Mixed infection caused byLecythophora caninasp. nov. andPlectosphaerella cucumerinain a German shepherd dog (original) (raw)

a case of osteomyelitis which led to amputation of the dog ' s limb [8]. In man, disease caused by Lecythophora species is also rare, with a few case reports in which L. hoffmannii and L. mutabilis are cited as etiologic agents and involved keratitis, abscesses, peritonitis, endocarditis and septic shock [9]. Lecythophora species are anamorphs of Coniochaeta , an ascomycete genus belonging to the family Coniochaetaceae [10-12]. Primarily pathogens of woody hosts, they are similar to the closely-related genus Phialemonium and notoriously diffi cult to identify on the basis of morphologic features. The Lecythophora isolate recovered from the bone in this GSD, characterized by both phenotypic features and molecular sequencing, did not match any known species. A second uncommon isolate, the ascomycete Plectospharella cucumerina , anamorph Plectosporium tabacinum , was isolated from the dog ' s urine. It was identifi ed by both phenotypic and molecular methods. This organism is used as an anti-nematophagous agent to control potato cyst nematodes and to the authors ' knowledge there are no previous reports in the veterinary literature of it as an agent infecting dogs [13,14]. Case presentation A 3-year-old, female, spayed GSD was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH) to obtain a second