PRACTICAL: Neuropathology and infectious diseases of the CNS

Question 1

Name diseaes –> cerebellar hypoplasia

Answer 1

• BVDV
• Border disease virus
• SBV
• BTV
• Coche Valley Virus (N. America)

Question 2

What can cause cerebellar hypoplasia in kittens?

Answer 2

Feline parvovirus (i.e. panleukopaenia - if kitten infected in utero

Question 3

How are feline and canine parvovirus related?

Answer 3

canine parvo emerged from feline parvo in 1986. Canine form doesn’t cause cerebellar hypoplasia (no tropism for brain) but has increased GIT tropism

Question 4

Prognosis - cats with cerebellar ataxia d/t feline parvovirus

Answer 4

Can adapt/ compensate for the ataxia

Question 5

What are spheroids?

Answer 5

the profiles of swollen axons - the standard response of axons to any kind of injury (e.g. crush, cut, hypoxia).

Question 6

How can EHV-1 cause spheroids?

Answer 6

EHV-1 –> vasculitis (signs most noticeable within small arterioles and arteries of SC) –> multifocal tissue hypoxia and ischaemia –> spheroids

Question 7

Method - fastest dx of EHV-1

Answer 7

Take bloods - send to AHT - do PCR within 3 hours

Question 8

What is HBLB stance on EHV-1?

Answer 8

although no compulsory UK notification/reporting sceheme, they run a voluntary code of practice which encourages vets and yard owners to inform other owners on premises (as abortogenic)

Question 9

What pathogen causes FIP?

Answer 9

MUTATED feline coronavirus (FCoV)

Question 10

CS - FIP

Answer 10

usually subclinical or mild enteritis

Question 11

Outline FIP that targets the brain?

Answer 11

targets ventricle lining –> inflammatory swelling –> acqueduct narrowing –> CSF builds up –> lateral ventricles –> acquired hydrocephalus d/t FIP

Question 12

Describe wet form of FIP

Answer 12

mediated by AB (there is a TH2 dominated response). Virus-Ab complexes are trapped in small BVs –> vasculitis –> effusive/ wet FIP

Question 13

Describe dry form of FIP

Answer 13

–> CMI with macrophages to clear infxn. Virus may mutate but destroyed before CS unless weak CMI –> granuloma formation (dry FIP)

Question 14

CS -piglet - Streptococcus suis

Answer 14

• nystagmmus
• paddling (limbs)
• seizures immediately before death

Question 15

Outline Streptococcus sui

Answer 15

= ZOONOTIC

• similar to Glasser’s diseases as –> polyserositis (peritonitis, poly-arthritis, pleuritis etc)
• not an uncommon cause of cute and frequently fatal meningitis in suckling and weanling pig.

Question 16

What are negri bodies?

Answer 16

the intracellular eosinophilic inclusion bodies in a cell that is an absolute indicator of lyssavirus (e.g. rabies)

Question 17

Commonest methods to dx rabies

Answer 17

• IFT and IHC of brain tissue are the commonest)
• viral isolation
• PCR