Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Albumin in urine linked to Dirofilaria repens infection in dogs
By Falus, Fruzsina A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2023·Department of Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Albuminuria and proteinuria in dogs infected with Dirofilaria repens: A cross-sectional study.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 65 healthy beagle dogs was tested for a type of heartworm called Dirofilaria repens to see if it could cause kidney issues like albuminuria (high protein in urine) or proteinuria. Out of the dogs tested, those infected with D. repens showed significantly higher levels of albumin in their urine compared to healthy dogs. About 35% of the infected dogs had albuminuria, while only 12% of the healthy dogs did. This suggests that D. repens could potentially harm the kidneys in a way similar to another heartworm, D. immitis.
People also search for: dog kidney problems · Dirofilaria repens symptoms · protein in dog urine treatment
Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is unknown whether Dirofilaria repens is capable of causing similar glomerular lesions, as does Dirofilaria immitis. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether D. repens infection could cause albuminuria or proteinuria. ANIMALS: Sixty-five clinically healthy laboratory beagle dogs. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, dogs were tested for D. repens infection (modified Knott test, PCR test, D. immitis antigen test) and were grouped as "D. repens infected" or "control" dogs. Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UAC) and urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC) were measured from samples taken by cystocentesis. RESULTS: Forty-three (26 infected, 17 control) dogs were included in the final study group. UAC but not UPC level was significantly higher in the infected group (UAC median 12.5; range, 0-700 mg/g and UPC median 0.15; range, 0.06-1.06) than in the control group (UAC median 6.3; range, 0-28 mg/g and UPC median 0.13; range, 0.05-0.64; P = .02 and P = .65). Overt proteinuria (UPC > 0.5) was present in 6/26 (23%) of the infected dogs and 1/17 (6%) of the control dogs. Albuminuria (UAC > 19 mg/g) was detected in 9/26 (35%) dogs in the infected group, and 2/17 dogs (12%) in the control group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: D. repens might cause similar glomerular lesions to those caused by D. immitis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37185888/