Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal encephalitozoonosis causing seizures and weakness in Argentine
By Postma, Gabriela Cintia et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2018·Universidad de Buenos Aires·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Fatal canine encephalitozoonosis in Latin America, first report.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A puppy in Argentina was brought to the vet with symptoms like not eating, being very weak, vocalizing, losing weight, and having seizures. Unfortunately, the puppy passed away, and a post-mortem examination revealed severe inflammation in the brain, along with signs of infection from a parasite called Encephalitozoon cuniculi. This case highlights the importance of considering this parasite as a possible cause of severe neurological issues in young dogs.
People also search for: puppy seizures · why is my puppy not eating · Encephalitozoon cuniculi symptoms · dog neurological disease causes
Abstract
Encephalitozoon cuniculi is an obligate, intracellular microsporidian organism capable of establish infection in a wide variety of animals. In carnivores it may cause a sporadic, severe disease in the first few months of life, which usually culminates with the death of the animal. The objective of this study was to report a natural fatal case of encephalitozoonosis in a puppy from Argentina. Clinical signs included reduced appetite, depression, vocalizing, weight loss, weakness, convulsions and recumbency. No significant gross lesions were noticed at necropsy. Microscopically, severe, diffuse, lymphocytic encephalitis was seen. Large cytoplasmic vacuoles containing spores, morphologically compatible with E. cuniculi, were present within endothelial cells of brain and kidney, in renal tubular epithelium and hepatocytes. Encephalitozoon cuniculi DNA was detected by PCR in the kidney. Antibody titers to E. cuniculi in serum from the surviving puppies and the dam were ≥1:200. This report contributes to our understanding of neurologic disease in puppies. Encephalitozoonosis should be considered as a differential diagnosis in cases of fatal encephalitis in puppies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31014611/