Page 1242 - Veterinary Immunology, 10th Edition

VetBooks.ir Autoimmune Muscle Diseases

Dogs suffer from several different immune-mediated inflammatory
muscle diseases.

Myasthenia Gravis

Myasthenia gravis is a disease of skeletal muscle characterized by
abnormal fatigue and weakness after mild exercise. It occurs in
humans, ferrets, dogs, and cats. Myasthenia gravis results from a

failure of transmission of nerve impulses across the motor endplate
of striated muscle as a result of a deficiency of acetylcholine
receptors (Fig. 37.10). In Jack Russell Terriers, Springer Spaniels,
and Fox Terriers, an inherited deficiency of these receptors occurs.

This congenital form is therefore a disease of very young dogs.

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