Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Brain lesions in dogs caused by Leishmania infantum infection
By Macau, Weline Lopes et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2017·Center for Biological and Health Sciences, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Main lesions in the central nervous system of dogs due to Leishmania infantum infection.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Brazil with canine visceral leishmaniasis (a serious infection caused by the Leishmania parasite) showed changes in their brains, but only one dog had noticeable neurological symptoms. The researchers found signs of inflammation and other issues in the brain tissue of several dogs, and the parasite was detected in multiple brain areas. This suggests that while the parasite can affect the brain, it doesn't always cause visible symptoms in dogs. Treatment for leishmaniasis typically involves medications to manage the infection and its effects.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) is endemic in São Luís Maranhão/Brazil and it leads a varied clinical picture, including neurological signs. RESULTS: Histopathological evaluation showed that 14 dogs exhibited pathological alterations in at least one of the analyzed areas. Of these, mononuclear inflammatory reaction was the most frequent, although other lesions, such as hemorrhage, chromatolysis and gliosis were also observed. The presence of L. infantum amastigotes was confirmed in eight dogs, identified in four regions: telencephalon, hippocampus, thalamus and caudal colliculus, but only one presented neurological signs. Polymerase chain reaction results detected the DNA of the parasite in 11 samples from seven dogs. The positive areas were the telencephalon, thalamus, hippocampus, cerebellum, caudal and rostral colliculus. CONCLUSION: These results reveal that during canine visceral leishmaniasis, the central nervous system may display some alterations, without necessarily exhibiting clinical neurological manifestations. In addition, the L. infantum parasite has the ability to cross the blood brain barrier and penetrate the central nervous system.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28821261/