Cerebellar abiotrophy in a feline: case report

ABSTRACT The aim of this report was to describe a case of cerebellar abiotrophy in cat with 45-year-old diagnosed at the Animal Pathology Laboratory, Veterinary Hospital of the Federal University of Campina Grande. The animal had presented 15-day apathy, anorexia, dehydration and neurological signs, characterized by ataxia, hypermetria, spasticity of fore and hindlimbs, intention tremor, nystagmus, opisthotonos, proprioceptive deficits, and absence of threat response. Clinically, cerebellar hypoplasia was suspected and the animal was euthanized due to poor prognosis. During necropsy, gross lesions were not observed. Microscopically the lesions were restricted to the cerebellum and were characterized by neurodegenerative and necrotic damage with segmental disappearance of the Purkinje cells. In these areas, there were also empty spaces, called the empty basket aspect, resulting from the loss of Purkinje cells, as well as rare axonal spheroids and proliferation of Bergmann's astrocytes. In some areas, the granular layer was hypocellular and there was moderate multifocal gliosis in the molecular layer. The diagnosis of cerebellar abiotrophy was based on epidemiological, clinical and mainly on histopathological changes in neurons of Purkinje disease characteristics.摘要：本报告旨在描述一例45岁家猫的小脑变性病（cerebellar abiotrophy）病例，该病例于坎皮纳格兰德联邦大学兽医院动物病理实验室确诊。患猫表现出为期15天的精神沉郁、食欲废绝、脱水及神经症状，其特征为共济失调、运动过度、前后肢痉挛、意向性震颤、眼球震颤、角弓反张、本体感受缺陷以及威胁反射消失。临床初步怀疑为小脑发育不全，因预后不佳，遂对患猫实施安乐死。 尸检未观察到肉眼可见病变。镜下病变仅局限于小脑，表现为神经变性与坏死性损伤，伴浦肯野细胞（Purkinje cells）节段性缺失。该区域内还可见因浦肯野细胞丢失形成的空腔样结构，即所谓“空篮征”，同时可见罕见轴索球体与伯格曼星形胶质细胞（Bergmann's astrocytes）增殖。部分区域可见小脑颗粒层细胞减少，分子层可见中度多灶性胶质增生。 本次小脑变性病的诊断结合了流行病学、临床特征，主要依据具有该病特征性的浦肯野神经元组织病理学改变。