Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cytokine and parasite DNA levels in lymph nodes of dogs
By de Vasconcelos, Tassia Cristina Bello et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2016·Pó, Brazil·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Cytokine and iNOS profiles in lymph nodes of dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum and their association with the parasitic DNA load and clinical and histopathological features.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs in Brazil with leishmaniasis (a serious disease caused by a parasite) showed varying symptoms, but some had high levels of the parasite without obvious signs of illness. Researchers looked at their lymph nodes and found that certain immune markers were linked to the severity of the disease. For example, high levels of specific proteins (IFN-γ and IL-6) were associated with more severe tissue changes. However, the study concluded that just because a dog has a high parasite load doesn't mean it will show symptoms, so a clinical exam alone isn't enough to determine how sick a dog might be.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · dog lymph node swelling · treatment for leishmaniasis in dogs
Abstract
In South America, visceral leishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease with severe evolution characteristics in humans, and dogs are its main reservoir. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the clinical status of dogs from a Brazilian endemic area naturally, at Barra Mansa municipality, infected with Leishmania infantum, in conjunction with their histopathological profile and, in order to determine possible markers of susceptibility or resistance to the disease, parasitic DNA load, cytokine and iNOS mRNA expression profiles were investigated in lymph nodes. High levels of IFN-ɣ and IL-6 mRNA were detected. Both IFN-ɣ and IL-6 mRNA were associated with disorganization of the corticomedullary region. IFN-ɣ and TNF-α mRNA were associated with the absence of follicular hyperplasia. The regulatory pathway was remarkable with IL-10 mRNA detection and its significant association with the severity of the disease. Plasmacytosis and sinus histiocytosis were associated with high loads of parasitic DNA, but there was no significant association between the parasite DNA load and animal clinical alterations. Since high parasitic loads were found in animals with or without symptoms, clinical examination cannot be considered as a criterion for disease susceptibility assessment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27523930/