Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Non-suppurative brain inflammation causes in dogs and cats
By Schwab, S et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2007·Department of Pathology, Germany·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Non-suppurative meningoencephalitis of unknown origin in cats and dogs: an immunohistochemical study.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 53 dogs and 33 cats were diagnosed with non-suppurative meningoencephalitis, which is inflammation of the brain and spinal cord without pus, and the cause was unknown. Researchers found that in some cases, infections were linked to known viruses and bacteria, including feline infectious peritonitis virus and West Nile virus. However, many cases still had no identified cause, suggesting that there could be other non-infectious factors at play. This highlights the complexity of diagnosing brain inflammation in pets, and further research is needed to understand these conditions better.
People also search for: cat brain inflammation causes · dog meningitis treatment · West Nile virus in pets · feline infectious peritonitis symptoms · dog neurological disease diagnosis
Abstract
Non-suppurative meningoencephalitis of unknown cause is a frequent finding in dogs and cats. Fifty-three dogs and 33 cats with non-suppurative meningoencephalitis of unknown aetiology were examined immunohistochemically for 18 different infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria and prion protein(Sc). In 14 (26%) of the dogs and 13 (39%) of the cats a causative agent was identified in the central nervous system (CNS), two dogs and one cat giving positive results for two infectious agents simultaneously. The study revealed infections with known causative agents (porcine herpes virus 1, feline infectious peritonitis virus, Escherichia coli) and a new disease pattern of parvovirus infection in the CNS of dogs and cats. Infection of the CNS with feline leukaemia virus was found in a cat. Five dogs and four cats gave positive results for West Nile virus (WNV) antigen. In one dog, canine parainfluenza virus antigen was detected in the brain. Four dogs and four cats gave positive results for encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV). The significance of the detection of WNV and EMCV antigen requires further study. The aetiology remained undetermined in 39 dogs (74%) and 20 cats (61%). Although it is possible that non-infectious causes play a more important role than previously thought, infections with hitherto unrecognized agents cannot be ruled out.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17275833/