Mucormycosis is a general term for certain fungal infections affecting various species, including canines, equines and humans. If your dog is diagnosed with zygomycosis, he's suffering from a mucormycosis infection. These common fungi usually don't bother people or animals with a normal immune system, but those with a compromised immune system might be at risk. Mucormycosis usually affects a dog's sinus and nasal passages, or his skin.
Mucormycosis Fungal Infections
Mucormycosis fungal infections consist of pathogens falling into the order Mucorales, including the class of zygomycetes causing zygomycosis. Depending on the fungi involved, the disease might progress rapidly -- especially in dogs with immune systems issues -- or result in chronic infections. The latter occur more often in relatively healthy canines. Basidiobolomycosis and conidiobolomycosis are the most common of these zygomycotic infections in animals.
Nasal infection symptoms include a pus-filled discharge, frequent nose pawing, sneezing and nosebleeds. Because the disease is so rare, it's likely that a dog with these symptoms is not suffering from mucormycosis. However, if your dog receives treatment for a chronic nasal discharge and there's no improvement over time, there's a possibility he has a mucormycosis infection. Your vet can collect samples of your dog's nasal discharge and send them to a laboratory for specific testing.
If your dog is diagnosed with a mucormycosis nasal infection, your veterinarian likely will prescribe long-term treatment with itraconazole, marketed under the brand name Sporonox. This antifungal medication generally has few side effects, although it can cause liver disease. More common side effects include vomiting and diarrhea and appetite loss. Expect your dog to require itraconazole therapy for many months, or for the rest of his life. Dogs taken off the medication after their condition improves might suffer a recurrence.
The skin infection results in itchy, draining, ulcerated lesions, usually found on the dog's legs or body. Since the skin infection is uncommon, it's also a case of additional investigation on the part of a veterinarian after conventional treatment fails. The pathogen, seldom affecting dogs, must be isolated in the laboratory for diagnosis. Surgical resection of the affected tissues, accompanied by itraconazole therapy for several months, is the recommended therapy. The third edition of "Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat" notes that such treatment is not "straightforward," as the therapy has been described in just a few patients.
- Allergy, Ear and Skin Care for Animals: Infectious Diseases
- Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat, Third Edition: Chapter 67, Miscellaneous Fungal Infections
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Zygomycosis
- Researchgate: An Unusual Case of Nasal Mucormycosis Caused by Rhizopus Oryzae in a German Shepherd Dog
- Veterinary Partner: Itraconazole (Sporonox)
Jane Meggitt has been a writer for more than 20 years. In addition to reporting for a major newspaper chain, she has been published in "Horse News," "Suburban Classic," "Hoof Beats," "Equine Journal" and other publications. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English from New York University and an Associate of Arts from the American Academy of Dramatics Arts, New York City.
Mucormycosis ni jina la jumla kwa maambukizo fulani ya kuvu yanayoathiri spishi mbalimbali, ikiwa ni pamoja na mbwa, farasi na wanadamu. Mbwa wako anapata zygomycosis, ni ugonjwa wa kuambukiza. Kwa kawaida, kuvu hizi hazisumbui watu au wanyama wenye mfumo wa kinga wa kawaida, lakini wale wenye mfumo wa kinga uliodhoofika wanaweza kuwa hatarini. Kwa kawaida ugonjwa huo huathiri sinus na njia za pua za mbwa, au ngozi yake. Mucormycosis ni ugonjwa wa kuambukiza wa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza kwa kuambukiza. Ikitegemea kuambukizwa kwa kuvu, ugonjwa huo waweza kuenea haraka - hasa kwa mbwa walio na matatizo ya mfumo wa kinga - au kusababisha maambukizo ya kudumu. Matatizo hayo ya mwisho hutokea mara nyingi zaidi katika mbwa wenye afya nzuri. Basidiobolomycosis na conidiobolomycosis ni ya kawaida ya maambukizo haya zygomycotic katika wanyama. Dalili za maambukizo ya pua ni pamoja na kutokwa na umajimaji, kupiga pua mara kwa mara, kupiga chafya na kutokwa na damu kutoka kwenye pua. Kwa sababu ugonjwa huo ni nadra sana, inawezekana kwamba mbwa mwenye dalili hizo hana ugonjwa wa mucormycosis. Ikiwa mbwa wako anapata matibabu ya kutokwa kwa pua kwa muda mrefu na hakuna uboreshaji baada ya muda, kuna uwezekano wa kuwa na maambukizo ya mucormycosis. Mtaalamu wa wanyama anaweza kuchukua sampuli za mkojo wa mbwa wako na kuzipeleka kwenye maabara kwa ajili ya uchunguzi maalum. Ikiwa mbwa wako ana ugonjwa wa mucormycosis, daktari wako wa mifugo anaweza kuagiza matibabu ya muda mrefu ya itraconazole, ambayo inazalishwa chini ya jina la bidhaa Sporonox. Kwa kawaida dawa hii ya kuzuia kuvu ina athari chache za upande, ingawa yaweza kusababisha ugonjwa wa ini. Madhara ya kawaida zaidi yanatia ndani kutapika na kuhara na kupoteza hamu ya kula. Mbwa wako atahitaji matibabu ya itraconazole kwa miezi mingi, au kwa maisha yake yote. Mbwa wanaoacha kutumia dawa baada ya hali yao kuboreshwa wanaweza kupatwa na maradhi tena. Maambukizo ya ngozi husababisha vidonda vinavyosababisha kukwaruza, kuondoa maji, na kupasuka, ambavyo kwa kawaida hupatikana kwenye miguu au mwili wa mbwa. Kwa kuwa maambukizi ya ngozi ni ya kawaida, ni pia kesi ya uchunguzi wa ziada kwa upande wa daktari wa mifugo baada ya matibabu ya kawaida kushindwa. Kiini cha magonjwa, ambacho mara chache huathiri mbwa, lazima kitenganishwe katika maabara kwa ajili ya utambuzi. Upasuaji wa kuondoa tishu zilizoathiriwa, ukiambatana na tiba ya itraconazole kwa miezi kadhaa, ndio tiba inayopendekezwa. "Toleo la tatu la ""Mafarasa ya Kuambukiza ya Mbwa na Paka"" linasema kwamba matibabu hayo si ""ya moja kwa moja,"" kwa kuwa matibabu hayo yameelezwa kwa wagonjwa wachache tu." "Mfano wa ""Allergy, Ear, Skin Care for Animals: Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat, Chapter 67: Miscellaneous Fungal Infections"" ni kitabu cha Merck kilichoandikwa na Jane Meggitt, ambaye ni mwandishi wa vitabu vya ""Microbial Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat"" na ""Rhizopus oryzae in a German Shepherd Dog"" na ""Microbial Infectious Diseases of the Dog and Cat.""" Mbali na kuripoti kwa mlolongo mkubwa wa magazeti, amechapishwa katika "Horse News", "Suburban Classic", "Hoof Beats", "Equine Journal" na machapisho mengine. Ana shahada ya kwanza ya sanaa katika Kiingereza kutoka Chuo Kikuu cha New York na Associate of Arts kutoka Chuo cha Amerika cha Sanaa za Drama, New York City.