Spontaneous Pneumocystis carinii infection in the dog with naturally acquired generalised demodicosis
Furuta, T.; Nogami, S.; Kojima, S.; Fujita, M.; Kamata, H.; Kuwabara, M.; Ohba, S.; Yoshida, H.
Veterinary Record 134(16): 423-424
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-4900 PMID: 8036776 Document Number: 435807
A 1-year-old female Beagle dog which had died of generalised demodicosis was found to have normal lungs macroscopically but examination of lung smears stained with toluidine blue-O revealed numerous cysts which were confirmed as P. carinii by immunofluorescence with a rat anti-P. carinii antiserum. P. carinii was not found in other tissue samples. A polymerase chain reaction method identified P. carinii in the lungs of the affected dog. Measurement of the intradermal reaction against the mitogen, phytohaemagglutinin-P, showed a 60% reduction in reaction in the Beagle compared to the reactions in normal Beagles, suggesting that cell-mediated immunity was suppressed in this dog. The possibility that the dog could play a role as a natural reservoir of P. carinii and act as a source for human infection is discussed.