Pathology Team Discovers Novel Species of Bacteria
New university findings highlight potential implications for dogs, diagnostics, and veterinary practice.
FHSA’s Pathology team set out to identify the bacteria present in both dogs and, in doing so, uncovered a new genomic species and the pathogenic potential of bacteria not previously considered infectious.
A pathologist is not a good pathologist if they are not curious.
In these cases, the bacteria were inside macrophages, which is not something we commonly see, and immediately raised suspicion that we might be dealing with an unusual organism.
That prompted us to investigate further, rather than stopping at a diagnosis.
Many discoveries in pathology happen this way, when a clinical case does not quite follow the textbook and someone decides to look deeper.
Having residents who are willing to pursue those questions is essential for advancing the field.
Francisco Conrado , associate professor in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology at Cummings School A Labrador Retriever and a Rottweiler cross arrived within weeks of each other last fall to the emergency room at Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals (FHSA) at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.
Both were in acute respiratory distress and succumbed to their symptoms the next day.
Featured in the Journal of Applied Microbiology this past February, “ First report of Castellaniella spp.
infection in dogs and genomic evidence of a novel species ” details the first two documented cases of dogs infected by the Castellaniella bacteria and characterizes the novel species found in one dog.
“These two cases were striking because of how rapidly they progressed and how severe the outcomes were,” says Conrado (he/him), co-author of the report.
The report adds to ongoing university-led research relevant to veterinary medicine, animal health, and clinical decision-making.
Source university website: Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
https://vet.tufts.edu/news-events/news/pathology-team-discovers-novel-species-bacteria
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