Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Antinuclear antibodies found in dogs with Bartonella or Ehrlichia
By Smith, Brian E et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2004·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Antinuclear antibodies can be detected in dog sera reactive to Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, Ehrlichia canis, or Leishmania infantum antigens.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that dogs with certain infections, like Bartonella vinsonii, Ehrlichia canis, or Leishmania infantum, can test positive for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), which are often linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). In fact, 10-20% of dogs with these infections showed high levels of ANAs, especially if they were infected with more than one of these pathogens. This means that if your dog has been diagnosed with one of these infections and tests positive for ANAs, it may not necessarily indicate lupus. It's important for veterinarians to consider these factors when interpreting test results.
People also search for: dog antinuclear antibodies · dog lupus symptoms · Bartonella treatment in dogs · Ehrlichia canis infection in dogs · Leishmania infantum in dogs
Abstract
The presence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) is used to support a clinical diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in dogs. However, clinicians must interpret the detection of ANAs with caution, particularly in light of increasing evidence that dogs with known bacterial and protozoal infections can have high ANA titers. Retrospectively, medical records were reviewed for all dogs that were concurrently tested for antinuclear antigens and Bartonella vinsonii (berkhoffii), Ehrlichia canis, or Rickettsia rickettsii antigens between 1990 and 2000. When analyzed on the basis of reactivity to a specific infectious agent, 75% of the B vinsonii (berkhoffii) seroreactors, 16.7% of the E canis seroreactors, and 0% of the R rickettsii seroreactors had concurrent ANAs. Subsequent prospective testing did not detect ANAs in convalescent sera from dogs experimentally infected with B vinsonii (berkhoffii), E canis, or R rickettsii. However, 10-20% B vinsonii (berkhoffii), E canis, or Leishmania infantum reactive sera from naturally infected dogs contained ANAs. In addition, 45% of sera from dogs that are reactive to multiple vectorborne organisms were more likely to contain ANAs when compared to sera from dogs reactive to only 1 test antigen. When interpreting the relevance of seroreactivity to nuclear antigens, clinicians should recognize that dogs with seroreactivity to B vinsonii (berkhoffii), E canis, or L infantum antigens (especially those with seroreactivity to more than one of these pathogens) may produce ANAs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14765731/