Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Anti-desmoglein-2 antibodies don't diagnose heart disease in boxer
By Chang, Chia-Hsuan et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2025·Bristol Veterinary School, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Anti-desmoglein-2 autoantibodies do not discriminate between UK boxer dogs with and without arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of boxer dogs, some healthy and some diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), were tested for a specific antibody in their blood. Researchers found that almost all the dogs had this antibody, but the levels were lower in dogs with early signs of ARVC compared to those with more severe disease. This means that while the antibody can be present in both healthy and affected dogs, it doesn't help to distinguish between them effectively. The study suggests that more research is needed to understand the role of this antibody in diagnosing ARVC in boxers.
People also search for: boxer dog heart problems · ARVC in boxers · dog heart disease symptoms · boxer dog blood test results
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence regarding the diagnostic utility of serum anti-desmoglein-2 (DSG2) autoantibodies for arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in boxer dogs is conflicting. METHODS: Prospective standardised evaluation of apparently healthy boxer dogs for ARVC was performed at three referral centres, including blood pressure measurement, electrocardiography, echocardiography, haematology, biochemistry (including cardiac troponin I) and 24-hour Holter monitoring. Additional dogs with a diagnosis of ARVC were retrospectively recruited. ARVC disease status was defined using cut-offs of 20 or less (unaffected) and more than 300 (affected) ventricular premature complexes of right ventricular origin in 24 hours. The residual serum samples were stored at ‒80°C for analysis for anti-DSG2 autoantibodies using ELISA techniques. RESULTS: Forty boxer dogs were enrolled (11 healthy controls, 10 with preclinical ARVC and 19 with clinical ARVC). Serum anti-DSG2 autoantibodies were detected in all dogs, bar one healthy dog. DSG2 differed significantly between groups (p = 0.031) and was significantly lower in dogs with preclinical versus clinical ARVC (p = 0.025). LIMITATIONS: Some data were collected retrospectively, and some dogs were receiving antiarrhythmic therapy. CONCLUSION: Serum DSG2 autoantibodies can be present in boxer dogs with preclinical and clinical ARVC and apparently healthy controls.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41351822/