Granulomatous meningoencephalitis
The granulomatous meningoencephalitis is in domestic dogs occasionally occurring globally widespread inflammation of the meninges and the brain ( encephalitis ). Middle to old-aged dogs are particularly affected in Europe.
pathology
The cause of the disease is unclear. Mainly the brain stem is affected , rarely the cerebrum or the optic nerve . Pathologically, the disease is characterized by granulomatous inflammation foci located around the blood vessels , in which mainly histiocytes and , to a lesser extent, lymphocytes , neutrophils and eosinophilic granulocytes are found.
Clinical picture
The severity of the symptoms and the degree of neurological deficits varies depending on the localization.
In the most common form, the brain stem disease, there are failures of the cranial nerves (especially facial paralysis , glossopharyngeal paralysis ), motor disorders due to damage to the motor pathways and hypersensitivity ( hyperesthesia ) in the neck area. If the optic nerve is damaged, loss of vision up to blindness and a reduction or failure of the pupillary reflex can occur.
diagnosis
The disease cannot be clinically differentiated from other brain stem infections. In particular, infectious diseases such as distemper , rabies , pseudo-rage , neosporosis and toxoplasmosis must be ruled out, as these are often also associated with brain stem symptoms in dogs .
In the cerebrospinal fluid there are high cell numbers with over 500 cells / µl ( pleocytosis ).
A reliable diagnosis can only be made pathologically, possibly also on the basis of biopsies of inflammation foci, which are difficult to obtain in living animals.
therapy
There is no causal therapy because the cause of the disease is not known. Before attempting therapy, all infectious diseases should be ruled out because attempted treatment will make them worse or, in the case of rabies, treatment is prohibited by animal health law.
The prognosis for a cure is poor. The immunosuppressive administration of glucocorticoids is most promising for delaying the course of the disease and thus for extending life . Also, radiation or chemotherapy are described as a therapy recommendation.
See also
literature
- Andre Jaggy: Atlas and textbook of small animal neurology . Schlütersche 2005. ISBN 3-87706-739-5
