A rare case of canine Neurocryptococcosis in a German Shepherd dog
Author(s): PC Prabu, Athira Anand Kuniyil, PK Ramkumar, B Puvarajan and J Selvaraj
Abstract: An eleven months old male German shepherd dog was brought with an anamnesis of fever and anorexia. A preliminary diagnosis of haemoprotozoal disease was made and corresponding treatment protocol was initiated. The condition of the dog deteriorated and neurological deficits were observed. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was collected and subjected to Giemsa, Lactophenol cotton blue and Albert’s staining. Cytological analysis revealed the presence of round to oval capsulated yeast like organisms of around 4-6 microns in diameter consistent with the morphology of cryptococcal yeasts. The CSF was cultured in Sabouraud dextrose agar and the organisms were isolated and stained. Cryptococcosis was confirmed by PCR performed targeting the CAP59 gene. To our knowledge, the present work is the first report of CSF based diagnosis of canine neurocryptococcosis from India and it emphasizes the importance of routine cerebrospinal fluid evaluation under clinical setup in dogs with neurological deficits.
PC Prabu, Athira Anand Kuniyil, PK Ramkumar, B Puvarajan, J Selvaraj. A rare case of canine Neurocryptococcosis in a German Shepherd dog. Int J Vet Sci Anim Husbandry 2025;10(11):281-287. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/veterinary.2025.v10.i11e.2739
