Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Nematode infection causing spinal cord inflammation in four cats
By Gómez, M et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2010·Instituto de Farmacologí·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Meningomyelitis due to nematode infection in four cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Four cats were brought in for weakness in their back legs that had been getting worse over time. After thorough examinations, including imaging, it was found that they had a rare parasitic infection in their spinal cords caused by a type of roundworm called Gurltia paralysans. This infection led to swelling and bleeding in the spinal cord, which was confirmed during necropsy. Unfortunately, the report does not specify the treatment or outcomes for these cats, but it highlights the importance of recognizing unusual causes of hindlimb weakness in cats.
People also search for: cat hind leg weakness · cat spinal cord infection treatment · Gurltia paralysans in cats
Abstract
Spinal cord parasitic migrations in cats are uncommon. This report describes four cases of chronic hindlimb paraparesis in cats associated with nematode infection. Complete neurologic, hematologic, serum chemistry and radiographic examination was performed on all animals. Computed tomographic (CT)-myelographic examination at the lumbar area in one cat showed a slight swelling of the spinal cord. Necropsy examination of the spinal cord revealed generalized edema and marked submeningeal hemorrhage at the thoracic region in three cats. On histopathologic examination, numerous sections of adult nematodes and eggs were present in histological sections of the affected spinal cord segments in all cats. The morphologic features of the nematode, location and appearance of the lesions suggest that the parasite responsible for the paralysis in these cats is Gurltia paralysans.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20307937/