We examined the cerebellum and cerebrum of 4 vaccinated dogs, 3–60-mo-old, that displayed clinical signs of canine distemper virus (CDV) infection, and died 7–40 d after developing neurologic signs. The main histologic lesions were demyelination, gliosis, meningitis, perivascular lymphocytic cuffing, and inclusion bodies. These lesions were similar in all 4 cases regardless of the time since vaccination, except that meningoencephalitis and gliosis were subacute in 3 dogs and chronic in 1 dog. However, these differences did not appear to be related to their vaccination status. Immunohistologically, a CDV-positive immunoreaction was seen mainly in astrocytes, neurons and their axons, lymphocytes around and in the blood vessels of the pia mater and choroid plexus, ependymal cells of each ventricle, and the cells of the choroid plexus. The histologic and immunohistologic changes were similar in the cerebellum and cerebrum. The genetic characterization of the virus strains in 2 of these naturally occurring canine distemper cases confirmed that they were South American wild-type strains (Kiki and Uy251) belonging to the EU1/SA1 lineage. These strains are not included in the commercial CDV vaccines available in Uruguay.
Congenital hydrocephalus is a neurological disorder frequently observed in dogs. It is characterised by an increase of cerebrospinal fluid volume in the ventricular system that can cause atrophy of brain tissue. It can be provoked by diverse causes, as it can be idiopathic or secondary to nervous system abnormalities. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs and imaging studies, but neurophysiological techniques can provide valuable information. This report describes functional changes in the brain and brainstem evaluated by electroencephalogram and auditory evoked potentials. In the three cases, the authors found alterations in background rhythm, slow waves, epileptiform activity, hypsarrhythmic tracing and positive sharp waves. These techniques allow detecting alterations in the brain bioelectrical activity that do not trigger clear clinical responses.
Estudio patológico de abiotrofia cerbelosa en American Staffordshire terrier: primer reporte en Uruguay
ResumenSe observó abiotrofia cerebelosa en una hembra American Staffordshire terrier de 6 años. La perra mostraba temblores, debilidad y ataxia como signos clínicos principales al momento de la consulta al Centro Hospital Veterinaria (FVET-UdelaR), y estos síntomas siguieron progresando lentamente durante 6 meses. El animal fue sometido a eutanasia debido a la solicitud de los propietarios, ya que no había posibilidad de recuperación, y se realizó su examen patológico. Macroscópicamente, el cerebelo estaba pequeño y sus folias estaban adelgazadas y con expansión de los surcos interfoliares. Histológicamente, las tres capas de la corteza cerebelosa mostraban una estructura anormal, caracterizada por una disminución en el número de células en la capa granulosa, pérdida de células de Purkinje y adelgazamiento de la capa molecular. A partir de estos hallazgos patológicos, este caso fue diagnosticado como abiotrofia cerebelosa canina. Por lo que sabemos, este es el primer caso reportado de esta enfermedad en Uruguay.
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