Necrotizing Cerebellitis and Cerebellar Atrophy Caused by Neospora caninum Infection: Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Clinicopathologic Findings in Seven Dogs

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1939-1676.2010.0485.x
• Publication Date: 2010-03-15T17:15:13Z
• Authors: L. Garosi; A. Dawson; J. Couturier; L. Matiasek; A. De Stefani; E. Davies; N. Jeffery; P. Smith
• Keywords: Coccidiosis; Prednisolone; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antiprotozoal Agents; Neospora; 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; 3. Good health; 0403 veterinary science; Dogs; Cerebellar Diseases; Cerebellum; Animals; Dog Diseases; Retrospective Studies

Adult dogs with neosporosis can develop a variety of neurologic signs. No area of predilection within the nervous system so far has been identified in adult dogs.To document neosporosis as a cause of progressive cerebellar ataxia and cerebellar atrophy in dogs.Seven client-owned dogs.Retrospective, descriptive study.Age at diagnosis ranged from 1 year 6 months to 9 years 11 months. Neuroanatomic localization indicated cerebellar and brainstem disease in 6 dogs and a central vestibular lesion in 1 dog. In all 7 dogs, there was moderate to marked bilaterally symmetrical cerebellar atrophy, with the atrophied cerebellum being surrounded by a region of T2-weighted hyperintense and T1-weighted hypointense signal. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis in all but 1 dog showed mononuclear pleocytosis and high protein concentration. Polymerase chain reaction testing for Neospora caninum performed on the CSF was positive in 4/5 dogs tested and there was a high titer of serum antibodies to N. caninum (> or = 1 : 800) in all 6 dogs tested. Postmortem examination in 1 dog confirmed cerebellar atrophy and multifocal nonsuppurative encephalitis with areas of malacia and leptomeningitis. All of the remaining 6 dogs were treated with some combination of clindamycin, trimethoprim, sulfadiazine, and pyrimethamine. Two dogs were euthanized because of deterioration or relapse of neurologic signs, but treatment of the remaining 4 dogs resulted in improvement (3 dogs) or resolution (1 dog) of neurologic signs.Neosporosis is an important cause of progressive cerebellar ataxia and cerebellar atrophy in adult dogs.