Cryptococcosis in Animals

In cats, chronic cryptococcosis is common, usually limited to the upper respiratory tract. Clinical signs secondary to nasal cavity infection are most common and include sneezing; mucopurulent, serous, or hemorrhagic unilateral or bilateral chronic nasal discharge; polyplike mass(es) in the nostril; and/or a firm, subcutaneous swelling over the bridge of the nose. Cutaneous lesions are also common and are characterized by papules and nodules that are fluctuant to firm.

Larger lesions tend to ulcerate, leaving a raw surface with a serous exudate. Neurologic signs associated with cryptococcosis of the CNS may include depression, changes in temperament, seizures, circling, paresis, and blindness. Ocular abnormalities may also develop, including dilated unresponsive pupils and blindness due to exudative retinal detachment, granulomatous chorioretinitis, panophthalmitis, and optic neuritis.

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If disseminated disease occurs, lesions may also be found in bone and/or lymph nodes.

In contrast to cats, more than 50% of dogs may have disseminated disease with CNS or ocular involvement. Clinical signs are often related to meningoencephalitis, optic neuritis, and granulomatous chorioretinitis.

Lesions in the nasal cavity of many dogs have been reported; however, they are usually not the primary finding or reason for presentation. Approximately 50% of dogs have lesions in the respiratory tract, usually the lungs, and most have granulomas present in multiple systems. Structures often involved in order of decreasing frequency are CNS, respiratory tract, skin, kidneys, lymph nodes, spleen, liver, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, bone, GI tract, muscle, myocardium, prostate, heart valves, and tonsils.

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Bovine cryptococcosis has been associated only with cases of mastitis, and many cows in a herd may be infected. Affected cows have anorexia, decreased milk production, swelling and firmness of affected quarters, and enlarged supramammary lymph nodes. The milk becomes viscid, mucoid, and gray-white, or it may be watery with flakes. The disease in horses almost invariably manifests as obstructive masses within the nasal cavity.

The incubation period may range from 2-13 months. Lesions associated with cryptococcosis vary from a gelatinous mass consisting of numerous organisms with minimal inflammation to granuloma formation. The lesion is usually composed of aggregates of encapsulated organisms within a connective tissue framework.

The cellular response is primarily macrophages and giant cells with a few plasma cells and lymphocytes. Epithelioid giant cells and areas of caseous necrosis are less common than with the other systemic mycoses.

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