Mycobacteriosis in a Pet Ferret ( Mustela putorius furo ) Caused by Mycobacterium xenopi : A Case Report on Neglected Risk of Zoonotic Transmission

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 4; p. 328
• Main Authors: Mihaljević, Željko, Reil, Irena, Habuš, Josipa, Štritof, Zrinka, Naletilić, Šimun, Jurkić Krsteska, Gabrijela, Kovač, Tajna, Zdelar-Tuk, Maja, Duvnjak, Sanja, Špičić, Silvio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 16-04-2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Antibiotics; Antigens; Bacterial diseases; Case Report; Cytology; Doxycycline; Emotional behavior; Females; ferrets; Giant cells; Heart diseases; Hemoglobin; Hepatitis; Infections; Inflammation; Liver; Lungs; Lymphadenitis; Lymphatic system; Lymphocytes; Macrophages; Mycobacteriosis; Mycobacterium xenopi; Myocarditis; Necropsy; Necrosis; non-tuberculous mycobacteria; one health; Plasma cells; Spleen; Splenomegaly; Stains & staining; Ultrasonic imaging; Veterinary medicine; Weight loss; Zoonoses; zoonotic disease; United States > US; Germany; non-tuberculous mycobacteria; Mycobacterium xenopi; one health; ferrets; zoonotic disease
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13040328

Ferrets are highly susceptible to a wide range of mycobacteria, mainly
,
, and
. Therefore, ferrets pose a risk of transmission of mycobacteriosis, especially zoonotically relevant tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to describe the findings of
mycobacteriosis in a pet ferret and emphasize its zoonotic potential. A pet ferret had a history of weight loss, apathy, hyporexia, and hair loss. Abdominal ultrasound revealed splenomegaly with two solid masses and cystic lesions of the liver. Fine-needle aspiration cytology revealed numerous acid-fast bacilli in epithelioid cells, thus leading to the suspicion of mycobacterial infection. Because of its poor general condition, the ferret was euthanized. Necropsy examination revealed generalized granulomatous lymphadenitis, pneumonia, myocarditis, splenitis, and hepatitis. Histologically, in all organs, there were multifocal to coalescing areas of inflammatory infiltration composed of epithelioid macrophages, a low number of lymphocytes, and plasma cells, without necrosis nor multinucleated giant cells. Ziehl-Neelsen staining detected the presence of numerous (multibacillary) acid-fast bacteria, which were PCR-typed as
. This is the first study showing the antimicrobial susceptibility testing of
in veterinary medicine, describing the resistance to doxycycline. Overall, our results could facilitate further diagnosis and provide guidelines for the treatment protocols for such infections.