Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain and nerve inflammation caused by louping ill virus
By Fingerhood, Sai et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2025·University of Surrey Veterinary Pathology Centre, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Meningoencephalomyelitis and brachial plexitis in a dog infected with louping ill virus.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A foxhound from a hunting kennel in the UK was showing serious neurological symptoms like tremors, seizures, and confusion before being euthanized. Despite no visible issues during the initial examination, tests revealed severe inflammation in the brain and mild nerve inflammation in the shoulder area, caused by the louping ill virus. This virus was found in the dog's brain and spinal cord, marking the first detailed report of its effects in a dog. Unfortunately, the dog did not recover due to the severity of the infection.
People also search for: dog seizures · louping ill virus in dogs · neurological symptoms in dogs · dog tremors treatment
Abstract
A foxhound from a hunting kennel in the United Kingdom was euthanized after being hospitalized with progressive neurologic signs, including tremors, seizures, and obtunded mentation. No abnormalities were appreciated on grossexamination. Histologically, severe meningoencephalomyelitis and mild neuritis of the brachial plexus were present. Molecular analysis of brain tissue detected louping ill virus. In addition, louping ill virus-specific antigens were detected in neurons within the brainstem, the entire length of the spinal cord, as well as in rare cells in the brachial plexus using immunohistochemistry. The genetic sequence of the virus appears most closely related to a previously detected virus in a dog from a similar geographic location in 2015. This is the first characterization of the inflammatory lesions and viral distribution of louping ill virus in a naturally infected dog within the spinal cord and brachial plexus.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39054587/