Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Thoracic and abdominal blastomycosis in a horse.
- Journal:
- Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Year:
- 1999
- Authors:
- Toribio, R E et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Quarter Horse mare was brought in because she was very tired, had a fever, and had lost weight over the past month. The vet found that her lung sounds were reduced in certain areas, and ultrasound showed fluid buildup in her chest and abdomen. Blood tests showed several abnormalities, and X-rays revealed signs of infection in her lungs along with an abscess. Although they tried to treat her, the tests confirmed she had a serious fungal infection called blastomycosis, and sadly, the decision was made to euthanize her.
Abstract
A 5-year-old Quarter Horse mare was examined because of lethargy, fever, and weight loss of 1 month's duration. Thoracic auscultation revealed decreased lung sounds cranioventrally. Thoracic ultrasonography revealed bilateral anechoic areas with hyperechoic strands, consistent with pleural effusion and fibrin tags. A large amount of free fluid was evident during abdominal ultrasonography. Abnormalities included anemia, hyperproteinemia, hyperglobulinemia, hyperfibrinogenemia, and hypoalbuminemia. Thoracic radiography revealed alveolar infiltrates in the cranial and caudoventral lung fields. A cavitary mass, consistent with an abscess, could be seen caudodorsal to the crura of the diaphragm. Ultrasonographic evaluation of this area revealed a hypoechoic mass with septations. Bilateral thoracocentesis was performed. Bacterial culture of the pleural fluid did not yield growth, but Blastomyces dermatitidis was isolated from pleural fluid, abdominal fluid, and an aspirate of the abscess. The mare was euthanatized, and a diagnosis of thoracic and abdominal blastomycosis was confirmed at necropsy.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10319179/