Pathology Flashcards
What are the clinical signs of Toxoplasmosis in cats? (5)
- Seizures
- Circling
- Paraperisis/quadriperisis
- Head tilt
- Behaviour changes
What are the clinical signs of encephalitozoon? (5)
- head tild
- unsteadiness
- hindlimb weakness
- neck spasm
- urinary incontinence
What species to ecephalitozoon affect?
Rabbits
What certain breed of cats are susceptible to toxoplasmosis?
Pallas cats
Which previous two virus exposures could make cats more susceptible to toxoplasmosis?
- FIV
- FLV
Around what percent of rabbits in the UK are said to suffer from encephalitozoon?
50
How does toxoplasmosis travel in the body?
It communicates with immune cells through calcium, ordering them to transport It around the body
How does encephalitozoon travel in the body?
It travels through the blood in white blood cells
What are three ways a pathogen can cross the blood brain barrier?
- transcellular
- Paracellular
- Intracellular/Trojan horse
What is BSE? (4)
- characterised by an abnormal infectious prion protein
- present in nervous tissue
- causes spongy degeneration of the brain
- Resulting in sever neurological signs
What are some of the clinical signs of BSE? (6)
- Abnormal gain
- Hypersensitive to stimuli
- Agression
- Fast moving back legs
- Poor proprioception
- Low milk yield
What are the postmortem tests for BSE?(2)
- Immunohistochemistry of obex or third eyelid sample
- western blot test
How can you tell from a histology slide that a prion is present?
Prions form vacuoles in the neurones causing a spongy appearance
What is a TSE?
A neurodegenerative disease characterised by an accumulation of the abnormal prion protein in the brain affecting the CNS.
State 4 examples of TSEs
- BSE
- Scrapie
- CWD
- FSE
What TSE is the feline version of BSE?
FSE
What are the clinical signs of FSE? (6)
- Agression
- Timidity
- Hypersensitivity to stimuli
- ataxia
- drooling
- head tremor
What are the clinical signs of scrapie? (7)
- Scratching
- Nibbling
- Agression
- Nervousness
- head tremor
- Wool loss
- Awkward stance
What is the name of the only known TSE effecting wild animals and what are the clinical signs? (7)
CWD
- Isolation
- depression
- difficulty swallowing
- poor coordination
- pneumonia
- Weight loss
How is an infectious prion formed?
Misfolding of the normal Prp protein
How can an animal obtain TSE? (5)
- contaminated feed
- via the placenta
- milk
- superficial abrasions
- environment (faeces)
What are the three proposed routes of TSEs?
- Vagus nerve
- Splachnic nerve via sympathetic trunk
- Sympathetic and vagosympathetic trunk
Where do TSEs usually reside in the body?
In the obex of the brain in the medulla
Why are TSEs a problem for public health?
They can stay in the ground for up to 3 years and are hard to destroy with chemicals so the risk of spread is high
