Frontiers in Veterinary Science (Sep 2024)

Case report: Antibodies to myelin basic protein in a podenco-crossbreed dog with seizures

  • M. Deutschland,
  • I. Boettcher,
  • M. Höltje,
  • H. Prüss,
  • H. Prüss

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1398694
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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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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