Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with spinal cord lesion from histoplasmosis infection in Italy
By Reginato, A et al.·Published in Veterinary microbiology·2014·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Extradural spinal cord lesion in a dog: first case study of canine neurological histoplasmosis in Italy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old male mixed-breed dog was brought to the vet because he was having trouble walking and was in severe pain in his back. The vet found that he couldn't move his hind legs and had muscle stiffness. An MRI showed a growth on his spine, which was removed through surgery. Tests confirmed that the growth was caused by a fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, marking the first known case of this type of infection affecting a dog's nervous system in Italy. After the surgery, the dog was treated for the infection and is expected to recover.
People also search for: dog back pain · dog hind leg weakness · canine histoplasmosis treatment · dog spinal surgery recovery · why is my dog not walking
Abstract
A 7-year-old intact male mixed dog was presented with a history of acute and progressive paraparesis. Abnormal clinical signs consisted of non-ambulatory paraparesis, hind limbs hypertonia and severe thoracolumbar pain. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated an isointense in T1 and T2 WI epidural lesion, with good contrast enhancement, extending from T-10 to T-13. Laminectomy was carried out to remove the epidural mass. Histological examination revealed a pyogranulomatous lesion characterized by numerous macrophages containing yeast-like Grocott and PAS-positive bodies. Immunohistochemistry and PCR performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue confirmed Histoplasma capsulatum as the causative agent. H. capsulatum has a worldwide distribution in temperate and subtropical climates but its presence as an autochthonous fungus in Europe is now recognized. To the authors' knowledge this is the first report of canine histoplasmosis in Italy with lesion confined to the central nervous system.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24646600/