Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal multifocal Balamuthia amoeba infection in Australian dog
By Finnin, Peter J et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2007·Department of Veterinary Science, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Multifocal Balamuthia mandrillaris infection in a dog in Australia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old male golden retriever had been experiencing seizures for eight months and was diagnosed with lymphoma in the brain. Unfortunately, he developed breathing problems and signs of shock, leading his owner to make the difficult decision to euthanize him. A postmortem examination revealed severe infections in both his brain and lungs caused by a rare free-living amoeba called Balamuthia mandrillaris. This case is significant as it marks the first reported instance of this amoeba causing fatal illness in a dog in Australia.
People also search for: dog seizures treatment · golden retriever breathing problems · Balamuthia mandrillaris in dogs · lymphoma in dogs · dog pneumonia symptoms
Abstract
A 6-year-old male golden retriever, with an 8-month history of seizures and a clinical diagnosis of lymphoma in the central nervous system, was (at the owner's request) euthanized after signs of respiratory distress and shock developed. Upon postmortem examination, the diagnoses of meningoencephalitis and pneumonia were made. A histological examination of selected tissues from both the lung and central nervous system revealed a severe, acute, multifocal, amoebic, embolic pneumonia and a severe, chronic, multifocal, nonsuppurative, amoebic meningoencephalitis. Indirect immunofluorescence analysis confirmed the presence of trophozoite and cyst stages of Balamuthia mandrillaris. This is the first report of B. mandrillaris (which is a free-living amoeba) causing fatal, multifocal granulomatous amoebiasis in a dog in Australia.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17033842/