Chalastospora gossypii in a Maine Coon cat: case report and literature review.

A 15-y-old castrated male Maine Coon cat was evaluated for an ulcerated soft tissue mass on the right hindlimb that had been observed for 4 mo and had grown rapidly. A 3 × 3 cm soft, raised, amorphous, and ulcerated subcutaneous mass was observed on the lateral right metatarsus. In-house cytology via fine-needle aspiration was nondiagnostic. Incisional biopsy of the mass and further staging was declined, and amputation was elected. The amputated limb was submitted for histopathology, which revealed severe chronic nodular granulomatous dermatitis and multifocal granulomatous popliteal lymphadenitis with large numbers of intralesional fungal hyphae. Fungal PCR and sequencing on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue identified Chalastospora gossypii. No adjunctive therapy was elected at the time. The patient has done well clinically 1 y post-operatively. C. gossypii is a rare microfungus found worldwide and is considered a minor pathogen of several plants. To our knowledge, infection by this fungus has not been reported previously in veterinary species. Features in our case are comparable to other mycotic infections. Nodular granulomatous mycotic dermatitis and cellulitis, although uncommon, should be a differential for soft tissue masses in veterinary species; C. gossypii is a novel isolate.

Short-Term Prospective Clinical Evaluation of a Polyglycolic Acid Tibial Tuberosity Advancement Cage Implant.

This study investigated the short-term radiographic healing of the osteotomy following tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA), maintenance of patellar tendon angle (PTA), and complications in dogs receiving a polyglycolic acid (PGA) TTA cage. Patients diagnosed with unilateral cranial cruciate ligament disease requiring a 9- or 12-mm TTA cage were included. Twenty-six consecutive client-owned dogs were prospectively selected for this clinical study. Age, weight, sex, breed, cage size, surgery date, and follow-up time were recorded. Radiographs were scored for healing and measured for PTA immediately, at 6 wk, and at 10 wk postoperatively. All stifles were assessed for complications throughout the study period. Stifles with PGA cages had similar overall healing scores compared to previously reported values for metallic cages, and the PTA was well maintained at 6 and 10 wk postoperatively. Polyglycolic acid cages were associated with a higher complication rate (10/26, 38%; 95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.61) compared with previously reported complication rates for metallic cages. Despite favorable healing scores and overall PTA maintenance, PGA cage use resulted in a high complication rate. Proposed advantages offered by this particular implant over currently used metallic cages are offset by this high complication rate. Additional investigation of bioabsorbable materials and implant design should be considered.