Clinical, haemato-biochemical, ultrasonographic and radiological findings in septic effusions in cats caused by Klebsiella spp.

Feline patients presenting with body cavity effusions are frequently encountered in veterinary clinical practice. Klebsiella spp. were isolated and identified from the septic effusions of three out of 23 cats with body cavity effusions. The morphological and biochemical identification was further confirmed through genus-specific PCR. Sequencing of the PCR products revealed the organism to be Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antibiotic susceptibility profiling of the organism indicated maximum susceptibility to doxycycline and enrofloxacin, while amoxicillin-clavulanate was the least effective. Haematological analysis revealed elevated total leukocyte count, with a marked increase in both the absolute neutrophil count and neutrophil percentage in all three cases of septic effusion. Thrombocytopenia was evident, while total erythrocyte count, haemoglobin, and haematocrit levels remained relatively unchanged. Biochemical analysis revealed significant increase in AST (3/3), increase in BUN (3/3), increased ALP (1/3) and elevated TP (2/3), with hypoalbuminemia in one case. The total nucleated cell count (TNCC) in all samples exceeded 100,000 cells/μL, indicating a robust inflammatory response characteristic of septic effusions. Keywords: Klebsiella spp., amoxicillin-clavulanate, septic effusions