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Case summary A 3-year-old neutered male domestic mediumhair cat was evaluated for a 4-month history of a fever that was responsive to pradofloxacin. A grade III/VI left parasternal systolic heart murmur was noted on examination. Findings on thoracic radiography were consistent with left-sided congestive heart failure and findings on echocardiographic examination suggested endomyocarditis. Aerobic blood cultures yielded growth of a Streptococcus species that was identified as Streptococcus suis using both matrix-associated laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The cat was treated but clinically deteriorated and was euthanized 23 days after diagnosis. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this is the first report of S suis bacteremia, an emerging pathogen, in association with endomyocarditis in the cat. This case also highlights the role of echocardiography to document progressive hemodynamic changes as a result of valvular erosion in the course of infective endocarditis treatment and the role of blood cultures as a diagnostic tool in cats presenting with fever.

Case summary A 3-year-old neutered male domestic mediumhair cat was evaluated for a 4-month history of a fever that was responsive to pradofloxacin. A grade III/VI left parasternal systolic heart murmur was noted on examination. Findings on thoracic radiography were consistent with left-sided congestive heart failure and findings on echocardiographic examination suggested endomyocarditis. Aerobic blood cultures yielded growth of a Streptococcus species that was identified as Streptococcus suis using both matrix-associated laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The cat was treated but clinically deteriorated and was euthanized 23 days after diagnosis. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, this is the first report of S suis bacteremia, an emerging pathogen, in association with endomyocarditis in the cat. This case also highlights the role of echocardiography to document progressive hemodynamic changes as a result of valvular erosion in the course of infective endocarditis treatment and the role of blood cultures as a diagnostic tool in cats presenting with fever.

Case summary A domestic shorthair cat was evaluated for chronic, bilateral, ulcerative dermatitis affecting the inguinal region and lateral aspects of both pelvic limbs. Histopathologic examination of skin biopsies collected throughout the course of disease revealed chronic pyogranulomatous ulcerative dermatitis. Aerobic bacterial skin cultures yielded growth of a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Corynebacterium amycolatum . Upon referral the clinical findings were suggestive of a non-tuberculous Mycobacterium species infection. Previously obtained skin cultures failed to yield growth of mycobacterial organisms. A deep skin biopsy was collected and submitted for mycobacterial culture. At 5 weeks of incubation Mycobacterium thermoresistibile was isolated. In previous reports, M thermoresistibile has been isolated after 2–4 days of incubation, suggesting that this strain may have been a slower growing variant, or other factors (such as prior antimicrobial therapy) inhibited rapid growth of this isolate. The cat was hospitalized for intravenous antibiotic therapy, surgical debridement of wounds, vacuum-assisted wound closure therapy and reconstruction procedures. The wounds were ultimately primarily closed and the cat was discharged to the owner after 50 days of hospitalization. Seven months after hospitalization, the ulcerative skin lesions had healed. Relevance and novel information To our knowledge, only two cases of M thermoresistibile panniculitis have been reported in cats. In the only detailed report of feline M thermoresistibile panniculitis, treatment was not attempted. The second case only reported detection of M thermoresistibile by PCR without a clinical description of the case. In our case report, severe chronic skin infection with M thermoresistibile was addressed using prolonged specific antibiotic therapy, surgical debridement and reconstructions, and treatment of secondary bacterial infections.