Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Detecting Leishmania infection in dogs with colitis in endemic areas
By Casanova, M I et al.·Published in Journal of comparative pathology·2019·Departament de Sanitat i Anatomia Animals, Spain·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Detection of Leishmania spp. Infection by Immunohistochemistry in Archived Biopsy Samples from Dogs with Colitis in an Area Endemic for Leishmaniosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with chronic colitis (inflammation of the colon) were tested for a parasite called Leishmania spp. in an area where this infection is common. Out of 69 dogs, 5 tested positive for the parasite, showing that it can be linked to ongoing colitis in these dogs. The study suggests that veterinarians should consider testing for Leishmania when diagnosing chronic colitis in dogs living in areas where the parasite is prevalent. This could help ensure proper treatment and management of the condition.
People also search for: dog colitis treatment · Leishmania infection in dogs · chronic colitis symptoms in dogs
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of Leishmania infantum amastigotes in the colonic mucosa of seropositive sick dogs. However, there are no studies that have investigated the presence of L. infantum infection in dogs diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The aims of this study were: (1) to investigate retrospectively the presence of Leishmania spp. antigen by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in biopsy samples taken from the colon of dogs with IBD in an area endemic for leishmaniosis, and (2) to describe the main histopathological findings in these cases. Clinicopathological data and histopathological results were reviewed from 106 cases of canine colitis. IHC to detect Leishmania spp. antigen had been performed at the time of diagnosis in 13 cases and we performed IHC in 56 more cases. Five of the 69 cases (7.2%) were positive for Leishmania spp. antigen by IHC. Two positive biopsy samples had histiocytic inflammation and three had lymphoplasmacytic inflammation. The number of amastigotes was variable and independent of the type and grade of inflammatory infiltrate. The results suggest that Leishmania spp. infection is associated with chronic colitis in areas endemic for the infection. Therefore, Leishmania IHC should be used routinely as a diagnostic tool when evaluating colonic biopsy samples from dogs in endemic areas, to exclude or confirm an infection by this parasite in dogs with chronic colitis.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30898292/