have short noses, seem to be more likely to develop this condition. The cats underwent imaging tests and procedures to help confirm the diagnosis, but some tests could give misleading results. They were treated with a medication called itraconazole, but if the treatment was stopped too soon, their symptoms came back. Overall, the treatment worked, but careful management is important to avoid complications.
Abstract
Fungal rhinitis is uncommon in the cat and cases of nasal aspergillosis-penicilliosis have been rarely reported. Signs of fungal rhinitis include epistaxis, sneezing, mucopurulent nasal discharge and exophthalmos. Brachycephalic feline breeds seem to be at increased risk for development of nasal aspergillosis-penicilliosis. Computed tomography (CT) imaging and rhinoscopy are useful in assessing the extent of the disease and in obtaining diagnostic samples. Fungal culture may lead to false negative or positive results and must be used in conjunction with other diagnostic tests. Serological testing was not useful in two cats tested. The cats in this study were treated with oral itraconazole therapy. When itraconazole therapy was discontinued prematurely, clinical signs recurred. Hepatotoxicosis is a possible sequel to itraconazole therapy.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15686974/