A 25-year-old man is brought with 2 days of fever, agitation, hydrophobia, and pharyngeal spasms after a dog bite 3 months ago. Which neuropathological finding is pathognomonic for this condition and is characteristically found in the hippocampal pyramidal neurons?
- A Psammoma bodies
- B Lewy bodies
- C Negri bodies ✓
- D Mallory bodies
Correct answer: C. Negri bodies
Explanation
The clinical picture of hydrophobia, pharyngeal spasms, and agitation after a dog bite is classic rabies. Negri bodies are intracytoplasmic eosinophilic inclusion bodies composed of rabies virus nucleocapsids, pathognomonic for rabies, found classically in hippocampal pyramidal neurons and Purkinje cells. Psammoma bodies are seen in meningioma and papillary thyroid carcinoma. Lewy bodies are seen in Parkinson disease. Mallory bodies are seen in alcoholic hepatitis.
Reference: Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 10th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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