Meningitis in a dog caused by Prevotella oralis

Prevotella oralis, an obligate Gram-negative anaerobe, was shown to be the cause of meningitis in a two-year-old crossbreed dog. The dog had a six-week history of lethargy and neck pain. On presentation, the animal was reluctant to walk, had a stiff gait and neck pain on flexion. Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid documented a neutrophilic pleocytosis (7488 cells/microl) and the presence of occasional intracellular bacterial coccobacilli. The aetiological diagnosis was confirmed by routine aerobic and anaerobic culture, and identification of the isolates. This report also reviews the literature of the documented cases of bacterial meningitis in dogs.