Description

Protothecosis in dogs is caused by a mutant form of green algae and is usually disseminated. Symptoms include weight loss, uveitis, retinal detachment,and anal seepage.

Protothecosis in dogs

Disseminated protothecosis is most commonly seen in dogs. The algae enters the body through the mouth or nose and causes infection in the intestines. From there it can spread to the eye, brain, and kidneys. Symptoms can include diarrhea, weight loss, weakness, inflammation of the eye (uveitis), retinal detachment, ataxia, and seizures.

Dogs with acute blindness and diarrhea that develop exudative retinal detachment should be assessed for protothecosis.   Diagnosis is through culture or finding the organism in a biopsy, cerebrospinal fluid, vitreous humour, or urine. Treatment of the disseminated form in dogs is very difficult, although use of antifungal medication has been successful in a few cases.  Prognosis for cutaneous protothecosis is guarded and depends on the surgical options. Prognosis for the disseminated form is grave. This may be due to delayed recognition and treatment.

Wikipedia and GNU

The content of this entry is from the Wikipedia article "Protothecosis" licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.