Any Cryptococcus Survivors or Success stories?

profcat

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More good news! I am so glad that your vets were able to figure out another treatment plan for Merlin and that he is responding to it. Yea for pet insurance as it is allowing you to continue to care for him. Please keep us updated on his progress.
Yay for good news! We just heard Toby's titers are now negative. So he can be off the anti-fungal for 6 months to a year and then we'll recheck him as necessary.
 

missmindy

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suzieeq suzieeq

I just came across this thread and wanted to add another survivor story. My kitty is a 2 time crypto survivor-

My kitty was diagnosed with crypto in July of 2017. It took 3 months to diagnose as it set up shop in her eye, which none of her vets including an eye specialist had ever seen. It was diagnosed after her eye was removed as a last resort to make a diagnosis after all other treatments were exhausted. We did months of intraconazole and fluconazole and her titer eventually was negative.

However, she started showing some indications of very early kidney disease in her bloodwork in 2019. During that diagnostic process, her urine came back twice positive for fungus. The crypto was back and had set up shop in her urinary system. Again, all of her vets and the Internal Med vet were shocked and had to go into their research literature to find other cases. We did another round of anti-fungals and she cleared it again. Internal medicine is having us recheck her titer twice a year now. Treating the crypto also slowed the progress of her kidney disease and improved her numbers.

The most frustrating part for us (besides seeing her ill) was that we don't know how she got it the first or second time. It's not common in cats in our neck of the woods.

I am glad your kitty did well!!
 

hexiesfriend

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Missmindy my kitty had hers come back under her skin from the nasal cavity where she originally had it. Diagnosis was a pain too. The dermatologist indicated that she just wasn’t treated long enough with the fluconazole for the nasal cavity to get rid of it and it sprung up in the skin. In my kitty’s case the titer does not show up
at all for skin fungus so we are just hoping this time around we are treating her long enough. This issue is a pain.
 

di and bob

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My cats are on supplements daily for Leukemia. The only way I can get them to take their meds is to put it on a small dish and pour Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors (they don't like the others!) over it. They have never refused a med doing it this way, antibiotics, etc. You might try it. I also keep it around for when one of them quits eating. They ALWAYS take a few licks of this and it keeps them going.
 

dcat471

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suzieeq suzieeq

I just came across this thread and wanted to add another survivor story. My kitty is a 2 time crypto survivor-

My kitty was diagnosed with crypto in July of 2017. It took 3 months to diagnose as it set up shop in her eye, which none of her vets including an eye specialist had ever seen. It was diagnosed after her eye was removed as a last resort to make a diagnosis after all other treatments were exhausted. We did months of intraconazole and fluconazole and her titer eventually was negative.

However, she started showing some indications of very early kidney disease in her bloodwork in 2019. During that diagnostic process, her urine came back twice positive for fungus. The crypto was back and had set up shop in her urinary system. Again, all of her vets and the Internal Med vet were shocked and had to go into their research literature to find other cases. We did another round of anti-fungals and she cleared it again. Internal medicine is having us recheck her titer twice a year now. Treating the crypto also slowed the progress of her kidney disease and improved her numbers.

The most frustrating part for us (besides seeing her ill) was that we don't know how she got it the first or second time. It's not common in cats in our neck of the woods.

I am glad your kitty did well!!
Glad to hear a crypto success story. I have a kitty named "Bob" who had an URI and was treated for 1 month of two antibiotics. # days later his face around his left eye and nose swelled up. Took back to vet and they diagnosed crypto. He has been on Fluconazole, 50 mg, twice daily since 10/27/2021. The swelling went down almost immediately (2-3 days), however, he still sneezes all day long and has purulent sometimes bloody discharge from his nose. He has had bouts of diarrhea and vomiting from the meds so I started giving him subcutaneous fluids 50 cc every other day and slippery elm bark before meals a few times and the vomiting has stopped. We cut down the dose of Fluconazole to 25 mg twice daily since he is now 6 pounds having lost almost half his weight in the 2+ months of treatment! I just ordered Virbac Rebound to help boost his immune system and started it today. Also, my vet ok'd nebulizer treatments with normal saline 1-2 times daily. Any one have any thoughts to help get his weight back on by syringe feeding. He unfortunately is a dry food cat eater only! My vet says that I should see results from the meds in the next 3-4 weeks. They originally had him on Prednisone also for about 1 week, should I ask for more Prednisone in hopes that it increases his appetite?
 
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suzieeq

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D dcat471 I know you said he is a dry food eater only, but I highly recommend trying this wet food. It's called Royal Canin Recovery food. It's for cats and dogs who are recovering from surgery or illness and have no appetite. It is supposedly more appetizing than other foods, smellwise and tastewise. It also has more calories so your cat can eat less to get the nutrition he needs.

This food was a life saver for me. When merlin was first sick, he lost 3 lbs in a few months and was down to 6.7 lbs. I spent $200 on buying every can food in the pet store to see if I could get him to eat anything. He wouldnt eat any of it. The emergency vet sent me home with a few cans of these and I was so shocked. He actually ate this food. He's been on it since August and he is now 8.7 lbs. It's a prescription food so you will need to get a prescription from your vet. I order mine from chewy. Maybe others will have suggestions for a dry food similiar to this. But unless he medically only needs to eat dry food, I would say this food is with a shot. It's also a pate so it can be syringe fed.

Glad to hear a crypto success story. I have a kitty named "Bob" who had an URI and was treated for 1 month of two antibiotics. # days later his face around his left eye and nose swelled up. Took back to vet and they diagnosed crypto. He has been on Fluconazole, 50 mg, twice daily since 10/27/2021. The swelling went down almost immediately (2-3 days), however, he still sneezes all day long and has purulent sometimes bloody discharge from his nose. He has had bouts of diarrhea and vomiting from the meds so I started giving him subcutaneous fluids 50 cc every other day and slippery elm bark before meals a few times and the vomiting has stopped. We cut down the dose of Fluconazole to 25 mg twice daily since he is now 6 pounds having lost almost half his weight in the 2+ months of treatment! I just ordered Virbac Rebound to help boost his immune system and started it today. Also, my vet ok'd nebulizer treatments with normal saline 1-2 times daily. Any one have any thoughts to help get his weight back on by syringe feeding. He unfortunately is a dry food cat eater only! My vet says that I should see results from the meds in the next 3-4 weeks. They originally had him on Prednisone also for about 1 week, should I ask for more Prednisone in hopes that it increases his appetite?
 
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suzieeq

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I forgot to mention. Merlin was also on predisolone when he lost his appetite. He was taking it every day for 2 weeks, and then he went down to every other day. He is still taking it now and is on twice a week. To be honest, I don't really think the prednisolone helped with his appetite but the appetite stimulants did. I was given mirtazprine pills that helped alot with his appetite. He took it every 72 hours. I also tried the gel type that you put in their ear which can be given daily but I noticed the pills worked better.

Glad to hear a crypto success story. I have a kitty named "Bob" who had an URI and was treated for 1 month of two antibiotics. # days later his face around his left eye and nose swelled up. Took back to vet and they diagnosed crypto. He has been on Fluconazole, 50 mg, twice daily since 10/27/2021. The swelling went down almost immediately (2-3 days), however, he still sneezes all day long and has purulent sometimes bloody discharge from his nose. He has had bouts of diarrhea and vomiting from the meds so I started giving him subcutaneous fluids 50 cc every other day and slippery elm bark before meals a few times and the vomiting has stopped. We cut down the dose of Fluconazole to 25 mg twice daily since he is now 6 pounds having lost almost half his weight in the 2+ months of treatment! I just ordered Virbac Rebound to help boost his immune system and started it today. Also, my vet ok'd nebulizer treatments with normal saline 1-2 times daily. Any one have any thoughts to help get his weight back on by syringe feeding. He unfortunately is a dry food cat eater only! My vet says that I should see results from the meds in the next 3-4 weeks. They originally had him on Prednisone also for about 1 week, should I ask for more Prednisone in hopes that it increases his appetite?
 

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D dcat471 Welcome to The Cat Site! I am so glad to hear that Bob is recovering. As I wrote earlier in this thread, I lost my Pangur Ban to cryptococcus several years ago. I was not clear on whether or not you had tried syringe feeding or were hesitating because of Bob's preference for dry food. I would definitely try for some very nutritious wet food, possibly you will have to go with one that he likes, and try syringe feeding.

https://americanpetsalive.org/uploads/resources/Austin-Pets-Alive-Force-Feeding-Cats-52F6.pdf

This gives a general overview and there are videos online; however, I would ask your vet for specific instructions, possibly a demonstration, amounts, frequency specifically for Bob. Is Bob eating his dry food regularly?

Lastly, yes, ask about mirtazapine which can be used orally or transdermally. It is specifically an appetite stimulant and may work better than the pred.
 

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Although this is not medical advice, here are some comments concerning cryptococcosis in cats:

* Both outdoor and indoor cats can become infected by cryptococcosis species infection.

* Early diagnosis (e.g., localized disease or systemic disease) along with prompt antifungal treatment is important.

* Following diagnosis, treatment often involves the administration of antifungal medication - such as fluconazole - for an extended length of time.

* Some medications have very bitter flavors - including fluconazole tablets. If the cat is rejecting the tablet due to its bitter taste, you can try to conceal the tablet in a flavored pill pocket. Then, sprinkle something tasty over the pill pocket (e.g., FortiFlora) in an attempt to make the pill pocket even more appetizing to the cat.

* Fluonazole and other tablet-medications can often be compounded into a small capsule by a compounding pharmacy (e.g., Mixlab Compounding Pharmacy). Check with your veterinarian first.

* The cat's serum specimens should be regularly submitted to a laboratory that has experience in interpreting cryptococcal antigen test assays because some cryptococcal antigen test kits (e.g., IMMY CrAg LFA) may be more sensitive than other test kits.

* An article concerning cryptococcosis in a cat is scheduled to be published in the Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery Open Reports in early 2022. The article discusses an indoor-only pet cat that was diagnosed with cryptococcosis (nasal cavity). The cat has been receiving medical care and treatment in California. When the article is published, it will be freely available to everyone, including pet owners and veterinarians.

Hope this information is useful - thank you!
 
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suzieeq

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Thanks for the info SafariDoc SafariDoc !

I am so interested in reading the article of the indoor cat with cryptococcus. I will have to remind myself to keep looking out for it

Merlin is an indoor only cat who got it. He is currently on fluconazole and terbinafine daily, prednisolone twice a week and goes into the vet once a week for amphotericin B infusions via IV (he used to go twice a week initially but got reduced to once a week after 3 months of treatment) since mid 2021. He gets bloodwork done every week and his titter levels checked every 2 months. Although physically he has gotten better, his titter levels have not improved so I'm really curious to see how the study on that cat who had cryptococcus went.

Although this is not medical advice, here are some comments concerning cryptococcosis in cats:

* Both outdoor and indoor cats can become infected by cryptococcosis species infection.

* Early diagnosis (e.g., localized disease or systemic disease) along with prompt antifungal treatment is important.

* Following diagnosis, treatment often involves the administration of antifungal medication - such as fluconazole - for an extended length of time.

* Some medications have very bitter flavors - including fluconazole tablets. If the cat is rejecting the tablet due to its bitter taste, you can try to conceal the tablet in a flavored pill pocket. Then, sprinkle something tasty over the pill pocket (e.g., FortiFlora) in an attempt to make the pill pocket even more appetizing to the cat.

* Fluonazole and other tablet-medications can often be compounded into a small capsule by a compounding pharmacy (e.g., Mixlab Compounding Pharmacy). Check with your veterinarian first.

* The cat's serum specimens should be regularly submitted to a laboratory that has experience in interpreting cryptococcal antigen test assays because some cryptococcal antigen test kits (e.g., IMMY CrAg LFA) may be more sensitive than other test kits.

* An article concerning cryptococcosis in a cat is scheduled to be published in the Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery Open Reports in early 2022. The article discusses an indoor-only pet cat that was diagnosed with cryptococcosis (nasal cavity). The cat has been receiving medical care and treatment in California. When the article is published, it will be freely available to everyone, including pet owners and veterinarians.

Hope this information is useful - thank you!
 

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@sizieeq, what is Merlin's most recent titer? Do you know?

Which cryptococcal antigen test (i.e., the name of the actual test kit) is being used for Merlin's serum samples? Do you know?
 

SafariDoc

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Thanks for the info SafariDoc SafariDoc !

I am so interested in reading the article of the indoor cat with cryptococcus. I will have to remind myself to keep looking out for it

Merlin is an indoor only cat who got it. He is currently on fluconazole and terbinafine daily, prednisolone twice a week and goes into the vet once a week for amphotericin B infusions via IV (he used to go twice a week initially but got reduced to once a week after 3 months of treatment) since mid 2021. He gets bloodwork done every week and his titter levels checked every 2 months. Although physically he has gotten better, his titter levels have not improved so I'm really curious to see how the study on that cat who had cryptococcus went.
suzieeq suzieeq , what is Merlin's most recent titer? Do you know?

Which cryptococcal antigen test (i.e., the name of the actual test kit) is being used for Merlin's serum samples? Do you know?
Thanks for the info SafariDoc SafariDoc !

I am so interested in reading the article of the indoor cat with cryptococcus. I will have to remind myself to keep looking out for it

Merlin is an indoor only cat who got it. He is currently on fluconazole and terbinafine daily, prednisolone twice a week and goes into the vet once a week for amphotericin B infusions via IV (he used to go twice a week initially but got reduced to once a week after 3 months of treatment) since mid 2021. He gets bloodwork done every week and his titter levels checked every 2 months. Although physically he has gotten better, his titter levels have not improved so I'm really curious to see how the study on that cat who had cryptococcus went.
suzieeq suzieeq , what is Merlin's most recent titer? Do you know?

Which cryptococcal antigen test (i.e., the name of the actual CrAg test kit) is being used for Merlin's serum samples? Do you know?
 
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suzieeq

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SafariDoc SafariDoc His titer is 1:32,768. It's been like that since the first diagnosis and hasnt changed throughout treatment. But the last test we did was October 26. He is due for another one on his next visit.

I don't know what kind of antigen test is being used. The results just say "cryptococcus antigen by latex aggulination", specimin type: serum.

@sizieeq, what is Merlin's most recent titer? Do you know?

Which cryptococcal antigen test (i.e., the name of the actual test kit) is being used for Merlin's serum samples? Do you know?
 

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SafariDoc SafariDoc His titer is 1:32,768. It's been like that since the first diagnosis and hasnt changed throughout treatment. But the last test we did was October 26. He is due for another one on his next visit.

I don't know what kind of antigen test is being used. The results just say "cryptococcus antigen by latex aggulination", specimin type: serum.
I'm interested in the actual name and manufacturer of the cryptococcal antigen test kit that is being being used for your cat?

Here are some possible cryptococcal antigen test names:

1. Latex-Cryptococcus Antigen Test (IMMY LCAT, Norman, Oklahoma)
2. Cryptococcal Antigen Latex Agglutination System (Meridian Bioscience CALAS® Cincinnati, Ohio)
3. Cryptococcal Antigen Lateral Flow Assay (IMMY CrAg LFA)
4. Enzyme Immunoassay (Meridian Premier® Cryptococcal Antigen).

Your cat's veterinarian (or vet tech) can find the actual name and manufacturer of the cryptococcal antigen test that is currently being used for your cat's serum by looking at the "package insert" that is supplied in each test kit. Your cat's veterinary clinic is probably very busy right now - so you may not receive a quick response. Ask anyway, and wait for response. What does the package insert say about the actual name of the test and the name of the manufacturer of the test?
 
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suzieeq

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SafariDoc SafariDoc Ohh, found it. It's IDEXX, I think. That's what's written on the results. I went to their website and see saw the test name on their webpage Tests and Services | IDEXX Reference Laboratories - IDEXX US

SafariDoc post: 5466692 said:
I'm interested in the actual name and manufacturer of the cryptococcal antigen test kit that is being being used for your cat?

Here are some possible cryptococcal antigen test names:

1. Latex-Cryptococcus Antigen Test (IMMY LCAT, Norman, Oklahoma)
2. Cryptococcal Antigen Latex Agglutination System (Meridian Bioscience CALAS® Cincinnati, Ohio)
3. Cryptococcal Antigen Lateral Flow Assay (IMMY CrAg LFA)
4. Enzyme Immunoassay (Meridian Premier® Cryptococcal Antigen).

Your cat's veterinarian (or vet tech) can find the actual name and manufacturer of the cryptococcal antigen test that is currently being used for your cat's serum by looking at the "package insert" that is supplied in each test kit. Your cat's veterinary clinic is probably very busy right now - so you may not receive a quick response. Ask anyway, and wait for response. What does the package insert say about the actual name of the test and the name of the manufacturer of the test?
 

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SafariDoc SafariDoc Ohh, found it. It's IDEXX, I think. That's what's written on the results. I went to their website and see saw the test name on their webpage Tests and Services | IDEXX Reference Laboratories - IDEXX US
1. "IDEXX" is the name of the medical lab to which your cat's serum sample was submitted.

2. The name of the "cryptococcal antigen test" and the name of the "test kit manufacturer" is included on the package insert in the test kit.

3. Do you know what those names are (your cat's veterinary clinic should have those answers for you because they are using cryptococcal antigen test kits for your cat's serum samples)?
 
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suzieeq

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SafariDoc SafariDoc Let me ask them. I talk to my vet every Tuesday after merlin weekly treatment so I will ask him then.

1. "IDEXX" is the name of the medical lab to which your cat's serum sample was submitted.

2. The name of the "cryptococcal antigen test" and the name of the "test kit manufacturer" is included on the package insert in the test kit.

3. Do you know what those names are (your cat's veterinary clinic should have those answers for you because they are using cryptococcal antigen test kits for your cat's serum samples)?
 

SafariDoc

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An article concerning cryptococcosis in a cat is scheduled to be published in the Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery Open Reports in early 2022. The article discusses an indoor-only pet cat that was diagnosed with cryptococcosis (nasal cavity). The cat has been receiving medical care and treatment in California. When the article is published, it will be freely available to everyone, including pet owners and veterinarians.
The case report was published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports (2022).

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20551169221074624

Hope this information is useful to you.
 
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