Fatal pneumonia caused by extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli in a young dog

Abstract

This paper describes a fatal case of pneumonia in a 14-day-old dog caused by extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC). The necropsy showed that almost all of left lobes of the lungs had dark-red consolidation. A histopathology examination revealed moderate acute fibrino-hemorrhagic necrotizing pneumonia with intralesional bacterial colonies. Non-suppurative epicarditis, congestion in the liver, and necrosis in the white pulp of the spleen also were found. E. coli with cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 and α-hemolysin was isolated from the lung. This case was confirmed to have fatal pneumonia caused by ExPEC that led to a systemic infection.