Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Anti-Wolbachia antibodies found in urine of heartworm dogs
By Morchón, Rodrigo et al.·Published in Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.)·2012·Dipartimento di Produzioni Animali, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Anti-Wolbachia Surface Protein antibodies are present in the urine of dogs naturally infected with Dirofilaria immitis with circulating microfilariae but not in dogs with occult infections.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with heartworm infection (Dirofilaria immitis) showed signs of kidney damage, particularly those with circulating microfilariae (tiny heartworm larvae). In a study, urine samples from 19 infected dogs revealed that those with microfilariae had higher levels of protein in their urine compared to those without. The dogs with microfilariae also had higher levels of specific antibodies linked to the Wolbachia bacteria associated with the heartworms. This suggests that the presence of these bacteria may worsen kidney problems in dogs with heartworm disease.
People also search for: dog heartworm symptoms · dog kidney disease treatment · heartworm infection in dogs
Abstract
Heartworm infection (Dirofilaria immitis) can cause kidney damage due to the presence of circulating microfilariae (mf) that contribute to the production and deposit of immune complexes. It has been shown that mf are a major source of Wolbachia antigen during active infection. Here the authors compared urine samples from 19 naturally infected dogs with (mf+) and 12 without (mf-) microfilariae for the presence of proteinuria and anti-Wolbachia Surface Protein (-WSP) IgG in ELISA. Kidneys from 6 mf+ and 3 mf- dogs were also examined by anti-WSP immuno-histochemistry. All infected dogs showed proteinuria, but mf+ dogs had significantly higher values compared to mf-dogs. Mf+ dogs had optical density values for anti-WSP IgG consistently higher than established cut-off values and were significantly higher than values for mf- dogs. Kidneys from mf+ dogs showed Wolbachia+ mf in glomerular capillaries. Results strongly suggest that Wolbachia associated with circulating mf may contribute to immune-mediated kidney disease in dogs with heartworm infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21919732/