[Muscular dystrophy in a cat]

A case of muscular dystrophy in a 1-year-old male castrated Domestic Shorthair cat is presented. The most striking clinical features were regurgitation, a stiff gait, an increased muscle tone and exercise intolerance. Serum biochemistry panels showed a marked increase in the muscle specific enzyme creatine kinase, and moderately elevated levels of LDH, AST and ALT. Spontaneous electrical activity of skeletal muscles in the form of "bizarre high frequency discharges" and "myotonia-like repetitive discharges" were registered. Gross pathology revealed a marked hypertrophy of the skeletal muscles. The main histopathological changes were myofiber necrosis and calcification, variation in fiber size, hypertrophied muscle fibers of type I and type II and fiber splitting. Indirect immunofluorescence showed dystrophin deficiency. Feline muscular dystrophy resembles the X-linked human Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Besides the X-linked muscular dystrophy in the mouse and Golden Retriever the feline muscular dystrophy could represent another valuable animal model for the study of DMD.