Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
West Nile virus brain infection in a 2-year-old Maltese dog
By Read, R W et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2005·Department of Pathobiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: West Nile virus encephalitis in a dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old spayed Maltese Terrier was brought to the vet with severe symptoms, including hyperactivity that quickly turned into tremors, coordination problems, and fever. Unfortunately, after two weeks of treatment, the dog passed away, and a postmortem exam revealed inflammation in the brain caused by West Nile virus (WNV). Testing confirmed the presence of WNV in the brain tissue. This case highlights the importance of considering WNV infection in dogs that show signs of brain inflammation, especially in areas where the virus is known to be present.
People also search for: dog tremors West Nile virus · Maltese Terrier hyperactivity treatment · dog encephalitis symptoms
Abstract
In November 2002, a 2-year-old, spayed Maltese Terrier in central Mississippi was presented for an acute illness characterized by uncontrolled hyperactivity that rapidly progressed to generalized tremors, ataxia, and intermittent hyperthermia. Postmortem examination after a 2-week course revealed mild, multifocal, nonsuppurative meningo encephalitis, with focal necrosis in the medulla. Reverse transcriptase-nested-polymerase chain reaction for West Nile virus (WNV) was positive on brain and negative on other tissues. Immunohistochemistry was negative on all tissues. The clinical, postmortem, and laboratory findings are consistent with acute encephalitis due to WNV infection. WNV infection should be considered in dogs showing signs of encephalitis when and where WNV and mosquito vectors occur.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15753477/