Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Peripheral nerve lesions in a case of equine motor neuron disease.
- Journal:
- The Journal of veterinary medical science
- Year:
- 1999
- Authors:
- Furuoka, H et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Pathology · Japan
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 14-year-old male Arab horse was diagnosed with equine motor neuron disease (EMND), a condition that affects the nerves and muscles. This horse lived on a breeding farm in Hokkaido, Japan. When the nerves were examined, they showed signs of damage, including areas where the protective covering of the nerves was breaking down and swelling in the nerve fibers. These changes were linked to the buildup of certain proteins and the deterioration of the nerve coverings. The findings suggest that the horse had significant nerve damage due to this disease.
Abstract
A male 14-year-old Arab horse was pathologically diagnosed as equine motor neuron disease (EMND), which was kept as a breeding horse on a farm in Tokachi district of Hokkaido in Japan. On examination of the peripheral nerves, the most characteristic feature was Wallerian-type degeneration revealed by myelinoclasis associated with myelin ovoids which were sometimes infiltrated by macrophages. The other abnormalities were axonal swellings which were surrounded by thin myelin sheaths. Ultrastructurally, the axonal swelling was due to an accumulation of neurofilaments, and was accompanied by a thin and degenerating myelin sheaths. In teased nerve fiber preparations, the most conspicuous change was myelinoclasis represented by segmentation into myelin ovoids or balls. Occasionally, segmental demyelination and axonal degeneration characterized by multifocal axonal swelling were observed.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10379951/