Bronchoalveolar lavage and tracheal wash to determine lung involvement in a cat with cryptococcosis

A one-year-old 3-kg female domestic shorthair cat was diagnosed as having cryptococcosis. Although the cat had no clinical signs referable to the pulmonary system and results of thoracic radiography were normal, organisms were recovered by use of tracheal wash and bronchoalveolar lavage. In cases of fungal infections, the latter 2 methods can be more reliable than radiography and evaluation of clinical signs for determining pulmonary involvement.