Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Leukocyte aggregation in dogs and cats - what it means for
By Nolen-Walston, Rose D et al.·Published in Veterinary clinical pathology·2024·Department of Clinical Studies - New Bolton Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of leukergy (in vitro leukocyte aggregation) with systemic inflammation in dogs and cats (2017-2022).
Plain-English summary
A study found that cats and dogs with a specific blood finding called leukergy, which indicates inflammation, were more likely to show signs of systemic inflammation or infection. In this study, 83 cats and 44 dogs were examined, and it was noted that cats had a much higher occurrence of leukergy compared to dogs. Cats with leukergy had higher white blood cell counts, while dogs with leukergy tended to have lower counts and were more likely to have a fever. The findings suggest that leukergy is rare but more common in cats, and it may be linked to higher globulin levels in the blood, which can indicate inflammation.
People also search for: cat inflammation symptoms · dog fever causes · leukergy in cats · elevated globulin in dogs · what does leukocyte aggregation mean
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Leukergy is the phenomenon of aggregation of leukocytes on a peripheral blood film, and in humans, it is used as an indicator of systemic inflammation and infection. OBJECTIVES: To assess the association of leukergy on blood film examination with biochemical and clinical evidence of systemic inflammation, infection, neoplasia, or specific organ system disease. METHODS: A case-control study using retrospective analysis (2017-2022) identified all canine and feline patients that had been presented to an academic referral center with a finding of leukergy on peripheral blood film and an equal number of species-matched controls. RESULTS: A total of 127 cases (canine n = 44, feline n = 83) were identified, as well as 127 controls. Feline samples were 7.6× more likely to exhibit leukergy (0.019%) than canine (0.0025%). A positive association was noted between leukergy and higher globulin concentrations in dogs (marginal difference 0.5 mg/dL, P = .016) and cats (marginal difference 0.67 mg/dL, P = <.001). Cats with leukergy had higher WBC counts and were less likely to be diagnosed with cardiac or urinary tract disease than controls. Dogs with leukergy had lower WBC counts and were more likely to be febrile but were less likely to have urinary tract disease than controls. No association was found with neutrophil toxic change or band forms, systemic antimicrobial therapy, or signalment. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that there is a positive association between increased globulin concentrations and leukergy and inconsistent associations between leukergy and other markers of inflammation or infection. Leukergy is rare overall but markedly more common in cats than dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38239045/