GRANULOMATOUS EPIDIDYMITIS RELATED TO RHODOTORULA-GLUTINIS INFECTION IN A DOG

A 4-year-old, male Great Dane dog developed severe swelling of the scr otum on 9 December 1991, and the testes and epididymides were removed surgically on 12 December 1992. The cut surface of the epididymides co nsisted of hard connective tissue and several small abcesses with slig ht hemorrhage. Histopathologically, the seminiferous tubules in the te stes had only a few spermatogenic cells, but Sertoli cells were well p reserved. Both epididymides consisted entirely of a proliferation of f ibrous connective tissue, and only a few ducts deferens containing cel l debris, neutrophils, and macrophages in the lumina were present. In all lesions of the epididymides, the macrophages contained periodic ac id-Schiff- and Grocott's silver-positive round granules, 5-8 mu m in d iameter. Microbiologically, smooth salmon-pink colonies consisting of ovoidal yeast, about 10 mu m in diameter, were isolated from the sampl es of epididymides but not from those of the testes. The isolated yeas t had microbiological characteristics of Rhodotorula glutinis. From th ese observations, we diagnosed the present case as granulomatous epidi dymitis due to Rhodotorula infection.