Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ear gland swelling and changes in American Cocker Spaniels
By Kaimio, Mirja et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2021·Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical and Genetic Findings in 28 American Cocker Spaniels with Aural Ceruminous Gland Hyperplasia and Ectasia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 28 American Cocker Spaniels was examined for ear problems, specifically a condition called aural ceruminous gland hyperplasia and ectasia, which is more common in this breed. Some dogs showed no symptoms, while others had ear infections. The study found that bacterial infections in the ear were linked to these gland changes, but previous ear issues or allergies were not. The researchers also looked into genetic factors that might contribute to this condition, suggesting that genetics could play a role. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and better understand the condition.
People also search for: American Cocker Spaniel ear infection treatment · dog ear problems causes · ceruminous gland hyperplasia in dogs
Abstract
American Cocker Spaniels (ACSs) develop aural ceruminous gland hyperplasia and ectasia more often than dogs of other breeds. Data on the cause and development of these breed characteristic histopathological changes are lacking. We performed video-otoscopic examinations and dermatological work-up on 28 ACSs, obtained aural biopsies from each dog and assessed the statistical associations between the presence of ceruminous gland hyperplasia and ectasia and disease history, clinical or microbiological findings and underlying cause of otitis externa (OE). Histological lesions of ceruminous gland hyperplasia and ectasia were observed in aural biopsies from 6/13 clinically healthy ears and 13/15 ears with OE from 19/28 examined dogs. Nine of 28 dogs had histologically normal ceruminous glands (odds ratio [OR] 6.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-36.6). Bacterial growth in microbiological culture of aural exudate (OR 14.1, 95% CI 2.1-95.3) was associated with ceruminous glandular changes, whereas previous history of OE, cutaneous findings or underlying allergies were not. Pedigree analysis and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) were performed on 18 affected and eight unaffected dogs based on histopathological diagnosis. While the GWAS indicated a tentative, but not statistically significant, association of ceruminous gland hyperplasia and ectasia with chromosome 31, a larger cohort is needed to confirm this preliminary result. Based on our results, ceruminous gland hyperplasia and ectasia may also precede clinical signs of OE in ACSs and a genetic aetiological component is likely Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted to verify our preliminary results.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34119229/