engleski

Billateral guttular pouch mycosis without epistaxis-a case report

Guttural pouch mycosis is a rare but serious disease in horses, with epistaxis as a most common clinical sign, caused by fungal erosion of the carotid and maxillary arteries. The prognosis for guttural pouch mycosis is questionable due to slow recovery, long therapy and a high mortality rate despite treatment. An eleven years old Croatian Warmblood stallion was presented with a history of swollen neck lasting for almost two months. Four weeks previously a bilateral nasal discharge together with fever and dysphagia were also noted. The horse was treated with broad spectrum antibiotics and analgesics without any improvement. Interestingly, the owner did not report any sign of epistaxis during the whole period. At admission the horse was lethargic with mild edema in the upper region of the neck, bilateral mucopurulent nasal discharge and dysphagia. Airflow from the left nostril was significantly decreased. Haematological and biochemistry blood tests were within referent limits. Endoscopy revealed a collapsed roof of the pharynx with nasopharynx containing foot material. The whole upper third of the left guttural pouch was covered with a white, brown and black lesion with a diphtheritic membrane. The findings in the right guttural pouch revealed slightly smaller lesion with the same characteristics. Biopsy of suspected fungal mass in the guttural pouch was taken for cytology and fungal culture. Cytology revealed hyphal structures compatible with Aspergillus species. Fungal testing yielded abundant growth of pure culture of Aspergillus sp. The recommended therapy included daily guttural pouch irrigations with antimicotic medications coupled with oral antifungals. However, the owners rejected the therapy due to financial concerns and the horse was euthanized. This report presents a rare case of bilateral guttural pouch mycosis without signs of epistaxis. It is therefore important to consider guttural pouches mycosis as a differential diagnose in every dysphagic horse.

horse ; guttural pouch ; mycosis ; dysphagia

nije evidentirano