Urinary infection by Citrobacter koseri (C. diversus) in a dog affected by nephrolithiasis

Abstract

Lithiasis is defined as concretions formed by mineral deposition around a core formed by the organic matrix. They can be located in any region of animals’ urinary tract, causing obstruction or urinary tract infection (UTI). Only ten percent of uroliths can be found in the kidneys, being this an uncommon location. Citrobacter koseri, a microorganism of important isolation in human’s bacteremias, is rarely isolated in dogs. The present report aimed to describe the clinical diagnosis, as a microbiological diagnosis of the infections caused by this microorganism of infrequent occurrence, in an adult animal carrying bilateral nephrolithiasis. The patient described was being treated for chronic kidney disease (CKD) for two months without any improvement of the azotemia state. Through laboratory and image tests there was a diagnosis of urinary tract infection associated with bilateral nephrolithiasis. After UTI’s clinical management there was a patient’s microbiological cure and slight reduction of lithiasis size. The CKD’s control was done due to an animal’s death. The diagnostic evaluations confirm the importance of earlier diagnosis of UTI and lithiasis to prevent irreversible damage to the kidneys and urinary pathways. Citrobacter koseri should be included as an important pathogen in dog’s urinary infections once the urinary tract is the main isolation site and urolithiasis favor the urinary tract’s contamination with possibilities of developing CKD.