Lethal bronchopneumonia caused by Mycoplasma cynos in a litter of golden retriever puppies.

摘要

A case of Mycoplasma cynos pneumonia in a litter of Golden Retriever puppies was described [Austria, date not given]. The litter originally comprised 11 puppies, but 4 with low birth weight died within 2 weeks. The remaining 7 puppies developed upper respiratory signs with rhinorrhoea, followed by fever and a productive cough within a few days. Three puppies died despite treatment with amoxicillin. Histopathological examination of the lungs showed severe acute generalized catarrhal-suppurative, partly haemorrhagic and fibrinous necrotizing bronchopneumonia. Immunohistochemical examination of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded lung tissue using a polyclonal antibody to M. cynos showed abundant punctate signals, especially at the borders of severe neutrophilic inflammation. Mycoplasmas were cultured solely and in abundance from the lung tissue samples and identified as M. cynos by an immunofluorescence test using species-specific antisera. Treatment with lincomycin at a dose of 15 mg/kg was started in the remaining 4 puppies. After one week with minimal improvement, the treatment was changed to 15 mg/kg erythromycin given orally 3 times a day. The condition of the dogs improved rapidly, and no respiratory signs were observed in the following 8 months. M. cynos and M. canis were isolated from pharyngeal swabs taken from the bitch. The infection had possibly arisen by oral transmission from the bitch.