Aspergillus deflectus-associated disseminated invasive aspergillosis in a German Shepherd dog with discospondylitis: first isolation in Europe.

Canine discospondylitis (CD) is an uncommon but serious condition. We report the first European case of disseminated Aspergillus deflectus infection causing thoracic discospondylitis in a 6-year-old female German Shepherd dog presenting with chronic spinal pain, lethargy and progressive neurological signs. Computer tomographic imaging revealed multiple thoracic intervertebral lesions and systemic abnormalities, involving the kidneys, spleen and femurs. Cytological and histochemical analysis confirmed the presence of fungal hyphae being A. deflectus molecularly identified in urine and post-mortem disc aspirates. Acute kidney injury (AKI) developed seven months after the onset of neurological signs, leading to the patient's death within 48 h of hospitalization. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of fungal CD due to its insidious course and to the low sensitivity of early diagnostics. Due to the breed predisposition, especially in German Shepherd dogs, a fungal cause should be considered early in refractory cases of discospondylitis.