Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Skin cell death and parasite levels in dogs with Leishmania chagasi
By Verçosa, Bárbara Laurice Araújo et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2012·Department of General Pathology, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Apoptosis, inflammatory response and parasite load in skin of Leishmania (Leishmania) chagasi naturally infected dogs: a histomorphometric analysis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania chagasi showed skin symptoms like lesions and inflammation. Researchers found that the dogs with visible symptoms had a higher number of parasites in their skin and more severe inflammation compared to asymptomatic dogs and healthy controls. The study also noted that the symptomatic dogs had more cell death in their skin, which was linked to the severity of their condition. This suggests that the level of inflammation and the presence of parasites are closely related to the symptoms seen in these dogs. Treatment for symptomatic dogs typically involves medications to manage the infection and reduce inflammation.
People also search for: dog skin lesions Leishmania · symptoms of Leishmania in dogs · treatment for dog skin infections
Abstract
The skin has an important role in infection by Leishmania chagasi. Apoptosis modulates the inflammatory response acting distinctively either on the progression or regression of the lesions. The parasites interact with multiple regulatory systems inducing apoptosis in host cells, during cell invasion, stabilization and multiplication of pathogens. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate cell death within the inflammatory infiltrates, and to correlate these results with parasite load and clinical features of dogs naturally infected with L. chagasi. Fragments of skin pinnas (8 symptomatic+8 asymptomatic+6 negative controls) were used to characterize and measure the inflammatory response, parasite load and apoptosis. Diagnosis of canine leishmaniasis was confirmed by the detection of anti-Leishmania antibodies by IFA and ELISA in serum, direct visualization of the parasite and culture in spleen, liver, pinna, bone marrow and lymph nodes, and PCR (pinna). Histomorphometry was performed with images obtained from 20 representative histological fields in a light microscope. Ultra-thin sections were mounted over a 300 mesh grids, contrasted with 2% uranyl acetate and lead citrate and examined under a Transmission Electronic Microscopy. Amastigotes were only found in the skin of symptomatic animals (31.94 ± 18.81). The number of foci and cellularity of the inflammatory infiltrates in symptomatic dogs were higher than in other groups and in asymptomatics were higher than in controls (p<0.05; Tukey). The average area, perimeter and extreme diameters of the inflammatory infiltrates obtained in symptomatic dogs were higher than in controls (p<0.05; Tukey). The apoptotic index was higher in symptomatic than in other groups and there was no difference between asymptomatics and controls (p<0.05; Tukey). Ultrastructurally, apoptotic cells were shrunken, with condensed nuclear chromatin and cytoplasm. Condensed nuclei were frequently fragmented. Internucleosomal DNA fragmentation occurred only in symptomatic cases. Amastigotes were observed within neutrophils and macrophages. Apoptosis is directly related to parasite load, intensity of inflammatory response and clinical manifestations in L. chagasi naturally infected dogs.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22694833/