Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with immune blood disease found to have systemic neosporosis
By Magaña, Angie et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2015·Departamento de Patologí·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Systemic neosporosis in a dog treated for immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old male Toy Poodle was brought to the vet because he was depressed, lethargic, and had bleeding spots on his skin and around his eyes. Tests revealed he had hemolytic anemia and low platelet counts, so he was treated with prednisone, a medication that suppresses the immune system. Although his blood work improved after a month, his condition worsened, and he was euthanized. A post-mortem examination showed that he had a severe infection caused by a parasite called Neospora caninum, likely triggered by the prednisone treatment.
People also search for: dog lethargy and bleeding · Toy Poodle immune-mediated anemia treatment · Neospora caninum in dogs
Abstract
A 4-year-old male Toy Poodle was presented to the Small Animal Veterinary Hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Autonomous University of Mexico (FMVZ, UNAM) because of depression, lethargy, and hemorrhages involving several areas of the skin and around the eyes. Hematology data and a bone marrow analysis suggested hemolytic anemia and immune-mediated thrombocytopenia. The dog was treated with prednisone, and after one month the hematology variables improved. However, the dog's clinical condition inexplicably worsened and it was euthanized. On necropsy, there were no relevant findings. However, in histology, multifocal lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic meningoencephalitis and necrosis, and a protozoan cyst in the cerebellum were identified. In addition, moderate multifocal lymphoplasmacytic and necrotizing pancreatitis, hepatitis, myocarditis, and diffuse lymphoplasmacytic enteritis were observed. Immunohistochemistry of the cerebellum, liver, pancreas, and intestine with a specific antibody against Neospora caninum confirmed the diagnosis of systemic neosporosis. The systemic neosporosis in this dog was most likely caused by reactivation of latent parasites due to prednisone administration during the one month of treatment. It should be kept in mind that in dogs being treated with immunosuppressants for immune-mediated conditions, opportunistic parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii and N caninum, can be reactivated from a latent state, as it probably happened in the present case.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26345698/