Affects: Dogs
Phycomycosis is an uncommon condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract and skin, most commonly found in dogs and horses. The condition is caused by various molds (a type of fungi), including pythiosis, zygomycosis, and lagenidiosis. Pythiosis, the most common type, is caused by Pythium, a type of water mold. Zygomycosis can be caused by two types of zygomycetes: Entomophthorales (e.g., Basidiobolus and Conidiobolus) and Mucorales (e.g., Mucor, Mortierella, Absidia, Rhizopus, Rhizomucor, and Saksenaea). The latter type of zygomycosis is also referred to as mucormycosis. Lagenidiosis is caused by a Lagenidium species, which, like Pythium, is a kind of water mold. Since both pythiosis and lagenidiosis are caused by organisms from the Oomycetes and not the Fungi kingdom, they are sometimes collectively referred to as oomycosis.
Diagnosis And Treatment: Diagnosis is through biopsy, culture or an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. Treatment is very difficult and includes surgery when possible. Postoperative recurrence is common. Antifungal drugs show only limited effect on the disease, but itraconazole and terbinafine hydrochloride are often used for 2 to 3 months following surgery. Humans with Basidiobolus infections have been treated with amphotericin B and potassium iodide. For pythiosis and lagenidiosis, a drug targeting water molds called caspofungin is available, although its high cost makes its usage to be rare. Immunotherapy has been used successfully in humans and horses with pythiosis. The prognosis for any type of phycomycosis is poor.