First report of phaeohyphomycosis caused by Phialophora americana in a domestic cat from Argentina

Case summary A 10-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat from Quilmes (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina) presented at the Infectious Diseases and Parasitology Unit with a hyperpigmented nodule of 5cm diameter on the nasal plane with a small ulceration of more than 1 year's evolution. A scaly and hyperpigmented alopecic lesion of 3cm in diameter was found on the lower edge of the tail. The patient was under immunosuppressive therapy with corticosteroids for lymphoplasmacytic duodenitis. Samples of the lesion present on the nasal plane were taken under a surgical procedure. In the wet mount preparations, pigmented irregular hyphae were observed. They developed dark colonies when cultured on Sabouraud medium. On micromorphology, structures compatible with Phialophora species were identified. PCR and sequencing of ITS (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2) confirmed Phialophora americana as the etiologic agent. A therapeutic scheme that included a combination of itraconazole oral solution (1.5mg/kg PO q12h) with terbinafine (30mg/kg PO q24h) was indicated for a period of 10 months. The patient died of complications resulting from its underlying disease. Relevance and novel information As far as the authors are aware, this is the first study to report P americana as an etiologic agent of phaeohyphomycosis in cats. In this case study, the species was identified using molecular tests.