Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kittens unable to walk from brain damage linked to parvovirus
By Sharp, N J et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·1999·Department of Companion Animal and Special Species Medicine, 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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Hydranencephaly and cerebellar hypoplasia in two kittens attributed to intrauterine parvovirus infection.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Two kittens were born to a cat that had been vaccinated against feline parvovirus shortly before giving birth. At 8 weeks old, the kittens were unable to walk and displayed unusual behaviors, leading to concerns about their neurological health. Imaging tests revealed severe brain malformations, including a condition called hydranencephaly (where much of the brain is missing) and cerebellar hypoplasia (underdevelopment of part of the brain). Unfortunately, both kittens had significant health issues due to a likely parvovirus infection that occurred while they were still developing in the womb.
People also search for: kitten unable to walk · cat parvovirus effects · hydranencephaly in kittens · cerebellar hypoplasia treatment · parvovirus vaccination risks
Abstract
Six weeks after vaccination with modified live feline parvovirus vaccine, a cat gave birth to five kittens, three of which died soon afterwards. The remaining two kittens (A and B) survived, but at 8 weeks of age were unable to walk and showed abnormal behaviour, with lack of menace and oculovestibular responses, and severe dysmetria. These signs suggested multifocal disease associated with the cerebrum and cerebellum. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated severe bilateral (kitten A) or unilateral (kitten B) hydrocephalus or hydranencephaly, combined with cerebellar agenesis (kitten A) or severe hypoplasia (kitten B). Hydranencephaly was confirmed histopathologically in both kittens. Parvovirus was isolated from the kidney of one kitten. Parvoviral DNA was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from paraffin wax-embedded brain of both kittens. The severe malformations observed in these kittens presumably resulted from an in-utero parvovirus infection, possibly due to vaccination, that occurred late in the first, or early in the second, trimester of pregnancy.
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/10373292/