Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with sudden back leg weakness caused by Prototheca infection
By Font, C et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2014·Hospital ARS Veterinaria, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Paraparesis as initial manifestation of a Prototheca zopfii infection in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old female Labrador retriever was brought to the vet after experiencing 10 days of worsening weakness in her back legs and back pain. Tests showed that her spinal cord was being compressed by a mass, which was later identified as an infection caused by a type of algae called Prototheca zopfii. The dog underwent surgery to remove the mass and received antifungal treatment, which led to some improvement in her condition. Unfortunately, she later suffered a seizure and passed away, with further examination revealing the infection had spread to her brain and other areas.
People also search for: dog back leg weakness · Labrador retriever seizure treatment · Prototheca infection in dogs
Abstract
A case of protothecosis causing non-ambulatory paraparesis in a dog without clinical evidence of disseminated infection is described. A five-year-old female Labrador retriever was referred with a 10-day history of progressive non-ambulatory paraparesis and lumbar pain as the only physical and neurological abnormalities. Lumbar myelography revealed severe extradural spinal cord compression extending from L4 to L7 vertebrae, and a right hemilaminectomy was performed. Surgical findings included an adherent whitish hard ill-defined mass. Cytology and biopsy results disclosed the presence of algae enclosed in a matrix of chronic inflammatory infiltrate. Culture confirmed the presence of Prototheca species. Neurological improvement occurred within a month, and the dog received antifungal treatment without evidence of clinical disseminated disease for 6 months, but died after a generalised tonic-clonic seizure. Post-mortem examination revealed multiple foci of inflammatory granulomatous infiltrate and algae-like structures in the brain, lumbar intumescence and cauda equina. Prototheca zopfii was identified using molecular biology methods.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24502403/