Neurologic and cutaneous infection by Clostridium piliforme in a kitten with systemic Tyzzer disease. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Tyzzer disease (TD) is a highly fatal condition of animals caused by Clostridium piliforme and characterized pathologically by enteritis, hepatitis, myocarditis, and occasionally encephalitis. Cutaneous lesions have been reported only rarely in animals with TD, and infection of the nervous system has not been described in cats, to our knowledge. We describe here neurologic and cutaneous infection by C. piliforme in a shelter kitten with systemic manifestations of TD and coinfection with feline panleukopenia virus. Systemic lesions included necrotizing typhlocolitis, hepatitis, myocarditis, and myeloencephalitis. The cutaneous lesions consisted of intraepidermal pustular dermatitis and folliculitis, with necrosis of keratinocytes and ulceration. Clostridial bacilli were identified within the cytoplasm of keratinocytes by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and a PCR assay was positive for C. piliforme. C. piliforme can infect keratinocytes leading to cutaneous lesions in cats with the location suggesting direct contact with contaminated feces as a route of infection.

published proceedings

  • J Vet Diagn Invest

altmetric score

  • 1.25

author list (cited authors)

  • Oliveira, E. S., Queiroz, C., Santos, D. O., Moreira, L., Xavier, R., Pierezan, F., ... Giaretta, P. R.

citation count

  • 0

complete list of authors

  • Oliveira, Eric S||Queiroz, Cintia RR||Santos, Daniel O||Moreira, Larissa GA||Xavier, Rafael GC||Pierezan, Felipe||Santos, Renato L||Lobato, Francisco CF||Silva, Rodrigo OS||Giaretta, Paula R

publication date

  • May 2023