title: Postanesthetic death in a cat with myopathy.
abstract: There are few reports of naturally occurring muscular dystrophy in domestic animals. Herein, we describe a case of muscular dystrophy in a 4-year-old neutered male American domestic shorthair cat that died unexpectedly following anesthesia for an elective surgical procedure. Macroscopic muscular hypertrophy and histologic evidence of myofiber size variation, mineralization, myofiber degeneration, and necrosis were compatible with a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy. Extensive endomysial fibrosis was noted histologically in the diaphragm. A complete absence of dystrophin protein in Western blot confirmed the diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed reduced levels of dystrophin-associated proteins and an upregulation of utrophin at the sarcolemma. Anesthetic deaths can occur in dystrophin-deficient cats, and therefore muscular dystrophy and the associated cardiomyopathy should be considered in the differential diagnoses for perianesthetic death in cats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA Genevieve-remmers@idexx.com.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Remmers
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Hayden
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ervasti
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, USA.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Valberg
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D002415:Cats; D002828:Choristoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D016189:Dystrophin / Q000378:metabolism; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000662:veterinary; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009137:Muscular Dystrophy, Animal; D009336:Necrosis / Q000662:veterinary; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D016189:Dystrophin
keywords: cardiomyopathy; domestic cat; dystrophin; muscular dystrophy