Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum infection in epileptic dogs.

Publisher: Blackwell Scientific Publications Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0165053 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1748-5827 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00224510 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Small Anim Pract Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Oxford : Blackwell Scientific Publications

Dog Diseases*/parasitology ; Neospora* ; Toxoplasmosis, Animal*/complications ; Toxoplasmosis, Animal*/epidemiology ; Toxoplasma*/immunology ; Epilepsy*/veterinary ; Epilepsy*/parasitology ; Coccidiosis*/veterinary ; Coccidiosis*/complications; Dogs ; Animals ; Male ; Female ; Antibodies, Protozoan/blood ; Retrospective Studies

Objectives: Studies in humans have demonstrated the role of Toxoplasma gondii, a protozoan parasite, in epileptic seizures. This study aimed to investigate the serological correlation between T. gondii and N. caninum and epilepsy in dogs.
Materials and Methods: The medical record database of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Perugia, was searched for dogs serologically tested by IFAT for T. gondii and N. caninum and following specific inclusion criteria. Dogs were stratified by having a clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or suffering different conditions.
Results: One-hundred and twenty-eight dogs were included, 64 with epilepsy and 64 without clinical signs of epilepsy. Seventeen of the 64 epileptic dogs (26.6%; 95% CI: 15.7% to 37.4%) and twenty-one of the 64 non-epileptic dogs (32.8%; 95% CI: 21.3% to 44.3%) tested positive for T. gondii. Eight of the epileptic dogs (12.5%; 95% CI: 4.4% to 20.6%) and three of the non-epileptic dogs (4.7%; 95% CI: 0% to 9.9%) tested positive for N. caninum. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of T. gondii or N. caninum seroreactivity between epileptic and non-epileptic dogs.
Clinical Significance: The results obtained do not seem to support the role of T. gondii and N. caninum as causative agents of dog epilepsy.
(© 2024 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.)

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0 (Antibodies, Protozoan)

Date Created: 20240517 Date Completed: 20240819 Latest Revision: 20240819

20240819

10.1111/jsap.13735

38757475