Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with sudden brain and spinal cord inflammation from two infections
By Gerhold, Richard et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2014·Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Acute onset of encephalomyelitis with atypical lesions associated with dual infection of Sarcocystis neurona and Toxoplasma gondii in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A two-year-old basset hound-beagle mix was found to have serious neurological problems, which led to a postmortem examination. The dog had multiple raised masses on the spinal cord and was diagnosed with a brain and spinal cord infection caused by two types of protozoa: Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona. Tests showed that the dog had an acute infection, but no underlying health issues that could weaken the immune system were identified. Unfortunately, the dog did not survive, marking a rare case of dual infection in dogs.
People also search for: dog neurological problems · Toxoplasma gondii in dogs · basset hound beagle mix symptoms
Abstract
A two-year-old male, neutered, basset hound-beagle mix with progressive neurological impairment was examined postmortem. Grossly, the dog had multiple raised masses on the spinal cord between nerve roots. Microscopically, the dog had protozoal myeloencephalitis. Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona were detected in the CNS by immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sarcocysts in formalin-fixed muscle were negative for Sarcocystis by PCR. Banked serum was negative for T. gondii using the modified agglutination test, suggesting an acute case of T. gondii infection or immunosuppression; however, no predisposing immunosuppressive diseases, including canine distemper, were found. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of dual T. gondii and S. neurona infection in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25260332/