title: The diagnosis and treatment of a thoracic abscess in an alpaca.
abstract: A 6-month-old alpaca presented for lethargy, failure to thrive and leucocytosis. Diagnostic procedures, including thoracic ultrasound, radiographs and a computed tomography scan, were used to document a thoracic mass. Based on appearance and ultrasound-guided aspiration of purulent material, the mass was determined to be a large abscess. The abscess was treated with surgical drainage and long-term antibiotic therapy. The origin of this thoracic abscess was felt to be the caudal mediastinum, secondary to bacterial seeding of the caudal mediastinal lymph nodes. Although an aetiological agent was not definitively determined, the most likely was Actinomyces spp or Arcanobacterium pyogenes. The alpaca made a complete recovery following treatment.
authors.affiliation: The Cornell University Hospital for Animals, Department of Clinical Sciences and Radiology, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Adolf
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dykes
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Semevolos
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Divers
mesh_terms: D000038:Abscess / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002161:Camelids, New World; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004322:Drainage; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D013896:Thoracic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents