Detection of feline coronavirus in cerebrospinal fluid for diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis in cats with and without neurological signs

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of a real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) detecting feline coronavirus (FCoV) RNA in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of cats with and without neurological and/or ocular signs for the diagnosis of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Methods: This prospective case-control study included 34 cats. Nineteen cats had a definitive histopathological diagnosis of FIP (seven of these with neurological and/or ocular signs), and 15 cats had other diseases but similar clinical signs (three of these with neurological and/or ocular signs). Real-time RT-PCR was performed on the CSF of all cats, and sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) were calculated. Results: Real-time RT-PCR of CSF showed a specificity of 100% in diagnosing FIP, a sensitivity of 42.1%, a PPV of 100% and an NPV of 57.7%. The sensitivity of the real-time RT-PCR of CSF in cats with neurological and/or ocular signs was 85.7%. Conclusions and relevance Although it is known that RT-PCR can give false positive results, especially if performed using serum or plasma, this real-time RT-PCR detecting FCoV RNA in CSF can be considered a reliable specific tool for the diagnosis of FIP. If only cats with neurological involvement are evaluated, the sensitivity of this real-time RT-PCR in CSF is also high

Inferior Cerebellar Hypoplasia Resembling a Dandy-Walker-Like Malformation in Purebred Eurasier Dogs with Familial Non-Progressive Ataxia: A Retrospective and Prospective Clinical Cohort Study

Cerebellar malformations can be inherited or caused by insults during cerebellar development. To date, only sporadic cases of cerebellar malformations have been reported in dogs, and the genetic background has remained obscure. Therefore, this study's objective was to describe the clinical characteristics, imaging features and pedigree data of a familial cerebellar hypoplasia in purebred Eurasier dogs. A uniform cerebellar malformation characterized by consistent absence of the caudal portions of the cerebellar vermis and, to a lesser degree, the caudal portions of the cerebellar hemispheres in association with large retrocerebellar fluid accumulations was recognized in 14 closely related Eurasier dogs. Hydrocephalus was an additional feature in some dogs. All dogs displayed non-progressive ataxia, which had already been noted when the dogs were 5 - 6 weeks old. The severity of the ataxia varied between dogs, from mild truncal sway, subtle dysmetric gait, dysequilibrium and pelvic limb ataxia to severe cerebellar ataxia in puppies and episodic falling or rolling. Follow-up examinations in adult dogs showed improvement of the cerebellar ataxia and a still absent menace response. Epileptic seizures occurred in some dogs. The association of partial vermis agenesis with an enlarged fourth ventricle and an enlarged caudal (posterior) fossa resembled a Dandy-Walker-like malformation in some dogs. Pedigree analyses were consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance

Detection of feline coronavirus spike gene mutations as a tool to diagnose feline infectious peritonitis

Objectives Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is an important cause of death in the cat population worldwide. The ante-mortem diagnosis of FIP in clinical cases is still challenging. In cats without effusion, a definitive diagnosis can only be achieved post mortem or with invasive methods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a combined reverse transcriptase nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) and sequencing approach in the diagnosis of FIP, detecting mutations at two different nucleotide positions within the spike (S) gene. Methods The study population consisted of 64 cats with confirmed FIP and 63 cats in which FIP was initially suspected due to similar clinical or laboratory signs, but that were definitively diagnosed with another disease. Serum/plasma and/or effusion samples of these cats were examined for feline coronavirus (FCoV) RNA by RT-nPCR and, if positive, PCR products were sequenced for nucleotide transitions within the S gene. Results Specificity of RT-nPCR was 100% in all materials (95% confidence interval [CI] in serum/plasma 83.9-100.0;95% CI in effusion 93.0-100.0). The specificity of the sequencing step could not be determined as none of the cats of the control group tested positive for FCoV RNA. Sensitivity of the 'combined RT-nPCR and sequencing approach' was 6.5% (95% CI 0.8-21.4) in serum/plasma and 65.3% (95% CI 50.4-78.3) in effusion. Conclusions and relevance A positive result is highly indicative of the presence of FIP, but as none of the control cats tested positive by RT-nPCR, it was not possible to confirm that the FCoV mutant described can only be found in cats with FIP. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the usefulness of the sequencing step including FCoV-RNA-positive cats with and without FIP. A negative result cannot be used to exclude the disease, especially when only serum/plasma samples are available

Approaching phantom complex after limb amputation in the canine species

The objective of this study was to describe the presence, prevalence, clinical manifestations, and risk factors of phantom complex and its effect on the quality of life for dogs that underwent amputation of a limb. An online questionnaire was developed containing 3 sections with a total of 69 questions. Clinical cases were recruited from a web site for 3-legged dog owners. Data were acquired from February to March 2015. Descriptive statistics and frequency distribution analyses were performed on the collected data. Chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test were used for assessment of the associations between categorical variables. One hundred seven questionnaires were completed by owners of dogs with limb amputation. The most frequent reason for amputation was related to neoplasia (54%). Pain after limb amputation was commonly experienced by dogs, and the time of onset and clinical manifestations of pain after limb amputation were found to resemble those of phantom complex. The duration of pre-amputation pain and time between diagnosis and amputation were identified as risk factors for a higher frequency of post-amputation pain episodes. This pilot study introduces previously unreported signs that may be interpreted as expressions of pain in amputee dogs

Raw image data

Raw image data from dog 4 and all prospectively examined dogs (dogs 6 - 11) from the publication Bernardino et al. (Plos One)

Frequencies of the main clinical features in the two patient cohorts.

<p>Frequencies of the main clinical features in the two patient cohorts.</p

Dorsal MR brain images.

<p>Dorsal MR brain images (T2-weighted) of the affected Eurasier dogs reveal a prominent midline defect with absent caudal portions of the cerebellar vermis (midline) and cerebellar hemispheres (lateral) in association with a large retrocerebellar fluid accumulation. A: dog 6; B: dog 7; C: dog 9; D: dog 10. Images A and D are located more ventrally than B and C.</p

Transverse MR brain images.

<p>Transverse MR brain images (T2-weighted) of four affected Eurasier dogs at the level of the cerebellar peduncles (B) and medulla oblongata (A, C, D). The myelencephalon appears unremarkable. The fourth ventricle has a cyst-like appearance in the rostral sections (B) and is continuous with retrocerebellar cerebrospinal fluid accumulations in the more caudal sections (A, C, D). A: dog 6; B: dog 7; C: dog 9; D: dog 10.</p

Midline caudal fossa ratio in Eurasier dogs with (1) and without (2) cerebellar hypoplasia.

<p>Boxplots demonstrate wide variations in midline caudal fossa ratio in Eurasier dogs with inferior cerebellar hypoplasia resembling DWLM (1: range 0.191–0.441; n = 9) compared to Eurasier dogs with unremarkable brain images (2: range 0.2645–0.3300; n = 10). Midline caudal fossa ratio was increased in three dogs with inferior cerebellar hypoplasia resembling DWLM (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0117670#pone.0117670.s007" target="_blank">S1 Table</a>).</p