Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Bone marrow cytological findings in 4 dogs and a cat with hemophagocytic syndrome.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary internal medicine
- Year:
- 1996
- Authors:
- Walton, R M et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Pathology · United States
Plain-English summary
In this study, researchers looked at the bone marrow of four dogs and one cat diagnosed with hemophagocytic syndrome, a condition where the body’s immune cells mistakenly attack blood cells. One dog had a suspected parvovirus infection and a confirmed Salmonella infection, while two others had possible blood-related diseases, and one dog died without a clear diagnosis. The cat had liver disease and signs of a viral infection. All the animals showed low levels of different blood cells and had unusual macrophages, which are immune cells that were eating up other blood cells. The study suggests that this syndrome can lead to low blood cell counts and highlights the importance of checking bone marrow samples to help diagnose this condition.
Abstract
Hemophagocytic syndrome or hemophagic histiocytosis was diagnosed in 4 dogs and 1 cat by evaluation of bone marrow aspirate smears. One of the dogs had a suspected infection with canine parvovirus and a confirmed infection with Salmonella spp, 2 dogs had presumptive diagnoses of myeloproliferative and lymphoproliferative disease, respectively, and 1 dog died without a diagnosis. The cat had hepatic lipidosis and lesions compatible with feline calicivirus infection. All animals had cytopenias involving 2 or more cell lines, and fragmented erythrocytes in the blood, along with mild to moderate increases in the number of macrophages in the bone marrow. Numerous marrow macrophages contained phagocytized hematopoietic cells. Other cytological features of the bone marrow were variable in each patient, but the degree of response in the blood was inadequate, even in those with bone marrow hyperplasia. The phagocytosis of hematopoietic elements did not appear to be caused by a primary immune disorder, but rather by the inappropriate activation of normal macrophages secondary to infectious, neoplastic, or metabolic diseases. These findings suggest that hemophagocytic syndrome may be an important factor in the development of cytopenias; the data also support the cytological evaluation of bone marrow aspirates as an aid in the diagnosis of hemophagocytic syndrome.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8965270/