Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neurological signs and brain changes in young cats with globoid cell
By Salvadori, C et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2005·Dipartimento di Patologia Animale, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Clinicopathological features of globoid cell leucodystrophy in cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 3-month-old and a 4-month-old domestic shorthaired cat were brought in showing serious neurological issues, including difficulty walking, paralysis in their back legs, and tremors in their front legs. Both cats were diagnosed with globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD), a rare genetic disorder that affects the nervous system. Unfortunately, there is no cure for GLD, and the condition leads to progressive symptoms. The cats exhibited significant changes in their nervous systems, which were confirmed through tests. Sadly, due to the severity of their condition, treatment options were limited.
People also search for: cat neurological problems · globoid cell leukodystrophy in cats · kitten paralysis treatment
Abstract
Clinical and pathological findings consistent with globoid cell leucodystrophy (GLD) were evaluated in two domestic shorthaired cats, aged 3 and 4 months. Both showed neurological signs mainly characterized by progressive pelvic limb ataxia, paraplegia with loss of deep pain perception in the pelvic limb, and intentional tremors of the thoracic limbs. Pathological changes affecting the central and peripheral nervous systems were characterised by diffuse, bilateral and symmetrical myelin loss, and marked astrogliosis. In the leucodystrophic areas there was perivascular accumulation of large PAS-positive, non-metachromatic macrophages (globoid cells), with intracytoplasmic accumulation of crystalloid tubular aggregates. Peripheral nerves showed demyelinating features with thin myelin sheaths, myelin splitting, and ballooning; the nerve fibres had bizarre shapes due to the presence of pale inclusions in the Schwann cells. GLD in cats shares clinical and pathological features with the disease described in other animals and human beings. The neurological signs differed from those of other feline inborn neurometabolic diseases and cerebellar hypoplasia.
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 PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15893994/