Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Do dogs with epilepsy have neural antibodies?
By Hemmeter, Lea et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2023·Section of Neurology, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Investigation of the presence of specific neural antibodies in dogs with epilepsy or dyskinesia using murine and human assays.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with epilepsy or movement disorders (dyskinesia) were tested for specific neural antibodies that might be causing their symptoms. Researchers collected blood and spinal fluid samples from 58 affected dogs and 57 healthy dogs to see if these antibodies were present. Unfortunately, the tests did not find clear evidence of these antibodies in the dogs, even in one dog with confirmed limbic encephalitis. This study highlights the need for better testing methods specifically designed for dogs.
People also search for: dog epilepsy treatment · dog dyskinesia symptoms · autoimmune seizures in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Autoimmune mechanisms represent a novel category for causes of seizures and epilepsies in humans, and LGI1-antibody associated limbic encephalitis occurs in cats. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To investigate the presence of neural antibodies in dogs with epilepsy or dyskinesia of unknown cause using human and murine assays modified for use in dogs. ANIMALS: Fifty-eight dogs with epilepsy of unknown cause or suspected dyskinesia and 57 control dogs. METHODS: Serum and CSF samples were collected prospectively as part of the diagnostic work-up. Clinical data including onset and seizure/episode type were retrieved from the medical records. Screening for neural antibodies was done with cell-based assays transfected with human genes for typical autoimmune encephalitis antigens and tissue-based immunofluorescence assays on mouse hippocampus slices in serum and CSF samples from affected dogs and controls. The commercial human und murine assays were modified with canine-specific secondary antibody. Positive controls were from human samples. RESULTS: The commercial assays used in this study did not provide unequivocal evidence for presence of neural antibodies in dogs including one dog with histopathologically proven limbic encephalitis. Low titer IgLON5 antibodies were present in serum from one dog from the epilepsy/dyskinesia group and in one dog from the control group. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Specific neural antibodies were not detected using mouse and human target antigens in dogs with epilepsy and dyskinesia of unknown origin. These findings emphasize the need for canine-specific assays and the importance of control groups.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37232512/