Association of acute Babesia canis infection and serum lipid, lipoprotein, and apoprotein concentrations in dogs.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Babesia canis infection induces a marked acute phase response (APR) that might be associated with alteration in lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and disease prognosis. HYPOTHESIS: Dogs with B. canis-induced APR develop dyslipidemia with altered lipoprotein concentration and morphology. ANIMALS: Twenty-nine client-owned dogs with acute B. canis infection and 10 clinically healthy control dogs. METHODS: Observational cross-sectional study. Serum amyloid A (SAA) was measured using ELISA. Cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides were determined biochemically. Lipoproteins were separated using agarose gel electrophoresis. Lipoprotein diameter was assessed by polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis; correlation with ApoA-1 (radioimmunoassay) and SAA was determined. RESULTS: Dogs with B. canis infection had a marked APR (median SAA, 168.3 &#x3bc;g/mL; range, 98.1-716.2 &#x3bc;g/mL) compared with controls (3.2 &#x3bc;g/mL, 2.0-4.2 &#x3bc;g/mL) (P&#x2009;<&#x2009;.001). Dogs with B. canis infection had significantly lower median cholesterol (4.79&#x2009;mmol/L, 1.89-7.64&#x2009;mmol/L versus 6.15&#x2009;mmol/L, 4.2-7.4 mmol/L) (P = .02), phospholipid (4.64&#x2009;mmol/L, 2.6-6.6 mmol/L versus 5.72&#x2009;mmol/L, 4.68-7.0 mmol/L) (P = .02), and &#x3b1;-lipoproteins (77.5%, 27.7%-93.5% versus 89.2%, 75.1%-93.5%) (P = .04), and higher ApoA-1 (1.36&#x2009;U, 0.8-2.56&#x2009;U versus 0.95&#x2009;U, 0.73-1.54&#x2009;U) concentrations (P = .02). Serum amyloid A correlated with high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) diameter (rho = .43; P = .03) and ApoA-1 (rho = .63, P&#x2009;<&#x2009;.001). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Major changes associated with B. canis-induced APR in dogs are related to concentration, composition, and morphology of HDL particles pointing to an altered reverse cholesterol transport. Parallel ApoA-1 and SAA concentration increase is a unique still unexplained pathophysiological finding.