Vetdle

Think. Diagnose. Play.

Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #155: Feline Cryptococcosis

Cat veterinary case - Medium - August 5, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. Weeks of sneezing culminate in examination of a cat with a firm swelling across the nasal bridge.
  2. Appetite has steadily declined as the breathing has become noisier.
  3. There is a mucopurulent nasal discharge and the face appears subtly distorted.
  4. On examination, the nasal planum is swollen and the submandibular lymph nodes are mildly enlarged.
  5. Cytology from the lesion identifies encapsulated yeast organisms.
  6. This fungal disease commonly causes nasal deformity and chronic upper respiratory signs in cats.

Diagnosis

Feline Cryptococcosis

This case is most consistent with Feline Cryptococcosis because the cat has chronic nasal disease with facial swelling and cytology showing encapsulated yeast. The most important clues are the nasal bridge distortion and fungal organism morphology, which make a simple bacterial rhinitis less likely.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this cat case supports the provided diagnosis, Feline Cryptococcosis, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: Weeks of sneezing culminate in examination of a cat with a firm swelling across the nasal bridge.
  2. Clue 2: Appetite has steadily declined as the breathing has become noisier.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: There is a mucopurulent nasal discharge and the face appears subtly distorted.
  2. Clue 4: On examination, the nasal planum is swollen and the submandibular lymph nodes are mildly enlarged.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: Cytology from the lesion identifies encapsulated yeast organisms.
  2. Clue 6: This fungal disease commonly causes nasal deformity and chronic upper respiratory signs in cats.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this cat case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Feline Cryptococcosis?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Feline Cryptococcosis?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.