Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart parasite levels linked to blood tests in dogs
By Casamián-Sorrosal, Domingo et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2021·Hospital Veterinario de Referencia UCV y Departamento de Medicina y Cirugí, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association of myocardial parasitic load with cardiac biomarkers and other selected variables in 10 dogs with advanced Canine Leishmaniasis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Ten dogs with advanced Canine Leishmaniasis (a disease caused by a parasite) were examined before being euthanized due to severe health issues. They showed high levels of cardiac stress markers, indicating heart problems, and had significant thickening of the heart muscle. The study found a strong link between the number of parasites in the heart tissue and the levels of a specific heart protein (cTnI), suggesting that this protein could be useful for monitoring heart health in dogs with this condition. Unfortunately, the dogs were not able to recover due to the severity of their illness.
People also search for: dog heart problems Canine Leishmaniasis · elevated cTnI in dogs · Canine Leishmaniasis symptoms · dog euthanasia heart disease
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The association between myocardial parasitic load (MPL) and cardiac biomarkers in Canine Leishmaniasis (CanL) has not been studied. METHODS: Dogs with advanced CanL were prospectively recruited and were included if they were euthanised. Prior to euthanasia these variables were assessed: hematocrit, globulin, creatinine, N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), blood pressure, urine protein/creatinine ratio and echocardiographic parameters. A left ventricular (LV) sample was taken for histopathology and MPL evaluation by quantitative PCR. Correlation of MPL with all variables was analysed. Dogs with lower and higher histopathology scores were compared. RESULTS: Ten dogs were included. NT-proBNP was 6946 pmol/ (interquartile range [IQR] 3751-9268 pmol/L) and cTnI 4.56 ng/mL (IQR 0.46-13.1 ng/mL). In all dogs, echocardiography showed an increase in LV thickening, and histopathology revealed moderate to severe lympho-plasmocytic myocarditis and/or myocardial cell degeneration. MPL was 215.53 parasites/gram (IQR 21.2-1372.63 parasites/gram). A strong correlation (p < 0.001; R = 0.90; R0.81) with cTnI was observed but correlation with any of the other variables or differences between the two histopathological scores, were not detected. CONCLUSIONS: MPL in dogs with advanced CanL shows variable but generally high levels. A strong association between MPL and cTnI was observed, which encourages the exploration of cTnI as a marker in CanL.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33899945/