Zoonotic Infections Flashcards
What is an example of interspecies spread between dogs and cats?
- Canine parvovirus can be transmitted to cats!
- Bordetella
How can veterinary practices prevent spread of zoonotic infections?
- Everyone should work to the same standards, SOPs, and protocols and those should be consistently HIGH
- Seperate dog and cat wards
- Vaccine policies
- Suitable disinfectants
- Isolation wards
- Wash hands
What is true about using gloves to prevent spread of zoonotic disease?
- Shouldn’t be worn unnecessarily, prolonged use may cause adverse skin reactions and skin sensitivity
- Hands should ALWAYS be washed after removal of gloves
- Gloves DO NOT eliminate the need to wash hands
What is the most common organism causing painful swelling and abscessation in a human from a bite wound?
Pasteurella multocida
What is the most common causative agent of Cat Scratch Fever in humans?
Bartonella henselae
How is Bartonella henselae transmitted in cats?
- Ticks
- Cat flea
(cat scratch fever)
What clinical signs can be seen in cats infected with Bartonella?
- Mild, transient inappetence +/- pyrexia in most cases
- Lymphadenopathy
- Neuro signs (focal seizures)
- Endocarditis (Study showed 50% of cats with restrictive cardiomyopathy had Bartonella)
- Repro failure (less common)
What is the first line treatment option for cats with Bartonellosis?
- Doxycycline
- Only recommended in cats living with immunosuppressed people, or cat with CS of myocarditis/endocarditis or neuro signs ⭐️
What is the prognosis for Bartonellosis in cats?
- Usually very good with tx of Doxycycline
- Rarely demonstrate significant CS
How is Bartonella diagnosed?
PCR
(hard to culture, lengthy process)
How do humans with Bartonellosis typically present?
- Swollen LN, fatigue, muscle pain, sore throat (flu like symptoms)
- Serious illness is rare, usually self limiting
- Rarely causes endocarditis/myocarditis and neuro signs in humans
- Immunosuppressed people most at risk, but can infect immunocompetent ppl
Which cats are more at risk of systemic disease from mycobacterial infections?
- Indoor cats on RAW FOOD diet (m. bovis)
- Unpasteurized milk (m. bovis)
- Outdoor cats roaming/hunting rodents (m. microti)
- Adult male cats
What agents cause systemic granulomatous tuberculosis in dogs and cats?
- Mycobacterium tuberculosis (rare in cats and dogs)
- Mycobacterium bovis most zoonotic and reportable
- Mycobacterium microti
(causes granulomas in the respiratory tract, GI, eyes, skin)
List non-tuberculosis (Saprophytic) diseases
- Feline leprosy (M. lepraemurium)
- M. avium (MAC)
- M. chelonae
- M. smegmatis
- M. genavense
- M. malmonoense
saprophytic forms rarely cause systemic signs, localized to the skin
(M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, and M. microti cause systemic tuberculosis)
What mycobacterial diseases in dogs and cats are most zoonotic?
- M. bovis most zoonotic and reportable
- M. tuberculosis
- M. microti
(tuberculosis causing resp signs and coughing is the main route of transmission)
saprophytic non TB forms not thought to cause zoonotic risk
How can radiographs be beneficial in diagnosing mycobacterial infections?
- ID milliary interstitial lung pattern
- ID lymphadenopathy
- ID osteolytic changes
What cats are most at risk for Feline Leprosy?
- Adults
- Hunting / roaming
- Around soil
- Around rats
- Subtropical areas
How do patients with saprophytic/ non-tuberculosis mycobacterial infections present?
- Cutaneous skin nodules, panniculitis, draining tracts, salt and pepper skin lesions
- Ventral fat pad, face and limbs most commonly affected ⭐️
What can be seen on chemistry panel in a patient with mycobacterial infection?
Hypercalcemia
(G in DRAGONSHIT, granulomatous disease)
What diagnostic tests can be performed to aid in diagnosis of mycobacterial infections?
- PCR is best, requires 2 samples from live tissue biopsy
- Radiographs
- IFNg test (only detects granulomatous forms, used to differentiate saprophytic vs granulomatous)
- FNA Cytology (ZN stain only picks up 1 in 3 cases, false negatives)
- Progranulomatous inflammation with bacilli organisms on cytology
What stain is necessary for mycobacterial cytology samples?
ZN stain
What are the limitations to using cytology and histo to diagnose mycobacterial diseases?
- ZN stain only picks up 1 in 3 cases, frequent false negatives
What is the treatment protocol for patients with systemic mycobacterial tuberculosis?
- Surgical excision if localized
- Triple therapy with Rifampin, Pradofloxacin/Marbofloxacin, and Clarithomycin/Azithromycin, +/- Vitamin D
- D/C rifampin and continue Double therapy until 6+ months
- LONG treatment, 4-6 months
(Ideally, treatment should consist of an initial and a continuation phase. The initial phase usually requires 3 drugs and lasts for 2 months, while the continuation phase requires 2
drugs and lasts for a further 4 months)
What is the treatment protocol for patients with non-tuberculosis mycobacterial infections?
- Surgical excision if localized (Ex: ventral fat pad excision)
- Doxycycline and Pradofloxacin/Marbofloxacin
- Can initiate tx while waiting on PCR bc low zoonotic risk
(Rifampin used for systemic TB only)
