Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Brain inflammation and blood vessel swelling in three dogs
By Isabel Zdora et al.·Published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science·2022·Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany, CH·View original on DOAJ →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Case report: Lympho-histiocytic meningoencephalitis with central nervous system vasculitis of unknown origin in three dogs
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs showed sudden and severe signs of neurological problems, such as confusion and difficulty moving, which led their owners to seek veterinary help. MRI scans revealed significant swelling in their brains, and further tests showed inflammation of the brain tissue and blood vessels, but no infectious agents were found. Unfortunately, one dog passed away, and the other two were diagnosed with a rare type of brain inflammation called lympho-histiocytic meningoencephalitis. Treatment options were not detailed, but this case highlights a serious condition that pet owners should be aware of if their dog shows sudden neurological symptoms.
People also search for: dog sudden confusion · dog neurological problems treatment · lympho-histiocytic meningoencephalitis in dogs
Abstract
Meningoencephalitis of unknown origin (MUO) is an umbrella term for a variety of subtypes of meningoencephalitis of dogs and cats with no identifiable infectious agent. In dogs, granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME), necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME), and necrotizing leukoencephalitis (NLE) are the most commonly reported subtypes. However, sporadically there are reports about other subtypes such as greyhound encephalitis or eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. The following case series presents three dogs with peracute to acute progressive signs of encephalopathy. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of two dogs (post mortem n = 1/2) showed severe, diffuse swelling of the cortical gray matter with increased signal intensity in T2weighted (w) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and decreased signal intensity in T1w. Additionally, focal to multifocal areas with signal void in both dogs and caudal transforaminal herniation of the cerebellum in one dog was observed. Post mortem histopathological examination revealed lympho-histiocytic encephalitis and central nervous system (CNS) vasculitis in all dogs. No infectious agents were detectable by histopathology (hematoxylin and eosin stain), periodic acid-Schiff reaction (PAS), Ziehl-Neelsen stain and immunohistochemistry for Canine adenovirus-1, Parvovirus, Listeria monocytogenes, Parainfluenzavirus, Toxoplasma gondii, Herpes-suis virus, Pan-Morbillivirus, Tick born encephalitis virus, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) 2. Furthermore, two dogs were tested negative for rabies virus. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a lympho-histiocytic encephalitis with CNS vasculitis with no identifiable infectious agent. It is suggested to consider this as an additional subtype of MUO with severe clinical signs.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2022.944867