Introduction
The nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) reduction test (NBTT) has been used for measuring the metabolic activity of phagocytes of mammals. Activated neutrophils transform NBT into formazan in ...the cytoplasm. The NBTT can detect the activation of neutrophils in peripheral blood and is used to assess neutrophil function in dogs. However, the NBTT is not used frequently in the clinical setting, as samples should be processed after blood collection.
Objective
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of storage on NBTT in dog blood samples.
Materials and Methods
Residual EDTA blood samples from 22 dogs were included of different ages, breeds, and sex. The buffy coat layer was separated from the blood and incubated with 0.1% NBT. The NBTT was performed at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h after the collection of blood. Blood samples were stored at 4°C until the tests were performed. Blood smears were evaluated by light microscopy, and the NBT reduction rate was reported, which represents the percentage of activated neutrophils. The NBT reduction rate was calculated after counting 300 neutrophils in each slide.
Results
The means of NBTT in dog blood samples at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h were 8.3%, 8.5%, 8.7%, and 7.8%, respectively. No significant differences were observed between time points.
Conclusions
This study showed that the NBTT can be performed up to 72 h after the collection of canine blood if correctly refrigerated at 4°C. This finding supports the performance of the NBTT in the clinical setting.
Canine babesiosis caused by different
Babesia species is a protozoal tick-borne disease with worldwide distribution and global significance. Historically,
Babesia infection in dogs was identified ...based on the morphologic appearance of the parasite in the erythrocyte. All large forms of
Babesia were designated
Babesia canis, whereas all small forms of
Babesia were considered to be
Babesia gibsoni. However, the development of molecular methods has demonstrated that other
Babesia species such as
Babesia conradae,
Babesia microti like piroplasm,
Theileria spp. and a yet unnamed large form
Babesia spp. infect dogs and cause distinct diseases.
Babesia rossi,
B. canis and
Babesia vogeli previously considered as subspecies are identical morphologically but differ in the severity of clinical manifestations which they induce, their tick vectors, genetic characteristics, and geographic distributions, and are therefore currently considered separate species. The geographic distribution of the causative agent and thus the occurrence of babesiosis are largely dependent on the habitat of relevant tick vector species, with the exception of
B. gibsoni where evidence for dog to dog transmission indicates that infection can be transmitted among fighting dog breeds independently of the limitations of vector tick infestation. Knowledge of the prevalence and clinicopathological aspects of
Babesia species infecting dogs around the world is of epidemiologic and medical interest. Babesiosis in domestic cats is less common and has mostly been reported from South Africa where infection is mainly due to
Babesia felis, a small
Babesia that causes anemia and icterus. In addition,
Babesia cati was reported from India and sporadic cases of
B. canis infection in domestic cats have been reported in Europe,
B. canis presentii in Israel and
B. vogeli in Thailand. Babesiosis caused by large
Babesia spp. is commonly treated with imidocarb dipropionate with good clinical response while small
Babesia spp. are more resistant to anti-babesial therapy. Clinical and parasitological cure are often not achieved in the treatment of small
Babesia species infections and clinical relapses are frequent. The spectrum of
Babesia pathogens that infect dogs and cats is gradually being elucidated with the aid of molecular techniques and meticulous clinical investigation. Accurate detection and species recognition are important for the selection of the correct therapy and prediction of the course of disease.
Background
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is a common infectious disease. Age, sex and breed might influence the type of clinical and pathological manifestations that dogs develop. The main objective of ...this retrospective cross‐sectional study was to determine if an association between age, sex, breed and size and the clinical findings of CanL exists.
Material and methods
Dogs with a diagnosis of leishmaniosis were enrolled (n = 123). Clinical information, including signalment, clinical signs and laboratory abnormalities, was retrieved from medical records from different veterinary facilities from Catalonia.
Results
Young dogs developed less frequently systemic signs (p = 0.0046), renal (p = 0.0019) and haematologic (p = 0.0275) abnormalities, while dermatologic signs were more common in young and adult dogs compared with old ones (p = 0.0451). Young dogs showed proteinuria less often than adult and old dogs (p = 0.0029). Young dogs did not present renal azotemia, while old dogs showed occasionally renal azotemia (p = 0.0478). Young dogs were mainly classified as mild‐moderate LeishVet clinical stages of the disease, and very rarely as severe‐very severe LeishVet clinical stages, compared with adult and old dogs (p = 0.0457). Purebred dogs significantly developed ulcerative dermatitis more frequently than crossbred dogs (p = 0.0460).
Conclusion
This study describes that age is associated with differences in clinicopathological findings of CanL.
Bartonellosis is a vector-borne zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution that can infect humans and a large number of mammals including small companion animals (cats and dogs). In recent years, ...an increasing number of studies from around the world have reported Bartonella infections, although publications have predominantly focused on the North American perspective. Currently, clinico-pathological data from Europe are more limited, suggesting that bartonellosis may be an infrequent or underdiagnosed infectious disease in cats and dogs. Research is needed to confirm or exclude Bartonella infection as a cause of a spectrum of feline and canine diseases. Bartonella spp. can cause acute or chronic infections in cats, dogs and humans. On a comparative medical basis, different clinical manifestations, such as periods of intermittent fever, granulomatous inflammation involving the heart, liver, lymph nodes and other tissues, endocarditis, bacillary angiomatosis, peliosis hepatis, uveitis and vasoproliferative tumors have been reported in cats, dogs and humans. The purpose of this review is to provide an update and European perspective on Bartonella infections in cats and dogs, including clinical, diagnostic, epidemiological, pathological, treatment and zoonotic aspects.
The LeishVet group has formed recommendations designed primarily to help the veterinary clinician in the management of canine leishmaniosis. The complexity of this zoonotic infection and the wide ...range of its clinical manifestations, from inapparent infection to severe disease, make the management of canine leishmaniosis challenging. The recommendations were constructed by combining a comprehensive review of evidence-based studies, extensive clinical experience and critical consensus opinion discussions. The guidelines presented here in a short version with graphical topic displays suggest standardized and rational approaches to the diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, control and prevention of canine leishmaniosis. A staging system that divides the disease into four stages is aimed at assisting the clinician in determining the appropriate therapy, forecasting prognosis, and implementing follow-up steps required for the management of the leishmaniosis patient.
Although dogs are considered the main reservoir of
Leishmania infantum
infection in endemic areas in Europe, the existence of other wild vertebrate reservoirs has been proposed as a possible cause of ...the lack of success of control measures. Evidence of
L. infantum
infection in European wildlife has been reported in carnivores, lagomorphs, and rodents. The red fox (
Vulpes vulpes
) received most attention, probably due to its taxonomic relationship with the dog and because it is the most abundant wild carnivore in Europe. Foxes and other wild carnivores often displayed high prevalences of infection but their infectiveness to the sandfly vector has never been demonstrated. However, xenodiagnosis demonstrated that black rats (
Rattus rattus
), are infectious to sandflies. This, together with their relative abundance, high rates of infection, and the fact that infected rats have been found on a Mediterranean island where dogs are not present, makes rats good candidate to be reservoirs of
L. infantum
. Recently, the Iberian hare (
Lepus granatensis
) has been recognized as the origin of a leishmaniosis outbreak in humans in Spain and xenodiagnosis showed that this species is also able to infect sandflies. In contrast, a recent survey in cave bats failed to detect infected individuals. In the future, the comparison of parasite isolates from humans, dogs and wildlife, xenodiagnosis studies in wild carnivores, and the study of other vertebrate taxonomic groups will help determine the current role of European wildlife in the epidemiology of leishmaniosis.
Canine leishmaniosis caused by Leishmania infantum is an endemic disease in Spain. The dog is considered the main reservoir, and the detection of specific serum antibodies against L. infantum antigen ...is the most used technique for diagnosing this infection. The LEISCAN LEISHMANIA ELISA test is a commercialized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection and measurement of canine anti-Leishmania serum antibodies.
The aim of this study was to assess seroprevalence results of apparently healthy dogs in different areas of Spain using LEISCAN.
Collection of sera from 5451 apparently healthy dogs was performed between 2020 and 2021 in different areas of Spain. Dogs were of adult age (≥12 months), were not previously diagnosed with clinical leishmaniosis or vaccinated against Leishmania and did not present clinical signs compatible with L. infantum infection. LEISCAN was performed following the manufacturer's protocol.
The overall seroprevalence was 5.5%. The highest seroprevalences were found in the Southeast of Spain: Comunidad Valenciana (14%) and Región de Murcia (14%), whereas the lowest seroprevalences were found in Northern Spain: Galicia (1%), Navarra (2%) and Castilla y León (2%) (p-value <0.001).
In conclusion, the seroprevalence for L. infantum in apparently healthy dogs in Spain varied from almost no infection to being over 10%.
Canine babesiosis is a significant tick-borne disease caused by various species of the protozoan genus Babesia. Although it occurs worldwide, data relating to European infections have now been ...collected for many years. These data have boosted the publication record and increased our working knowledge of these protozoan parasites. Both the large and small forms of Babesia species (B. canis, B. vogeli, B. gibsoni, and B. microti-like isolates also referred to as "B. vulpes" and "Theileria annae") infect dogs in Europe, and their geographical distribution, transmission, clinical signs, treatment, and prognosis vary widely for each species. The goal of this review is to provide veterinary practitioners with practical guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of babesiosis in European dogs. Our hope is that these guidelines will answer the most frequently asked questions posed by veterinary practitioners.
An 11-year-old neutered female Golden Retriever was referred for investigation of marked increases in liver enzyme activities. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a large pedunculated liver mass. Diagnosis ...of hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) was made when the mass was excised after a first unsuccessful attempt through ultrasound-guided core-needle biopsy. One and a half years after presentation, a nodule embedded between muscles of the abdominal wall appeared. The mass was first diagnosed as a well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) through cytologic examination, which was later confirmed with histopathology. Ki 67 immunostaining of the abdominal wall nodule showed an increased immunoreactivity compared with the liver mass. Therefore, the present case documents the first needle-tract seeding of a hepatocellular epithelial tumor with possible malignant transformation of HCA into a well-differentiated HCC in a dog.
An increasing number of non-endemic vectorborne pathogens have been described in dogs imported to the UK in the past two decades. Recently, an outbreak of canine babesiosis in south-east England has ...raised veterinary awareness with regard to the impact of such diseases on the UK canine population. Canine hepatozoonosis, caused by Hepatozoon canis and transmitted by the ingestion of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks, is widespread in the Mediterranean basin. Herein we describe the first three molecularly confirmed clinical cases of canine hepatozoonosis in dogs imported into the UK. Veterinarians in the UK should be aware of H canis as a potential infection in imported dogs, especially in the face of the expanding distribution of R sanguineus ticks in Europe.
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