Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with progressive paralysis and brain infection from Prototheca
By Salvadori, C et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2008·Department of Animal Pathology, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Protothecal granulomatous meningoencephalitis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 3-year-old male Maremma sheepdog was brought to the vet after experiencing two months of diarrhea, weakness in all four legs, and depression. The dog also showed signs of confusion and difficulty with movement. Tests revealed a rare infection in the brain caused by Prototheca, a type of algae, which can lead to serious neurological issues. Unfortunately, this condition can affect multiple organs and is often severe, making treatment challenging. The dog’s prognosis depends on the extent of the infection and response to treatment, which may include medications to manage symptoms and support care.
People also search for: dog weakness and diarrhea · Maremma sheepdog neurological problems · Prototheca infection in dogs
Abstract
A case of central nervous system protothecosis in a dog is reported. A three-year-old male Maremma sheepdog was referred with a two month history of diarrhoea associated with progressive tetraparesis, depression and right circling. Stupor, severe proprioceptive deficits, bilateral decreased thoracic limb flexor reflexes and bilateral deficit of the menace reaction were detected on neurological examination and a multi-focal neurological localisation was suspected. Histopathological evaluation revealed multi-focal granulomatous foci in the thalamus, hippocampus and caudal brainstem containing numerous oval-rounded organisms with a thick, periodic acid-Schiff-positive and Gomori's methenamine silver-positive cell wall, a basophilic cytoplasm and one nucleus. Scattered sporangia containing two to four endospores were also observed. Morphological features were consistent with Prototheca species. Ultrastructurally, numerous degenerated algae were present within macrophages mainly lacking nuclei and cytoplasmic organelles. Generally, protothecosis in dogs is characterised by systemic signs because of a multi-organ involvement, and haemorrhagic colitis or ophthalmologic signs are the most frequent presenting signs. However, protothecosis should be added, also in Europe, to the list of the differential diagnoses in adult dogs with a multi-focal neurological localisation even in absence of other clinical signs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18631224/