Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tracking brain autoantibodies in dogs with necrotizing
By Matsuki, Naoaki et al.·Published in The Journal of veterinary medical science·2009·Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Japan·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serial examinations of anti-GFAP autoantibodies in cerebrospinal fluids in canine necrotizing meningoencephalitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Three dogs, two Pugs and a Pomeranian, were diagnosed with a serious brain condition called necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME), which involves harmful autoantibodies in their cerebrospinal fluid. The Pugs continued to show high levels of these autoantibodies for many months and sadly passed away with neurological symptoms. In contrast, the Pomeranian's autoantibody levels dropped after about 580 days, and it appeared to be in remission until it died much later. This suggests that while autoantibodies can persist during treatment, they can also disappear, leading to potential recovery in some cases.
People also search for: dog brain disease symptoms · Pug neurological problems · treatment for canine meningoencephalitis
Abstract
Canine necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) is characterized by autoantibodies against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in cerebrospinal fluids (CSFs). To clarify the time-course changes in autoantibodies, serial examinations were conducted in three dogs with NME (two Pugs and a Pomeranian) that were treated by immunosuppressive therapy. The Pugs retained high autoantibody titers throughout the observation periods (146 and 813 days) and died with neurological signs. On the other hand, the Pomeranian switched from being positive for autoantibody to negative after day 580, and its NME seemed to be in clinical remission until death on day 1238. Therefore, the anti-GFAP autoantibodies can be detected over time in canine NME even during immunosuppressive therapies. However, the autoantibodies can also disappear within a certain period after onset.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19194083/