Is DMSO useful in the treatment of fungal pneumonia?

Authors: Vermunt J
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 35, Issue 8, pp 134, Aug 1987
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Cattle, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant
Subject Terms: Abortion/stillbirth, Bacterial, Notifiable organisms/exotic disease, Reproduction, Fungal/yeast, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Pneumonia/pleurisy, Respiratory system, Parturition, Reproduction - female, Treatment/therapy
Article class: Correspondence

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Abstract: Acute mycotic pneumonia or fungal pneumonia occurs frequently in cows within a few days of abortion due to an infection with the fungus Mortierella wolfii. This acute fulminant fungal pneumonia is nearly always fatal. It occurs 1-4 days after the Mortierella abortion. The course of this type of respiratory disease is short (1-4 days) with an average of two days. The pneumonia presents initially with a high temperature (41-41.5°C). The temperature later becomes subnormal when the animal is near death. The respiration is rapid and shallow, reinforced by abdominal muscles and accompanied by grunting or groaning. Occasionally there may be coughing and nasal discharge. The disease progresses rapidly with the respiratory distress becoming very severe. Collapse occurs prior to death. Cyanosis is always marked. Non-fatal respiratory infections do occur, resulting in focal pneumonia or granulomas.  Suggested treatment has been potassium iodide orally and the extremely expensive antifungal drug amphoterocin-B. There were no reports of successful therapy until autumn last year when the daily intravenous injection of 20ml of dimethylsulphoxide for two days was claimed to be highly successful. Meertens reported failure of this treatment in both of the two attempted cases. We have been using DMSO within our practice on several cases of suspected fungal pneumonia. Results have been extremely poor…

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