Phaeohyphomycosis and Cryptococcosis in a Cat

Abstract

The term phaeohyphomycosis is applied to mycotic infections caused by a variety of fungi which develop as dematiacious (pigmented), septate mycelia in lesions which are usually dermal and subcutaneous, or both, although systemic involvement has been reported [4]. The disease has been diagnosed in fish [2], birds [9], cats [6, 81, horses [7], and man [ l, 3, 5, lo]. This report describes the coincidental infection of a cat with Cryptococcus neoformans and an agent of phaeohyphomycosis. An eight-year-old male, domestic short-haired cat had been ill for approximately three weeks with progressive anemia. Clinical signs included anorexia, lethargy, and dyspnea. The mandibular lymph nodes were enlarged bilaterally and two small (8 to 10 mm), deeply pigmented nodules were at the mucocutaneous junction of the upper lip, approximately 1-cm lateral to the philtrum. The nodules were rounded, slightly raised and somewhat smooth with an occasional hair present. A provisional clinical diagnosis of melanosarcoma with metastasis to regional lymph nodes was made. The owner requested euthanasia for the cat. Permission for a complete necropsy was denied, and only specimens of the skin nodules and enlarged lymph nodes were collected and submitted in 10 % formalin for pathologic examination.