0000000000452218
AUTHOR
Erwin Dahme
Morphological studies in canine (Dalmatian) neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis.
Dalmatian dogs may develop a neuronal or generalized ceroid-lipofuscinosis (NCL) which strongly resembles that seen in English setters, especially as to the ultrastructural changes and ubiquity of the stored lipopigments and the retinal pathology, while differing clinically from the disorder of English setters in that the disease has a longer course of up to 5 or 6 yr. Clinical onset is at about age 6 months; however, an unequivocal morphological diagnosis is possible between the 4th and 5th month of life in biopsied skin. Detailed data of additional investigations are in progress and are awaiting later publication. Thus, NCL in the Dalmatian dog, though not yet as thoroughly investigated a…
Retinal ultrastructure of neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis in the Dalmatian dog
Ultrastructural studies of the retinae in two NCL-affected Dalmatian dogs revealed ubiquitous accumulation of lipopigments in numerous cell types of the retina, the fine structure of which closely resembled that seen in NCL-affected English setters. Photoreceptors and other retinal cell types were largely intact. These findings show that the retinal involvement in NCL of our Dalmatian dogs is identical to that of NCL-affected English setters. It also shows that in canine NCL a severe retinopathy, regularly encountered in human childhood NCL, does not develop. Thus, the NCL of Dalmatian dogs —and English setters — represents a reliable model to study human NCL, but for human retinopathia pig…