Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with neurological leishmaniasis causing brain inflammation
By Zobba, Rosanna et al.·Published in Veterinaria italiana·2017·Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A case of canine neurological leishmaniasis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in with neurological symptoms, including balance issues and coordination problems. Tests showed signs of infection in the brain consistent with leishmaniasis, a disease caused by a parasite. The dog tested positive for Leishmania, and treatment for systemic leishmaniasis was started. Following treatment, the dog showed improvement, highlighting the importance of considering leishmaniasis in dogs with neurological symptoms, especially in areas where the disease is common.
People also search for: dog neurological symptoms leishmaniasis · dog balance problems treatment · mixed-breed dog brain infection
Abstract
In this study we describe a case of neurological leishmaniasis in a dog, reported in an endemic area, with signs of multifocal intracranial lesions involving the vestibular system and the cerebellum. Serum biochemistry revealed a decrease of albumin-globulin ratio caused by an increase of alfa2-, beta-, and gamma- globulin, while antibody titers were highly positive for Leishmania spp. Magnetic resonance images of the brain were consistent with a granulomatous in ammation/infection. Cerebrospinal fluid revealed a marked mononuclear pleocytosis and was positive to the Pandy Test, as well as to a Leishmania spp. -speci c polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Sequencing of the PCR products revealed the highest similarity with several strains belonging to the Leishmania infantum / Leishmania chagasi group. Clinical response to treatment for systemic leishmaniasis was supportive of diagnosis. This report focuses on an atypical form of canine leishmaniasis and suggests that in endemic geographic areas leishmaniasis has to be considered for di erential diagnosis in neurological manifestations. Also, cerebrospinal liquor should always be tested when neurological symptoms are present in order to di erentiate neurological leishmaniasis from unrelated neurological signs in Leishmania positive patients.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29307127/