tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
A European Shorthair male cat, neutered, approximately 6 years of age, was presented to
the veterinary clinic due to apathy and anorexia. The cat lived mostly outdoors and was fed raw
chicken meat. After 3 days of diagnostic procedures and symptomatic treatment, respiratory distress
and neurological signs developed and progressed into epileptic seizures, followed by respiratory
and cardiac arrest within the next 3 days. Post-mortem examination revealed necrotic lesions in the
liver, lungs, and intestines. Notably, the brain displayed perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes and
histiocytes. Few foci of neuronal necrosis in the brain were also confirmed. Microscopic examination
of the remaining internal organs was unremarkable. The A/H5N1 virus infection was confirmed
using a one-step real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The disease
caused severe neurological and respiratory signs, evidence of consolidations and the presence of
numerous B lines, which were detected on lung ultrasound examination; the postmortem findings
and detection of A/H5N1 viral RNA in multiple tissues indicated a generalized A/H5N1 virus
infection. Moreover, a multidrug-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecium was isolated in pure culture
from several internal organs. The source of infection could be exposure to infected birds or their
excrements, as well as contaminated raw poultry meat but, in this case, the source of infection could
not be identified.
file:///home/stefano-lella/Scaricati/microorganisms-11-02263.pdf
the veterinary clinic due to apathy and anorexia. The cat lived mostly outdoors and was fed raw
chicken meat. After 3 days of diagnostic procedures and symptomatic treatment, respiratory distress
and neurological signs developed and progressed into epileptic seizures, followed by respiratory
and cardiac arrest within the next 3 days. Post-mortem examination revealed necrotic lesions in the
liver, lungs, and intestines. Notably, the brain displayed perivascular infiltration of lymphocytes and
histiocytes. Few foci of neuronal necrosis in the brain were also confirmed. Microscopic examination
of the remaining internal organs was unremarkable. The A/H5N1 virus infection was confirmed
using a one-step real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The disease
caused severe neurological and respiratory signs, evidence of consolidations and the presence of
numerous B lines, which were detected on lung ultrasound examination; the postmortem findings
and detection of A/H5N1 viral RNA in multiple tissues indicated a generalized A/H5N1 virus
infection. Moreover, a multidrug-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecium was isolated in pure culture
from several internal organs. The source of infection could be exposure to infected birds or their
excrements, as well as contaminated raw poultry meat but, in this case, the source of infection could
not be identified.
file:///home/stefano-lella/Scaricati/microorganisms-11-02263.pdf