Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Infectious causes of brain inflammation in cats in Austria including
By Künzel, Frank et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2017·1 Clinical Department of Small Animals and Horses·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Meningoencephalitis in cats in Austria: a study of infectious causes, including Encephalitozoon cuniculi.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats in Austria with brain inflammation (meningoencephalitis) was examined to find out what was causing their symptoms. The researchers found that many of the cats had infections from other sources, like feline infectious peritonitis or Toxoplasma gondii, but only a small number showed signs of infection from Encephalitozoon cuniculi, a parasite that can affect the brain. In fact, most cats tested for this parasite did not have it. This suggests that E. cuniculi is not a major cause of brain inflammation in cats.
People also search for: cat brain inflammation causes · feline infectious peritonitis symptoms · Encephalitozoon cuniculi in cats
Abstract
Objectives Despite comprehensive diagnostics, the aetiology of meningoencephalitis (ME) in cats often remains undetermined. As a result of recently published surveys, Encephalitozoon cuniculi has gained growing importance in cats not only with ocular disorders, but also with central nervous system disease. Therefore, it was hypothesised that E cuniculi may be an underestimated pathogen in the development of feline non-suppurative and/or granulomatous ME. Methods As a first step, histopathological sections of the brain of cats with encephalopathy were retrospectively reviewed to identify cases of granulomatous ME. In a second step, an immunohistochemical screening for detection of E cuniculi was performed in cases with ME of unknown origin. Results In 59/89 (66.3%) cats with ME, an aetiologically relevant pathogen was detected. Forty-three of 89 (48.3%) cats had a diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis. In 14/89 (15.7%) cats, protozoan cysts were identified and infection with Toxoplasma gondii was confirmed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in all cases. In 2/89 (2.3%) cats with granulomatous ME, fungal organisms were identified. Thirty of 89 (33.7%) cats with ME of unknown origin that underwent IHC for the detection of E cuniculi remained negative. Conclusions and relevance The results of this study suggest that E cuniculi is unlikely to be directly associated with (non-suppurative and/or granulomatous) ME in cats in Austria.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26662038/