Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with seizures diagnosed with brain infection from Fusarium fungus
By Evans, J et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2004·evans@vetneuro.com·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Intracranial fusariosis: a novel cause of fungal meningoencephalitis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old female German Shepherd was brought in after showing signs of seizures and balance problems, which suggested issues in her brain. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and its surrounding membranes) caused by a rare fungal infection from the Fusarium species. This type of infection in dogs is very uncommon and had not been reported before. Sadly, the diagnosis was confirmed only after her passing through examination of her brain tissue.
People also search for: dog seizures causes · German Shepherd brain disease · fungal infection in dogs
Abstract
The Fusarium species are a group of saprophytic fungal organisms that are occasionally the cause of opportunistic infections in humans and animals. Central nervous system disease associated with a Fusarium species is most commonly described in horse, resulting in equine leukoencephalomalacia. This report describes a 2-year-old, spayed, female German Shepherd Dog with meningoencephalitis secondary to infection with Fusarium spp. Meningoencephalitis in dogs secondary to a species of Fusarium has not been previously reported. The diagnosis was made based on the histopathologic examination of brain tissues postmortem and special immunohistochemical stains specific for Fusarium solani. The clinical signs in this dog were indicative of multifocal brain disease and included seizures and a paradoxical vestibular syndrome. The clinical findings, diagnostic and histopathologic test results, and the comparative characterizations of other disseminated fungal diseases, especially aspergillosis, are described.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15347824/