Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat developed paralysis from Sarcocystis neurona brain infection
By Dubey, J P et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2003·US Department of Agriculture, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical Sarcocystis neurona encephalomyelitis in a domestic cat following routine surgery.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4-month-old male domestic cat developed serious neurological problems, including paralysis, just three days after being neutered. Sadly, the cat had to be euthanized 12 days later due to the severity of its condition. Tests revealed that the cat had an infection in its brain and spinal cord caused by a protozoan parasite called Sarcocystis neurona, which is typically associated with horses. It's believed that the stress from the surgery may have triggered this infection.
People also search for: cat paralysis after surgery · cat neurological problems · Sarcocystis neurona in cats · signs of infection in cats
Abstract
Sarcocystis neurona is an important cause of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses in the Americas. An EPM-like neurological disease also has been reported from other mammals but it is difficult to induce this disease in the laboratory. A 4-month-old male domestic cat developed neurological signs 3 days following castration. The cat was euthanized 12 days later because of paralysis. Encephalomyelitis was the only lesion and was associated with numerous Sarcocystis schizonts and merozoites in the brain and spinal cord. The protozoa reacted positively with S. neurona-specific polyclonal rabbit antibody. Two unidentified sarcocysts were present in the cerebellum. It may be possible that stress of surgery triggered relapse of S. neurona infection in this cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12623205/