Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with chronic diarrhea diagnosed with duodenal leishmaniasis
By Ayala, Ignacio et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2017·From the Animal Medicine and Surgery Department (I.A., Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: An Atypical Case of Leishmaniasis Associated with Chronic Duodenitis in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old Boxer was brought in for chronic diarrhea and seemed to be in poor condition. Despite trying anti-diarrheal medications, the symptoms persisted, leading the vet to suspect inflammatory bowel disease. However, an endoscopic biopsy revealed signs of Leishmania infection, which is a type of parasite. After 7 months of treatment, the dog showed significant improvement, gained weight, and follow-up tests indicated that the infection was resolved. This case highlights the importance of considering Leishmania when diagnosing chronic gastrointestinal issues in dogs, especially in areas where the disease is common.
People also search for: dog chronic diarrhea treatment · Boxer dog weight loss · Leishmania infection in dogs · inflammatory bowel disease in dogs · dog gastrointestinal issues
Abstract
We describe an atypical case of duodenal leishmaniasis in a boxer dog presenting with chronic diarrhea and poor general condition. Antidiarrheic therapy was previously administered without success and inflammatory bowel disease localized to the small intestine was suspected, given the chronic clinical signs and by ruling out other known causes of gastrointestinal inflammation. Endoscopic biopsy of duodenum showed a moderate increase in lamina propria lymphocytes, plasma cells, and macrophages. Basophilic bodies were seen in the cytoplasm of numerous macrophages, suggestive of Leishmania spp, confirmed by immunostaining, and a diagnosis of granulomatous duodenitis associated to Leishmania infection was made. After 7 mo of therapy, a significant clinical improvement and weight gain were observed, and endoscopic histology showed no evidence of Leishmania. A progressive decline of anti-leishmanial antibody titer was also observed during follow-up. This report emphasizes the importance of atypical symptoms and the unusual location of visceral leishmaniasis, suggesting the need to consider leishmaniasis in the differential diagnosis of canine chronic enteritis, especially in endemic areas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28282232/