Abscess-forming inflammatory granulation tissue with Gram-positive cocci and prominent eosinophil infiltration in cats: possible infection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

Abstract

We occasionally encounter feline cervical or mesenteric lesions diagnosed histopathologically as abscess or inflammatory granulation tissue with eosinophil infiltration. Gram-positive cocci accompany the lesions. In the present study, such lesions obtained from 27 cats were examined to evaluate the histopathologic features and the nature of the causative bacteria. The average age was 7.3 +/- 3.5 years. No sex predilection was observed. Most frequent locations of the lesions included the abdominal cavity with/without mesenteric lymph nodes (11/27, 41%) and subcutaneous tissue or lymph nodes of the neck (9/27, 33%). Common clinical presentation was a localized mass. Grossly, the lesions contained abscesses in the center and were surrounded by fibrous tissue. Microscopically, the necrotic zone contained bacterial colonies. Large numbers of eosinophils and macrophages infiltrated the area surrounding the necrotic tissue. The surrounding connective fiber-rich granulation tissue demarcated the eosinophilic abscess. The bacteria were Gram-positive cocci in 23 of the 27 cats and were positive for anti-staphylococcus antiserum in 19 of the 23 cats. In 15 out of 17 lesions, the colonies expressed immunoreactivity to penicillin-binding protein 2', which is a drug-resistance gene product of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) species. These findings suggest strongly that MRS causes this type of infectious lesion.