{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,5]],"date-time":"2026-02-05T03:33:20Z","timestamp":1770262400360,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)","issue":"5","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["javma"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2012,3,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Objective<\/jats:bold>\u2014To describe clinical and clinicopathologic findings and outcome of horses with meningitis and meningoencephalomyelitis.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Design<\/jats:bold>\u2014Retrospective case series.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Animals<\/jats:bold>\u201428 horses.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Procedures<\/jats:bold>\u2014Medical records of horses admitted to the hospital during a 25-year period were reviewed. Horses with a definitive diagnosis of meningitis or meningoencephalomyelitis were included in this study. Information extracted from the medical records included signalment, history, reason for admission, clinical signs, results of clinicopathologic testing and diagnostic procedures, treatment, outcome, and necropsy findings.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Results<\/jats:bold>\u201422 horses had confirmed infectious disease (19 bacterial, 2 parasitic, and 1 fungal), 4 had suspected infectious disease on the basis of CSF cytologic examination findings, and 2 had noninfectious meningitis or meningoencephalomyelitis. Trauma of the head and vertebral column with disruption of the blood-brain barrier and local ascending or hematogenous spread were the most common routes of infection. Common neurologic signs included abnormal mental status, cranial nerve deficits, vestibular dysfunction, ataxia, tetraparesis, and apparent neck pain. Common hematologic abnormalities included leukocytosis, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and hyperfibrinogenemia. Cytologic examination of CSF samples revealed moderate to marked suppurative inflammation. Mortality rate was 96.4%. Microbial culture of CSF yielded bacterial growth in 15 of 23 horses (before death [2 horses], after death [11], and both [2]).<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusions and Clinical Relevance<\/jats:bold>\u2014Results suggested that meningitis and meningoencephalomyelitis are uncommon disorders in horses. Infectious disease was more common than noninfectious disease. Local trauma, ascending infection, or hematogenous spread of infection were the most common causes of meningitis or meningoencephalomyelitis. Neurologic deficits, neutrophilia, lymphopenia, hyperfibrinogenemia, and CSF with neutrophilic pleocytosis were common findings in affected horses.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.2460\/javma.240.5.580","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2012,2,14]],"date-time":"2012-02-14T19:26:17Z","timestamp":1329247577000},"page":"580-587","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":51,"title":["Meningitis and meningoencephalomyelitis in horses: 28 cases (1985\u20132010)"],"prefix":"10.2460","volume":"240","author":[{"given":"Balazs","family":"Toth","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Monica","family":"Aleman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nora","family":"Nogradi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"John E.","family":"Madigan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1272","reference":[{"key":"ref1","series-title":"N Engl J Med","first-page":"864","article-title":"Bacterial meningitis: pathogenesis, pathophysiology, and progress","volume":"327","author":"Quagliarello","year":"1992"},{"key":"ref2","series-title":"Vet Clin North Am Equine Tract","first-page":"553","article-title":"Meningitis and encephalomyelitis in horses","volume":"22","author":"Pellegrini-Masini","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref3","series-title":"J Am Vet Med Assoc","first-page":"452","article-title":"Disseminated septic meningitis in a mare","volume":"171","author":"Rumbaugh","year":"1977"},{"key":"ref4","series-title":"Compend Contin Educ Pract Vet","first-page":"479","article-title":"Equine bacterial meningitis\u2014part I","volume":"11","author":"Santschi","year":"1989"},{"key":"ref5","series-title":"Compend Contin Educ Pract 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