Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with Leishmania infection causing spinal cord and brain damage
By Márquez, Merce et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2013·Centre de Biotecnologia Animal i Terà, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Leishmania amastigotes in the central nervous system of a naturally infected dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old male Labrador Retriever was brought to the vet after experiencing 10 days of paralysis in all four legs, along with signs of depression and lack of reflexes. Tests revealed the presence of Leishmania parasites in his spinal fluid, which can cause serious neurological issues. Sadly, the dog had significant nerve damage and inflammation in his spinal cord and brain, leading to a diagnosis of infections affecting the nervous system. Unfortunately, due to the severity of his condition, the outcome was not favorable.
People also search for: dog paralysis causes · Leishmania infection in dogs · Labrador Retriever neurological symptoms
Abstract
A 4-year-old male Labrador Retriever dog was presented with a 10-day history of tetraplegia, depression, and absent postural reflexes. The cerebrospinal fluid was positive for Leishmania spp. DNA. At necropsy, a 2-cm long mass was observed adhered to C(7) and C(8) left spinal nerves. Microscopically, nerve fiber destruction together with mixed inflammatory infiltration was observed in the spinal nerves. Cervical spinal cord sections showed multifocal, diffuse granulomatous inflammation in the white matter. In the brain, perivascular infiltrates were observed in some areas together with subtle pallor of the parenchyma. Immunohistochemistry for Leishmania infantum confirmed the presence of amastigotes in the spinal nerves, spinal cord, brain parenchyma, and choroid plexuses. The current study describes the presence of Leishmania amastigotes in nervous tissue inciting radiculoneuritis, myelitis, and mild meningoencephalitis, suggesting a likely route by which L. infantum amastigotes reach and affect the central nervous system parenchyma.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23166183/