A case of canine cutaneous pythiosis in Thailand

Ariya Chindamporn; Patcharee Kammarnjessadakul; Sawang Kesdangsakonwut; Wijit Banlunara

doi:10.1099/acmi.0.000109

A case of canine cutaneous pythiosis in Thailand

Access Microbiol. 2020 Feb 14;2(4):acmi000109. doi: 10.1099/acmi.0.000109. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Ariya Chindamporn¹, Patcharee Kammarnjessadakul², Sawang Kesdangsakonwut³, Wijit Banlunara³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
² Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medical Technology, Huachiew Chalermprakiet University, Samut Prakan, 10540, Thailand.
³ Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.

Abstract

Introduction: Pythium insidiosum causes pythiosis in humans and animals in tropical and subtropical climates. The clinical manifestations in humans are mostly systemic, vascular or ocular forms, in contrast to animals, which are cutaneous, subcutaneous and gastrointestinal forms. The highest incidence of human cases is reported in Thailand, however, no canine pythiosis has been documented yet.

Case presentation: A female, mixed-breed, stray dog showed severe extensive ulcerative haemorrhagic dermatitis at the perineum involving the anus and tail. On cytology, there were sparse branching septate fungal hyphae. The tissue samples were subjected to polymerase chain reaction and gene sequencing for fungal identification.

Conclusion: The results of the internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) gene had 99 % homology to Pythium insidiosum (accession no. FJ17396) and the COX2 gene (accession no. GQ451572). The phylogenetic tree of both genes was classified in clade A_TH. This is the first fully documented diagnosis of canine cutaneous pythiosis in Thailand.

Keywords: Pythium insidiosum; Thailand; dog; phylogenetic analysis; skin.

Publication types

Case Reports