Pneumocystis canis pneumonia in dogs

Elizabeth Ralph; George Reppas; Catriona Halliday; Mark Krockenberger; Richard Malik

doi:10.1071/MA15026

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Pneumocystis canis pneumonia in dogs

Elizabeth Ralph ^A , George Reppas ^B , Catriona Halliday ^C , Mark Krockenberger ^D and Richard Malik ^E ^F

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Animal Referral Hospital, 250 Parramatta Road, Homebush West, NSW 2140, Australia

^B Vetnostics, 60 Waterloo Road, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia

^C Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR, Westmead Hospital, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia

^D Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

^E Centre for Veterinary Education, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

^F Corresponding author. Email: Richard.Malik@sydney.edu.au

Microbiology Australia 36(2) 79-82 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA15026
Published: 17 March 2015

Abstract

Pneumocystis canis is a potential cause of life-threatening interstitial fungal pneumonia in dogs. It is seen almost exclusively in two canine breeds, miniature Dachshunds and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (CKCS)¹. Historically, Australian veterinarians had a key role in the documentation of this entity and its conspicuous breed associations²^–⁴. Affected Dachshunds and CKCS are likely to have an inherited immunodeficiency that predisposes them to infection with this commensal organism of the respiratory tract and pharynx¹^,²^,⁵sup>,⁶. A high index of suspicion is required to make a timely diagnosis and save affected patients, as these dogs cope poorly with anaesthesia and other measures to procure the specimens required to make a definitive diagnosis. Possible co-infection with Bordetella bronchiseptica must be considered when determining antimicrobial strategies. Affected dogs occasionally have a previous or concurrent history of generalised demodicosis⁵^,⁷^,⁸. With early intervention, affected dogs can be saved, although some require life-long therapy to prevent recurrence. The future challenge is to develop fast molecular techniques to diagnose P. canis^† pneumonia (PCP)⁷^,⁹ and to determine the underlying immune defect in over-represented breeds through the rapidly advancing field of canine genomics¹⁰.

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