Date: 26 November 2013
Nasal, sinus and orbital aspergillosis in a cat. The left nasal cavity and sinus were full of pus and debris and there was severe bone erosion from the nasal cavity into the rostromedial orbitthrough which pus was protruding
Copyright:
(Kindly provided by Martin L. Whitehead, BSc, PhD, BVSc, CertSAM, MRCVS & Peter W. Kettlewell, BVSc, MSc, MRCVS. Chipping Norton Veterinary Hospital, Albion Street, Chipping Norton, Oxon, OX7 5BN.)
Notes:
History : Nasal aspergillosis is relatively common in dogs but rare in cats. Our veterinary hospital in Oxfordshire was recently presented with a 13-year old female Burmilla cat with a history of left-side unilateral nasal discharge, a watery left eye with slight blepharospasm, occasional ‘twitching movements’ of the head, weight loss, inappetance and depression. Clinical examination was unremarkable except for left-side mucopurulent nasal discharge, left-side mild serous ocular discharge, and a soft subcutaneous swelling over the left frontal sinus. Haematology, blood biochemistry and urinalysis revealed diabetes mellitus but was otherwise unremarkable. Radiography under general anaesthesia revealed a diffuse soft tissue density within the left nasal cavity and left frontal sinus. Rhinoscopy revealed mucopurulent discharge on the left side but was otherwise unremarkable. Aspiration of the swelling over the left frontal sinus produced pus and this abscess was lanced and flushed. The frontal sinus was trephined and the sinus and nasal cavity flushed with saline. Tests for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukaemia virus and serology for Aspergillus were not carried out. The cat was started on insulin, ibafloxacin (Ibaflin, Intervet) and meloxicam (Metacam, Boehringer). Cytology of the material flushed from the frontal sinus and nasal cavity revealed fungal hyphae consistent with Aspergillus species and culture of this material yielded growth of a fungus which was morphologically similar to A. candidus (Awaiting molecular typing results). The cat was then started on oral itraconazole (Itrafungol, Janssen) 10 mg/kg p.o. SID. The abscess over the rostral frontal sinus did not heal and a second abscess appeared over the nasal bone just dorsal to the nose. Infusion of the frontal sinus and nasal cavity with topical antifungal medication was discussed with the owners, but as the cat was deteriorating they requested euthanasia. On post-mortem examination the right nasal cavity, frontal sinus and orbit were unaffected. The left nasal cavity and sinus were full of pus and debris and there was severe bone erosion from the nasal cavity into the rostromedial orbit through which pus was protruding. There was also severe bone erosion rostrally through the nasal bone and less severe bone erosion dorsally over the rostral part of the frontal sinus, these sites of bone erosion being at the location of the two subcutaneous abscesses.Feline nasal aspergillosis is extremely rare in the UK and to our knowledge this is the first reported case of orbital aspergillosis in the UK although nasal aspergillosis has been reported in other countries.
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Facial erythema: Voriconazole rash in ABPA patient resistant to corticosteroids, treated with voriconazole 200mg BID. Serum voriconazole levels were very low and the dose was raised to 250mg BID. Within 3 weeks patient had developed remarkable facial erythema. His trough voriconazole concentration at this time was 370ng/ml. When voriconazole was stopped because of the facial erythema and lack of impact on his ABPA his facial erythema resolved over 4 weeks.
Forearm erythema related to voriconazole. As with facial erythema patient developed remarkable forearm erythema with lesions similar to porphyria cutanea tarda all of which resolved with stopping voriconazole.
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Eosinophilic mucin containing numerous eosinophils and Charcot-Leyden crystals (arrow). Stain PAS x400. Patient with allergic fungal sinusitis
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A whole fungal ball removed from the sinus by endoscopic surgery. No staining x 10
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Crushed fungal material removed from sinus by endoscope. No staining x40
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This 68 year man with a history of hypertension and ischemic heart disease presented with nasal obstruction, localised swelling and pain in his right cheek for about two months. CT scan showed a soft tissue mass filling the right maxillary sinus adjacent to the floor of the orbit. Maxillotomy with mass removal was performed and culture grew A. fumigatus. Histology was not performed and the patient received no antifungal therapy. 5 months later localised relapse with progression along the medial wall of the orbit was seen on CT scan.
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Yamik catheter for rinsing nasal and paranasal cavities. Image D
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Yamik catheter for rinsing nasal and paranasal cavities. Image C
