Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Case report: Antibodies to myelin basic protein in a podenco-crossbreed dog with seizures.
- Journal:
- Frontiers in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2024
- Authors:
- Deutschland, M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Neurology Referral Service · Germany
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old female spayed Podenco-crossbreed dog was having unusual seizures that affected her awareness and caused her to lose coordination. An MRI scan showed specific changes in her brain, and tests of her spinal fluid revealed an increased number of certain immune cells. They found antibodies in her spinal fluid that were targeting a protein important for nerve function. Although the dog had minor seizures every couple of months and her owners were careful to avoid triggers, they initially chose not to treat her. This case is notable because it is the first time that this type of immune response has been linked to seizures in a dog.
Abstract
A 6-year-old female spayed Podenco-crossbreed dog was presented with an unusual type of focal impaired awareness seizures, including sensory ataxia and postictal rest. Magnetic resonance imaging examination revealed pre- and post-contrast agent T1-weighted bilateral symmetric hyperintensities in the lentiform nuclei and globus pallidus. Repeated cerebrospinal fluid sampling showed lymphocytic pleocytosis. Cerebrospinal fluid immunoglobulin G autoantibodies to myelin basic protein (MBP) were detected by immunofluorescence examination with strong binding to myelinated fiber tracts. The absence of binding to MBP-depleted mouse brains confirmed MBP as an antigenic target. Although the patient had minor seizure episodes every 2 months, and the owners avoided seizure triggers, they refused medical treatment before presenting to the veterinarian. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of MBP autoantibody-positive encephalitis in a dog.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39403212/