Opportunistic Candida albicans infection with granulomatous meningoencephalitis and aggressive osteolysis

Opportunistic Candida infection of the central nervous system is increasingly observed in immunocompromised humans and has recently been reported in three dogs. Calvarial bone lysis is a rare manifestation of chronic Candida infection in humans but has not been reported in dogs. This report describes the case of a 10-year-old immunocompromised Bullterrier dog with cerebral lesions associated with meningoencephalitis and multifocal aggressive bone lysis, destruction of turbinates and conchae, sinusitis, a nasopharyngeal mass, and regional lymphadenomegaly in MRI and CT. Histology and microbiological examinations revealed Candida albicans infection. The dog responded transiently to antifungal treatment but was euthanized due to clinical deterioration. Postmortem examination confirmed granulomatous fungal meningitis and multicentric T-cell lymphoma. This is the first report describing imaging features of an opportunistic Candida infection causing granulomatous meningoencephalitis in a dog. The dog in this case report showed aggressive bone lysis at the same location as granulomatous meningoencephalitis lesions, a rare feature of chronic Candida infection in humans.