TITLE:
Intestinal Protothecosis in a Young Bengal Cat
AUTHORS:
Sara Manfredini, Luca Formaggini, Michele Marino, Luigi Venco
KEYWORDS:
Chronic Diarrhoea, Haemorrhagic Colitis, Feline Medicine, Intestinal Protothecosis, Prototheca Infection
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Veterinary Medicine,
Vol.11 No.5,
May
18,
2021
ABSTRACT: Background: Intestinal protothecosis is an uncommon and insidious mycotic disease. Only one human case and a few rare
cases in dogs have been reported. To the authors’ knowledge, intestinal
protothecosis has never been reported in cats. Case description: This paper describes
a case of intestinal protothecosis in a nine-month-old male, Bengal cat. The
cat presented because of onset of
haemorrhagic diarrhoea. Investigations allowed diagnosis of intestinal protothecosis,
confirmed by PCR test on faeces. Treatment with itraconazole did not improve
the clinical signs. Treatment with nystatin was prescribed and caused
improvement in the clinical signs and decreased number of pathogens seen on
faecal cytology. PCR on faecal samples was negative two months after treatment,
with complete resolution of symptoms. Conclusion: Infection with Prototheca should be part of the list of differential diagnoses for diarrhoea in cats. nystatin was effective in treating the
infection in this case; this drug should be considered as a first-line
treatment in cats as well as in dogs, in which protothecosis appears to have a poor prognosis. Although protothecosis is
not considered a zoonotic disease, cases of algal infections in companion
animals might be considered indicators of environmental risks for humans.