Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neospora caninum stages found in intestines of infected puppy
By Kul, O et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2015·Department of Veterinary Pathology·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Neospora caninum: the First Demonstration of the Enteroepithelial Stages in the Intestines of a Naturally Infected Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 1.5-month-old Kangal puppy from a dairy farm died after experiencing severe diarrhea and trouble coordinating its movements. A thorough examination revealed serious lung and heart issues, along with significant intestinal damage. Tests confirmed that the puppy was infected with Neospora caninum, a parasite that can cause severe illness in dogs. Unfortunately, despite the findings, the puppy did not survive. This case highlights the dangers of neosporosis in young dogs, especially those in environments with infected livestock.
People also search for: puppy diarrhea and incoordination · Neospora caninum in dogs · fatal puppy infections · dog intestinal parasites · puppy health issues on farms
Abstract
A 1.5-month-old Kangal breed puppy from a dairy cattle farm died after showing severe diarrhoea and incoordination. Necropsy examination revealed multifocal pulmonary consolidation and necrosis and fibrinohaemorrhagic enteritis. Microscopically, there was necrotic and purulent bronchopneumonia, myocarditis and non-purulent encephalitis. In the jejunum and ileum there was villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia with oocyst-like and schizont-like structures in the epithelia. Immunohistochemically, Neospora caninum antigen was detected in association with the intestinal protozoal structures, degenerative neurons and areas of necrosis in the lungs and heart. Polymerase chain reaction confirmed that the organism was N. caninum and not Toxoplasma gondii. The seroprevalence for N. caninum was 74.2% (49/66 animals) for the cattle and 57.1% (4/7 animals) for dogs on this farm. This report documents fatal systemic neosporosis and enteroepithelial stages of N. caninum in a naturally infected puppy. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first definition of intestinal neosporosis in a naturally infected dog as well as the first evidence of fatal canine neosporosis in Turkey.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25981437/