title: Necrotizing meningoencephalitis in atypical dog breeds: a case series and literature review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Canine necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) is a fatal, noninfectious inflammatory disease of unknown etiology. NME has been reported only in a small number of dog breeds, which has led to the presumption that it is a breed-restricted disorder.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to describe histopathologically confirmed NME in dog breeds in which the condition has not been reported previously and to provide preliminary evidence that NME affects a wider spectrum of dog breeds than previously reported.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four dogs with NME.
  
  
  METHODS
  Archives from 3 institutions and from 1 author's (BS) collection were reviewed to identify histopathologically confirmed cases of NME in breeds in which the disease has not been reported previously. Age, sex, breed, survival from onset of clinical signs, and histopathologic findings were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Necrotizing meningoencephalitis was identified in 4 small dog breeds (Papillon, Shih Tzu, Coton de Tulear, and Brussels Griffon). Median age at clinical evaluation was 2.5 years. Histopathologic abnormalities included 2 or more of the following: lymphoplasmacytic or histiocytic meningoencephalitis or encephalitis, moderate-to-severe cerebrocortical necrosis, variable involvement of other anatomic locations within the brain (cerebellum, brainstem), and absence of detectable infectious agents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Until now, NME has only been described in 5 small dog breeds. We document an additional 4 small breeds previously not shown to develop NME. Our cases further illustrate that NME is not a breed-restricted disorder and should be considered in the differential diagnosis for dogs with signalment and clinical signs consistent with inflammatory brain disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Schatzberg
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Vernau
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Summers
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Siso
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Levine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: Autoimmune; Dog; Inflammatory; Intracranial; Seizures