Granulomatous pododermatitis in the digits caused by Fusarium proliferatum in a cat

A Case of Laying Hens Mycosis Caused by Fusarium proliferatum

In this article, we present the first case report of a chicken mycosis caused by F. proliferatum occurred on a private farm in the Russian Federation. Lesions on the skin of the legs and scallops were reported. The object of this study was samples of feed and pathological material from sick hens-layers. Mycological analysis included determination of the total number of fungi (TNF) and identification and determination of the toxicity and pathogenicity of the isolates. The identification of the isolate was carried out taking into account direct microscopy, morphological features, and the method of molecular genetic analysis. Microscopic fungi of the genus Penicillium and Rhizopus were isolated by mycological analysis of the feed. The test feed was nontoxic. Mycological examination of pathological material (scrapings from the combs and affected legs) identified an isolate of Fusarium proliferatum, which showed toxicity on biological objects (protozoa, rabbits) and pathogenicity (white mice). Dermal application of F. proliferatum suspension was accompanied by reddening of the rabbit skin. Intraperitoneal injection of fungal spores caused mycosis in white mice. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) made it possible to identify this type of microscopic fungus (F. proliferatum) with high accuracy in the samples under study. The research results allow us to consider F. proliferatum as a cause of poultry disease against the background of predisposing factors in the form of desquamation of the stratum corneum of the skin against the background of immunosuppression and metabolic disorders caused by an imbalance in the diet.

Chalastospora gossypii in a Maine Coon cat: case report and literature review

A 15-y-old castrated male Maine Coon cat was evaluated for an ulcerated soft tissue mass on the right hindlimb that had been observed for 4 mo and had grown rapidly. A 3 × 3 cm soft, raised, amorphous, and ulcerated subcutaneous mass was observed on the lateral right metatarsus. In-house cytology via fine-needle aspiration was nondiagnostic. Incisional biopsy of the mass and further staging was declined, and amputation was elected. The amputated limb was submitted for histopathology, which revealed severe chronic nodular granulomatous dermatitis and multifocal granulomatous popliteal lymphadenitis with large numbers of intralesional fungal hyphae. Fungal PCR and sequencing on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue identified Chalastospora gossypii. No adjunctive therapy was elected at the time. The patient has done well clinically 1 y post-operatively. C. gossypii is a rare microfungus found worldwide and is considered a minor pathogen of several plants. To our knowledge, infection by this fungus has not been reported previously in veterinary species. Features in our case are comparable to other mycotic infections. Nodular granulomatous mycotic dermatitis and cellulitis, although uncommon, should be a differential for soft tissue masses in veterinary species; C. gossypii is a novel isolate.

Veterinary Fusarioses within the United States

Multilocus DNA sequence data were used to assess the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships of 67 Fusarium strains from veterinary sources, most of which were from the United States. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that the strains comprised 23 phylogenetically distinct species, all but two of which were previously known to infect humans, distributed among eight species complexes. The majority of the veterinary isolates (47/67 = 70.1%) were nested within the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC), and these included 8 phylospecies and 33 unique 3-locus sequence types (STs). Three of the FSSC species (Fusarium falciforme, Fusarium keratoplasticum, and Fusarium sp. FSSC 12) accounted for four-fifths of the veterinary strains (38/47) and STs (27/33) within this clade. Most of the F. falciforme strains (12/15) were recovered from equine keratitis infections; however, strains of F. keratoplasticum and Fusarium sp. FSSC 12 were mostly (25/27) isolated from marine vertebrates and invertebrates. Our sampling suggests that the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), with eight mycoses-associated species, may represent the second most important clade of veterinary relevance within Fusarium Six of the multilocus STs within the FSSC (3+4-eee, 1-b, 12-a, 12-b, 12-f, and 12-h) and one each within the FIESC (1-a) and the Fusarium oxysporum species complex (ST-33) were widespread geographically, including three STs with transoceanic disjunctions. In conclusion, fusaria associated with veterinary mycoses are phylogenetically diverse and typically can only be identified to the species level using DNA sequence data from portions of one or more informative genes.