Aeffner F, Ulrich R, Schulze-Rückamp L, Beineke A
Institut für Pathologie der Tierärztlichen Hochschule Hannover, Germany.
Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 2006 Nov;113(11):403-6.
The present report describes the case of an intrauterine or early postnatal parvovirus infection with subsequent cerebellar hypoplasia in three kittens from the same litter. Clinical examination of affected cats revealed neurologic signs indicative of cerebellar ataxia. Due to poor prognosis, animals were euthanised and submitted for necropsy. Post mortem examination demonstrated variable degrees of cerebellar hypoplasia. Histologically, brain lesions were characterised by segmental loss of the external and internal granular layer and decreased numbers of Purkinje cells. Reactive proliferation of astrocytes in the central nervous system was verified by the detection of GFAP-expressing glial cells in affected areas using immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, parvovirus antigen was detected immunohistochemically in neuronal cells of the cerebellum, but not in other parts of the brain and spinal cord or non-neuronal tissues. The present report demonstrates the usefulness of post mortem examination and detection of viral antigen by immunohistochemistry for the discrimination of neurologic disorders in feline species. Neurologic deficiencies due to cerebellar hypoplasia caused by in utero or perinatal feline parvovirus infection should be taken into consideration as differential diagnoses for ataxia in neonatal and juvenile cats.
本报告描述了同一窝三只小猫发生宫内或出生后早期细小病毒感染并随后出现小脑发育不全的病例。对患病猫的临床检查发现了提示小脑性共济失调的神经学体征。由于预后不良，对动物实施了安乐死并进行尸检。尸检显示小脑发育不全程度各异。组织学上，脑部病变的特征是外颗粒层和内颗粒层节段性缺失以及浦肯野细胞数量减少。通过免疫组织化学检测受影响区域中表达胶质纤维酸性蛋白（GFAP）的胶质细胞，证实了中枢神经系统中星形胶质细胞的反应性增生。此外，通过免疫组织化学在小脑的神经元细胞中检测到了细小病毒抗原，但在脑和脊髓的其他部位或非神经组织中未检测到。本报告证明了尸检和通过免疫组织化学检测病毒抗原对于鉴别猫科动物神经疾病的有用性。对于新生和幼年猫的共济失调，应考虑将宫内或围产期猫细小病毒感染引起的小脑发育不全导致的神经功能缺陷作为鉴别诊断。
