Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with brain inflammation caused by Actinomyces infection
By Couto, S S et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2000·Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pyogranulomatous meningoencephalitis due to Actinomyces sp. in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was brought in with worsening neurological symptoms, including confusion and difficulty walking. Despite no history of trauma, tests revealed a rare brain infection caused by Actinomyces bacteria. Unfortunately, the dog passed away, and further examination confirmed the diagnosis through testing of the spinal fluid. This case highlights that Actinomyces can lead to serious brain infections in dogs, even without prior injuries.
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Abstract
Actinomyces sp. are commensal, filamentous, gram-positive, acid-fast-negative bacteria that can cause pyogranulomatous inflammation in animals and humans. Central nervous system (CNS) disease is a rare presentation of actinomycosis and is usually due to extension from infected wounds or seeding from distant sites. A dog with progressive, poorly localized neurologic signs had primary CNS actinomycosis without history or evidence of previous trauma or other organ involvement. Histologically, there was a severe pyogranulomatous meningoencephalitis with intralesional filamentous bacteria that were also visible on cytology of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) postmortem. Actinomyces sp. was cultured postmortem from the CSF, confirming the diagnosis. This case demonstrates that Actinomyces sp. can be a causative agent of primary CNS disease in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11105955/