Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain botfly larva infection causing sudden death
By Park, Janice Y et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology, regional studies and reports·2021·Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, United States·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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Fatal cerebral cuterebrosis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old female Yorkshire Terrier suddenly started drooling excessively and seemed confused. The owner noticed that the dog had tremors, a tilted head, and was lifting her left front leg. Unfortunately, her condition worsened quickly, leading to lethargy and death before reaching the emergency vet. An examination after her passing revealed a botfly larva in her brain, which caused severe inflammation and bleeding. This rare condition, known as cuterebrosis, can lead to serious neurological issues in dogs.
People also search for: dog drooling and confusion · Yorkshire Terrier tremors · botfly larva in dog brain · dog neurological signs treatment
Abstract
A 4-year-old intact female Yorkshire Terrier presented an acute onset of hypersalivation and depressed mentation. The owner reported that the dog displayed tremors, right-sided torticollis, right-sided head tilt, and lifting of the left forelimb. The dog appeared restless and confused, and the condition progressed to lethargy and death on the way to an emergency hospital. At necropsy, a single 10 mm long x 1 mm wide, pale gray, botfly larva with black spines was found along the cerebral meninges. Areas of hemorrhage were noted in the right cerebral hemisphere. Microscopically, these areas also had evidence of necrosis and inflammation. Morphology of the larva allowed confirmation of subfamily-level identification as Cuterebrinae, and presumed genus-level identification of Cuterebra. Species-level identification of the larva as C. abdominalis was achieved through DNA extraction, PCR and sequencing at the cytochrome oxidase subunits 1 and 2 (COI and COII), followed by phylogenetic analysis. Aberrant cuterebrosis is a poorly documented condition in dogs that may cause neurologic signs and lead to death.
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/34879948/