Pericardial Abscess Associated with Mycoplasma arginini: A Rare Case from a Cat

A two and half-year-old, mixed breed, male cat was admitted to Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Teaching Hospital with respiratory distress and coughing lasting for a month. During the initial examinations of ultrasound and radiography, a pericardial abscess was detected near the right side of the heart and was drained with pericardiocentesis. Percardial biopsy material was screened for the bacterial isolation and identification. Bacteriological methods based on colony morphology, sugar fermentation tests, and molecular confirmation using 16S rRNA-23S rRNA specific primers were performed. Result on conventional and molecular analysis, Mycoplasma arginini (M. arginini) were detected. The patient was treated with azithromycin and enrofloxacin. Full recovery was observed during follow-up examination after a month. The findings of this case increase awareness of pathogen M. arginini in cats and zoonotic importance has been emphasized for pet owners.