Salmonella enterica subspecies houtenae as an opportunistic pathogen in a case of meningoencephalomyelitis and bacteriuria in a dog

Abstract

Abstract Background We report the first case of canine Salmonella meningoencephalomyelitis and second case of canine Salmonella bacteriuria, as well as the first reported case of Salmonella enterica subspecies houtenae in a dog. Case presentation Immunosuppressive treatment in a dog for a relapse of steroid-responsive meningitis and arteritis (SRMA) allowed for the opportunistic establishment of a bacteremia with Salmonella enterica subsp. houtenae, ultimately causing meningoencephalomyelitis and subclinical bacteriuria. The bacterial infections were treated with a four-month course of amoxicillin; clinical treatment success was determined by serial negative urine cultures and lack of clinical signs correlated to the meningoencephalomyelitis. Conclusions Both the bacteriuria and meningoencephalomyelitis represented opportunistic infections in a dog immunosuppressed for SRMA. The clinical course of this infectious meningoencephalitis emphasizes the importance of differentiating relapse of initial disease from opportunistic infection occurring in a compromised central nervous system. The novel Salmonella species identified in this case acts as a reminder that infectious disease diagnostics should not be curbed by anecdotal prediction of routine pathogenic suspects.