Bacterial Meningoencephalomyelitis in Dogs: A Retrospective Study of 23 Cases (1990‐1999)

Abstract

The clinical records of 23 dogs (1990-1999) with histopathologically confirmed bacterial meningoencephalomyelitis were evaluated retrospectively. No breed, age, sex, or weight predisposition was found. All the dogs presented with clinical signs of a brain lesion, whereas 5 of 23 had neck pain. Pyrexia was detected in 11 of 23 dogs on admission. CBCs revealed neutrophilic leucocytosis in 7 of 21 dogs and thrombocytopenia in 3 of 21 dogs. The serum chemistry profiles were abnormal in 15 of 21 dogs. The results of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis were abnormal in 13 of 14 dogs and aerobic CSF culture was positive for bacteria in 1of 8 samples. At postmortem examination, the lesions were localized to the central nervous system. Escherichia coli, Streptococcus, and Klebsiella spp were the most frequently isolated bacteria from cultures collected at postmortem examination. Twelve papers reporting 51 total clinical cases of canine bacterial meningoencephalomyelitis were reviewed. The clinical signs and results of the CBC, serum chemistry, blood culture, and CSF analysis were collated and compared with those of this study. The results of the CSF analysis in this study were similar to those in the literature. CSF cultures documented in the literature were positive for Staphylococcus, Pasteurella. Actinomyces, Nocardia spp, and various anaerobic species including Peptostreptococcus, Eubacterium, and Bacteroides spp.

Exophthalmia due to intracranial abscess from grass seed foreign material in a dog

“…Other mechanisms of intracranial extension of retrobulbar abscessation include inoculation of bacteria via puncture wounds from suspected bites to the head (Barrs and others 2007, Costanzo and others 2011), progression of otitis media, patient immunosuppression, bacterial endocarditis and haematological spread of bacteria (Radaelli and Platt 2002, Bach and others 2007, Smith and others 2007). As not all could be proven to have a direct link to the development of a brain abscess, some of these remain speculative.…”

An update on meningoencephalomyelitis of unknown aetiology in dogs

“…Therefore, in the presence of inflammatory cerebrospinal fluid disease, other causes should be excluded by appropriate testing, for example cerebrospinal fluid PCR testing for neosporosis. The differentiation of steroid-responsive meningitis-arteritis from bacterial meningitis is challenging; the latter is uncommon in dogs and can be diagnosed by culture of cerebrospinal fluid samples and the identification of microorganisms in direct observation of smears prepared from the sample (Meric et al, 1985;Tipold, 1995;Radaelli and Platt, 2002). Cerebrospinal fluid bacterial culture has a low sensitivity; thus, it may be vital to proceed to the more sensitive blood cultures (Radaelli and Platt, 2002).…”

Bacterial meningitis and subdural empyema caused by Actinomyces canis in a dog

“…Bacterial infections of the CNS resulting in meningitis or meningoencephalitis are rare in dogs (Meric 1988, Muñana 1996, Radaelli and Platt 2002, Kent 2006), and infection of the potential space between the dura and arachnoid mater, subdural empyema is an even more rare subset of these bacterial infections (Dow and others 1988, Horikawa and others 2014). Aerobic bacteria such as Escherichia coli , Streptococcus , Pasteurella , Staphylococcus and Klebsiella have been implicated most commonly (Irwin and Parry 1999, Cizinauskas and others 2001, Radaelli and Platt 2002, Dennis and others 2005, Espino and others 2006, Sturges and others 2006, Oliver and others 2009).…”