Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Nematode eggs found in dog spinal fluid diagnose spinal worm migration
By Klainbart, Sigal et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2018·Department of Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nematode eggs observed in cytology of cerebrospinal fluid diagnostic for intramedullary Spirocerca lupi spinal cord migration.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog in Israel was brought in with severe weakness and paralysis in its hind legs, which was getting worse. The vet found nematode eggs in the dog's cerebrospinal fluid, confirming a rare condition caused by the Spirocerca lupi parasite. After diagnosing the issue, the vet treated the dog, and the dog's symptoms improved significantly, leading to a full recovery. This case highlights the importance of recognizing this unusual cause of spinal problems in dogs.
People also search for: dog hind leg paralysis treatment · Spirocerca lupi in dogs · dog spinal cord nematode symptoms
Abstract
Spinal spirocercosis due to aberrant Spirocerca lupi nematode migration is an emerging etiology for acute myelitis in dogs in Israel, causing severe, mostly nonsymmetrical hind limb paresis or paralysis, and sometimes tetraparesis or tetraparalysis. So far, incidental identification of parasites during spinal surgery or at necropsy provides the only definite diagnosis, while antemortem diagnosis of this condition has been uncertain. Specifically, antemortem diagnosis is based on the typical clinical presentation of acute, progressive, asymmetrical hind limb paresis or paralysis, with moderate to severe eosinophilic to mixed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis and increased CSF protein concentration. Exclusion of other differential diagnoses also requires using spinal cord imaging. In this novel report, we document a case of an intradural spinal spirocercosis in a dog, diagnosed antemortem, by detecting S lupi eggs in the CSF, and subsequent treatment, resulting in the resolution of the clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29329490/