Clinical and echocardiographic findings in an 8 year old Brown Swiss cow with myocardial abscess.

J Vet Cardiol. 2016 Feb 15. pii: S1760-2734(16)00010-2. doi: 10.1016/j.jvc.2015.12.002. [Epub ahead of print]

Gerspach C¹, Schwarzwald CC², Hilbe M³, Buczinski S⁴.

Author information

• ¹Farm Animal Department, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: cgerspach@vetclinics.uzh.ch.
• ²Equine Department, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
• ³Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 268, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
• ⁴Département des Sciences Cliniques, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada.

Abstract

Intramyocardial abscesses are rare in cattle and may lead to unspecific clinical signs. This case report describes the clinical and echocardiographic findings in an 8 year old Brown Swiss cow presented with an intramural myocardial abscess. The main clinical findings were anorexia, drop in milk yield, fever, tachycardia, and hyperfibrinogenemia. Neither heart murmurs nor cardiac arrhythmias were present on auscultation. Transthoracic echocardiographic examination revealed a prominent intramural mass embedded in the left ventricular free wall and bulging into the lumen of the left ventricle. Diagnosis was confirmed at necropsy. A culture of the abscess grew Trueperella pyogenes.
Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

Cattle; Endocarditis; Heart disease; Trueperella pyogenes