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Schaffer PA, Hershkowitz CS, Dowers KL, Golchanour JL, Harris LJ, Aboellial TA, Morley PS, Brault SA, Pabilonia KL, Mason GL, House JA, Daniels JB. Delayed diagnosis of fatal pneumonic canine plague: clinical and pathologic features in two naturally infected Colorado dogs. BMC Vet Res 2020; 16:160. [PMID: 32450913 PMCID: PMC7249295 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-020-02361-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Plague caused by Yersinia pestis is a highly infectious and potentially fatal zoonotic disease that can be spread by wild and domestic animals. In endemic areas of the northern hemisphere plague typically cycles from March to October, when flea vectors are active. Clinical forms of disease include bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plague. All clinical forms are uncommon in dogs and the pneumonic form is exceedingly rare. Case presentation Two mixed breed young-adult male domestic dogs presented to Colorado veterinarians with fever and vague signs that progressed to hemoptysis within 24 h. Case 1 presented in June 2014, while Case 2 occurred in December 2017. Thoracic radiography of Case 1 and 2 revealed right dorsal and right accessory lobe consolidation, respectively. In Case 1 initial differential diagnoses included pulmonary contusion due to trauma or diphacinone toxicosis. Case 1 was euthanized ~ 24 h post presentation due to progressive dyspnea and hemoptysis. Plague was confirmed 9 days later, after the dog’s owner was hospitalized with pneumonia. Case 2 was treated as foreign body/aspiration pneumonia and underwent lung lobectomy at a veterinary teaching hospital. Case 2 was euthanized after 5 days of hospitalization when bacterial culture of the excised lobe yielded Yersinia pestis. Both dogs had severe diffuse necrohemorrhagic and suppurative pneumonia at post mortem examination. Conclusions Both dogs were misdiagnosed due to the atypical lobar presentation of an extremely rare form of plague in a species that infrequently succumbs to clinical disease. Presentation outside of the typical transmission period of plague was also a factor leading to delayed diagnosis in Case 2. Erroneous identification by automated bacterial identification systems was problematic in both cases. In endemic areas, plague should be ruled out early in febrile dogs with acute respiratory signs, hemoptysis, lobar or diffuse pathology, and potential for exposure, regardless of season. Seasonal and geographic distributions of plague may shift with climate change, so vigilance by primary care veterinarians is warranted. Timely submission of samples to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory could expedite accurate diagnosis and reduce potential for human and domestic animal exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula A Schaffer
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
| | - Connor S Hershkowitz
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Small Animal Specialist Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kristy L Dowers
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Lauren J Harris
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Tawfik A Aboellial
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Paul S Morley
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,VERO - Veterinary Education, Research, and Outreach Program, Texas A&M University and West Texas A&M University, Canyon, TX, USA
| | - Stephanie A Brault
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), USDA, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - Kristy L Pabilonia
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Gary L Mason
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Jennifer A House
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver, CO, USA
| | - Joshua B Daniels
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Abstract
The rate of global warming has accelerated over the past 50 years. Increasing surface temperature is melting glaciers and raising the sea level. More flooding, droughts, hurricanes, and heat waves are being reported. Accelerated changes in climate are already affecting human health, in part by altering the epidemiology of climate-sensitive pathogens. In particular, climate change may alter the incidence and severity of respiratory infections by affecting vectors and host immune responses. Certain respiratory infections, such as avian influenza and coccidioidomycosis, are occurring in locations previously unaffected, apparently because of global warming. Young children and older adults appear to be particularly vulnerable to rapid fluctuations in ambient temperature. For example, an increase in the incidence in childhood pneumonia in Australia has been associated with sharp temperature drops from one day to the next. Extreme weather events, such as heat waves, floods, major storms, drought, and wildfires, are also believed to change the incidence of respiratory infections. An outbreak of aspergillosis among Japanese survivors of the 2011 tsunami is one such well-documented example. Changes in temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and air pollution influence viral activity and transmission. For example, in early 2000, an outbreak of Hantavirus respiratory disease was linked to a local increase in the rodent population, which in turn was attributed to a two- to threefold increase in rainfall before the outbreak. Climate-sensitive respiratory pathogens present challenges to respiratory health that may be far greater in the foreseeable future.
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Nor MBM, Richards GA, McGloughlin S, Amin PR. Pneumonia in the tropics: Report from the Task Force on tropical diseases by the World Federation of Societies of Intensive and Critical Care Medicine. J Crit Care 2017; 42:360-365. [PMID: 29129538 PMCID: PMC7138420 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrc.2017.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The aetiology of community acquired pneumonia varies according to the region in which it is acquired. This review discusses those causes of CAP that occur in the tropics and might not be readily recognizable when transplanted to other sites. Various forms of pneumonia including the viral causes such as influenza (seasonal and avian varieties), the coronaviruses and the Hantavirus as well as bacterial causes, specifically the pneumonic form of Yersinia pestis and melioidosis are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohd Basri Mat Nor
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, School of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
| | - Guy A Richards
- Division of Critical Care, Charlotte Maxeke Hospital and Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
| | - Steve McGloughlin
- Intensive Care Unit and Infectious Diseases Physician, The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Pravin R Amin
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, Bombay Hospital Institute of Medical Sciences, Mumbai, India.
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