title: A multisystemic Acanthamoeba infection in a dog in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
abstract: A 22-month-old male Spanish water dog was hospitalized after its physical examination revealed fever and movement difficulty. After 24h, the dog was found to have a high fever (39.5 °C) and was treated empirically with doxycycline/ciprofloxacin. At 48 h, after submission the fever rose to 41 °C and the animal presented with a stiff neck and dehydration. Peripheral blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were sampled and trophozoites with an Acanthamoeba-like morphology were observed in the CSF. PCR specific for Acanthamoeba, Naegleria fowleri and Balamuthia mandrillaris were performed and the CSF sample found positive for Acanthamoeba. Lungs, kidney, liver and spleen samples were collected post mortem. All collected organ samples were positive for Acanthamoeba by PCR, thus confirming a multisystemic infection. Water samples taken at a suspected site of infection yielded an almost identical PCR fragment to those of the clinical samples, indicating that this was probably where the infection originated. This is the first report of a fatal case of Acanthamoeba disseminated infection in a dog in Spain.
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain; Laboratorio Finca España, Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valladares
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: María
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reyes-Batlle
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mora-Peces
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Martín-Navarro
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Atteneri
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Arencibia
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dorta-Gorrín
authors.affiliation: Clínica Veterinaria Vesal, Tenerife, Spain.
authors.forename: Estefanía
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Comyn-Afonso
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Martínez-Carretero
authors.affiliation: Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: Sutherland K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Maciver
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: José E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Piñero
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Basilio
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Valladares
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Tropical Diseases and Public Health of the Canary Islands, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofísico Fco. Sánchez, S/N, 38203 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Electronic address: jmlorenz@ull.edu.es.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lorenzo-Morales
mesh_terms: D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000562:Amebiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000235:genetics; D004285:Dogs; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D007668:Kidney / Q000469:parasitology; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology; D008168:Lung / Q000469:parasitology; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D013030:Spain; D013154:Spleen / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D004247:DNA
keywords: Acanthamoeba; Canary Islands; Dog; Multisystemic infection; Spain