Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rapport de cas Mononuclear pleocytosis and meningoencephalitis caused byin an adult horse.
- Journal:
- The Canadian veterinary journal = La revue veterinaire canadienne
- Year:
- 2023
- Authors:
- Phelps, Shannon et al.
- Affiliation:
- Oregon State University · United States
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This case involves an adult American quarter horse gelding that developed meningoencephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain and its surrounding membranes, due to an infection. The horse showed signs of central nervous system issues, and tests of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed a specific type of white blood cell increase, which is often seen in other animals with this type of infection. After the horse passed away, further examination of the brain confirmed the presence of listeriosis, a bacterial infection. The findings suggest that listeriosis should be considered when diagnosing horses with similar neurological symptoms and fluid test results.
Abstract
Clinical disease caused by infection withis rare in adult horses, and there is a paucity of ante-mortem clinicopathologic changes for this species reported in the literature. Confirmatory diagnosis is difficult and often requires post-mortem sampling of the brainstem. This report details a case of meningoencephalitis caused byin an adult American quarter horse gelding presenting with central neurologic signs. Pre-mortem analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid revealed a mononuclear, primarily lymphocytic, pleocytosis, which is a reported finding in other species with listeriosis. Post-mortem histopathologic changes of the brainstem were characteristic of listeriosis, and infection was confirmed with immunohistochemical labeling and bacterial culture. Key clinical message: Listeriosis should be included as a differential diagnosis in neurologic horses with mononuclear pleocytosis identified on cerebrospinal fluid analysis.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37008639/