Nodular Diseases Flashcards
What causes a nodule or draining lesion?**
- Infectious
- Neoplastic
- STerile
What are skin nodules?
- Circumscribed solid elevations
Where can nodules be located?
- Epidermis
- Dermis
- SC tissue
What does it mean to be adnexal?
- Attached to a hair follicle
When to worry based on history about a nodule?
- When did you first notice the lesion?
- Any changes?
- Rate of growth (remember your signalment too!)
Physical findings that might suggest a nodule isn’t benign
- Poor margins
- Depth of lesion
- Systemic signs
- Manipulation alters the lesion
- Location on the body
Things to observe about a nodule:
- Location on body
- Location within the skin
- Alopecic or haired
- Is the surface ulcerated?
- What are the margins like? (Obvious transition between normal and abnormal skin or blurred?)
- Remember to consider your signalment (age, breed, sex)
WHen to worry based on cytologic findings about a nodule?
- Mitoses
- Hemorrhagic aspirate
Basic diagnostics for nodules
- FNA/cytology
- Histopathology
- Culture from biopsy (bacterial, fungal, mycobacterial)
He recommends taking a sample for FNA then for biopsy and culture at the same time)
What on cytology suggests infection?
- Pyogranulomatous inflammation
How do you diagnose sterile disease?
- Exclude infection and neoplasia
What are more common bacterial causes of single nodules?
- Staphylococcus
- Mycobacteria
- Nocardia/Actinomycosis
Clinical signs of staphylococcus
- Furunculosis
- Botryomycosis (chronic bacterial disease)
Etiology of canine leproid granuloma?
- Mycobacteria CLG
- Novel mycobacterial species that do not grow using standard methods
Where are lesions restricted with canine leproid granuloma?
- Head and pinnae
Diagnosis of canine leproid granuloma
- Demonstration of acid fast organisms on histopathology or cytology
Appearance of acral lick dermatitis?
- Raised ulcerated firm mass over the distal extremity
What causes acral lick dermatitis?
- Chronic licking
What breeds get acral lick dermatitis?
- Large breed dogs
Two rules of acral lick dermatitis?
- ALWAYS INFECTED
2. Secondary to something
Inciting causes of acral lick dermatitis?
- Allergies**
- infection
- Prior surgery
- Foreign body
- Arthritis
- Previous trauma
- Neoplasia
- Behavioral
Diagnosis of acral lick dermatitis?
- Scrape (demodicosis is a rule out)
- Cytology –> biopsy
- Culture (from biopsy; poor man’s culture is to prep with chlorhexidine, rinse with saline and squeeze contents)
- Radiography
- Look for an underlying cause!!**
Treatment of acral lick dermatitis
- Treat underlying infection with 4-6 weeks of systemic antibiotics based on culture
- Identify the underlying cause
- +/- behavior modification to break the cycle
Other treatment options for acral lick dermatitis
- Cryosurgery
- CO2 laser surgery
- Acupuncture
- Behavior consult
Fungal causes of nodules
- Dermatophyte
- Saprophytic fungi
- Pythium/lagenidium
- Sporotrichosis
- Blastomycosis
- Histoplasmosis
- Cryptoccosis
- Coccidioidomycosis
What is a kerion?
Dermatophyte furunculosis
Appearance of kerion
- Usually solitary nodule often on the face
What often causes kerions?
- Microsporum gypseum, a soil dermatophyte
- Often a history of the dog sticking its face in the dirt
What class of fungi are pythiosis/lagenidiosis?
- Oomycetes
- Aquatic plant pathogens
- Not true fungi but saprophyte
Where is pythiosis or lagenidiosis found?
- Decaying wood and vegetable matter
Where is pythiosis or lagenidiosis typically found?
- Gulf coast states
- WI, NJ, VA, CA, AZ KY have had diagnoses
Cytology of pythiosis or lagenidiosis?
- Pyogranulomatous with eosinophils
- Hyphae hard to see
Biopsy of pythiosis or lagenidiosis?
- Silver stain required for Pythium
- Hyphae may invade blood vessels
- Granulomatous to pyogranulomatous dermatitis with eosinophils
- Hyphae may be found intracellularly in giant cells
- Hyphae are broad, thick-walled, and irregularly septate
- Hyphae of Lagenidium are larger than those of P. insidiosum
Other diagnostic tests for pythiosis or lagenidiosis?
- Culture
- Serology, PCR, IH
- In addition to the cytology and biopsy
Clinical signs of pythiosis?
Areas in contact with stagnant water most likely to be infected
- Lesions are usually solitary draining nodules on the lower extremities
Breed with increased incidence of pythiosis?
- German SHepherds
- Lesions in cats and horses described too
Lagenidiosis - where have cases been identified?
- FL, LA, TX, TN, and IN
Clinical signs of lagenidiosis?
- Same as those described for pythiosis
- Often quite aggressive
What is important to differentiate pythiosis and lagenidiosis (oomycetes) from?
- Zygomycosis (true fungal infections)
Culture of pythiosis/llagenidiosis?
- Isolation is difficult
- Requires production of sexual reproductive structures for species ID, which is tough
- Pythium can be identified on biopsy with immunoperoxidase technique
PCR and Pythium/Lagenidium
- Can identify Pythium and differentiate it
Is serology better for pythiosis or lagenidiosis?
- Pythiosis
- AGID and ELISA
Treatment of pythiosis/lagenidiosis?
- Very difficult
- WIde surgical excision treatment of choice**
- Systemic therapy (itraconazole +/- terbinafine) for 2-4 months
- <25% response
- Agriculture fungicides (Caspofungin or Mefenoxam)
- Immunotherapy with anti-pythium vaccine
Dermatologic manifestation of Blastomycosis?
- little nodules
Appearance of blastomycosis on cytology or biopsy
- Characteristic halo
Skin lesions with histoplasmosis?
- Papular to nodular growths often located at the mucocutaneous junctions
Appearance of histoplasmosis on cytology or biopsy?
- See them within macrophages
Cryptococcosis appearance classic?
- Bulging of the hea and bridge of the nose
Appearance of Cryptococcus
- Capsule
What causes viral warts?
Papilloma virus
Who gets viral warts?
- young dogs
Where do viral warts occur often?
- Around oral mucosa
Treatment for viral warts
- Regress on their own (within ~3 months)
- Azithromycin
- Laser surgery
Why can viral warts recur?
- For the virus to take place, there has to be a penetrating trauma
- Goes directly to the basal cell layer and invades the immune system
- Carries with it the viral particle and grows little roots
- has a little stalk
Cell type origin of histiocytomas
- Langerhans cell origin
What are proposed theories for what a histiocytoma is?
- Tumor vs reactive hyperplasia
Who gets histiocytoma?
- Common in young dogs
- Rare in cats