Retrospective study of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in dogs with neurological complications resulting from infection by canine distemper virus

Abstract

Canine distemper virus causes death in a large proportion of infected dogs. For the survivors, various physiological systems can be damaged, including the nervous system, resulting in neurological signs such as ataxia, paresis or plegias, myoclonus, tremors and epileptic crises. Mesenchymal stem cells are undifferentiated cells with the capacity to release trophic factors with neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties, and as such may represent an alternative to treat or mitigate the clinical symptoms in dogs with such neurological sequelae. In the current retrospective study, we evaluated clinical data and films from 14 dogs that presented myoclonus, epileptic episodes, and/or ambulatory difficulties after distemper virus infection, and that were treated with allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells from a cell bank. The animals that had presented epileptic crises and myoclonus presented a reduction in the frequency of these episodes, and of the 14 animals that presented with ambulatory difficulties, ten regained the ability to walk without aid after the therapy. No animal presented with any adverse reaction to the cell transplant. These results suggest that mesenchymal stem cell therapy may be an alternative for treatment of neurological sequelae, however, further controlled studies should be carried out in order to obtain further data regarding the number of cells to be transplanted, the time interval between transplants, and even about the ideal time for initiation of such therapy.