Feline disseminated cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis due to Exophiala spinifera

Abstract

A six-year-old domestic shorthair cat was presented for a subcutaneous digital nodular lesion on the right forelimb. On physical examination a similar lesion was identified on the right hindlimb. Disseminated cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis was diagnosed from histopathological changes in representative tissue biopsies and fungal culture. The isolate was identified by sequencing of ITS rDNA as Exophiala spinifera. This is the first report of disseminated cutaneous disease caused by E. spinifera in the cat. Keywords: Black yeasts, Exophiala, Phaehyphomycosis, Histopathology, Molecular diagnosis