Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kidney test changes in dogs with Leishmania infantum infection
By de Oliveira Frazilio, Fabiano et al.·Published in Parasitology research·2018·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Biomarkers and renal arterial resistive index in dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 59 dogs infected with Leishmania infantum, a parasite that can cause serious kidney problems, were studied to find better ways to diagnose kidney damage. The researchers looked at different markers in the dogs' urine and blood to see how well their kidneys were functioning. They found that certain urine tests could help detect early signs of kidney issues, while another blood test was useful for tracking the disease's progression. This information could help veterinarians identify and manage kidney problems in dogs with leishmaniasis more effectively.
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Abstract
Canine visceral leishmaniasis frequently causes glomerulonephritis and tubulointerstitial nephritis, nephropathies for which diagnosis has been limited by the low sensitivity of traditional tests. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum cystatin C and urinary gamma-glutamyltransferase (uGGT) levels and the urinary GGT/urinary creatinine ratio (uGGT/uCR) and to measure the renal arterial resistive index (RARI) in dogs with leishmaniasis with varying degrees of renal injury based on the urine protein: creatinine ratio (UP/C) and serum creatinine (SCr) level. We tested 59 untreated adult dogs of both sexes and undefined breeds naturally infected with Leishmania infantum. The dogs were grouped into four groups based on UP/C and SCr level: group 1 (n = 15), dogs with SCr levels < 1.4 mg/dL and UP/C < 0.5; group 2 (n = 13), dogs with SCr levels < 1.4 mg/dL and UP/C of 0.5-1.0; group 3 (n = 16), dogs with SCr levels < 1.4 and UP/C > 1.0; and group 4 (n = 15), dogs with SCr levels > 1.4. A fifth group of healthy dogs (n = 10) was the control. uGGT concentrations and uGGT/uCR were higher in dogs with proteinuria and SCr < 1.4 mg/dL, whereas the serum cystatin C concentrations and RARI were higher only in dogs with SCr levels > 1.4. In conclusion, uGGT and uGGT/uCR may be useful tools for early detection and assessment of renal lesions associated with leishmaniasis; however, cystatin C is useful for monitoring the progression of kidney disease when measured sequentially.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30069827/