title: Necrotizing meningoencephalitis of Pug dogs associates with dog leukocyte antigen class II and resembles acute variant forms of multiple sclerosis.
abstract: Necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) is a disorder of Pug Dogs that appears to have an immune etiology and high heritability based on population studies. The present study was undertaken to identify a genetic basis for the disease. A genome-wide association scan with single tandem repeat (STR) markers showed a single strong association near the dog leukocyte antigen (DLA) complex on CFA12. Fine resolution mapping with 27 STR markers on CFA12 further narrowed association to the region containing DLA-DRB1, -DQA1 and, -DQB1 genes. Sequencing confirmed that affected dogs were more likely to be homozygous for specific alleles at each locus and that these alleles were linked, forming a single high risk haplotype. The strong DLA class II association of NME in Pug Dogs resembles that of human multiple sclerosis (MS). Like MS, NME appears to have an autoimmune basis, involves genetic and nongenetic factors, has a relatively low incidence, is more frequent in females than males, and is associated with a vascularly orientated nonsuppurative inflammation. However, NME of Pug Dogs is more aggressive in disease course than classical human MS, appears to be relatively earlier in onset, and involves necrosis rather than demyelination as the central pathobiologic feature. Thus, Pug Dog encephalitis (PDE) shares clinical features with the less common acute variant forms of MS. Accordingly, NME of Pug Dogs may represent a naturally occurring canine model of certain idiopathic inflammatory disorders of the human central nervous system.
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Indiana University East, Richmond, IN 47374, USA. kagreer@iue.edu
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Greer
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Famula
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruhe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wallace
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Neff
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D004285:Dogs; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006239:Haplotypes; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; C039692:histocompatibility antigen DLA