Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Enterococcus brain infection causing neurological signs in a dog
By Harvey, Bridget et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2021·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Enterococcus spp. Meningoencephalitis, Ventriculitis, and Hypophysitis in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 13-year-old spayed female Yorkshire terrier was brought to the vet because she was acting dull, not eating, and had signs of gastrointestinal bleeding. Despite receiving supportive care, her condition worsened, and she developed neurological symptoms. Sadly, the owner chose to euthanize her after three days of hospitalization. A necropsy revealed a serious infection in her brain caused by Enterococcus bacteria, which is quite rare in dogs. This case highlights the need for veterinarians to consider Enterococcus when diagnosing bacterial meningitis in dogs, as it requires specific antibiotic treatment.
People also search for: dog dullness and not eating · Yorkshire terrier neurological symptoms · bacterial meningitis in dogs treatment
Abstract
A 13 yr old spayed female Yorkshire terrier was hospitalized for a dull mentation, anorexia, presumptive gastroenterocolitis, and a suspected gastrointestinal bleed with melena. Despite supportive therapy, the patient's clinical signs persisted. Throughout hospitalization, the patient became progressively dull to stuporous with a progressive hypernatremia. On day 3 of hospitalization, the patient acutely developed neurological signs with a neuroanatomical localization consistent with a process at the caudal cranial fossa. Per the owner's wishes, the patient was euthanized with necropsy performed. Histopathology revealed a suppurative meningoencephalitis, ventriculitis, hypophysitis, otitis interna, and an ulcerative pharyngitis. Aerobic culture collected from the area of the pituitary gland grew an Enterococcus spp. Enterococcal meningoencephalitis is rare in humans but has not been reported in veterinary medicine. In future cases of canine bacterial meningitis, Enterococcus spp. should be considered. Because of the inherent resistance patterns of Enterococcus spp., targeted antibiotic selection would be required for treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34606588/