Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Changes in Leishmania Antibodies in Dogs Before and After Treatment
By Rodríguez, Alhelí et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2006·Departament de Farmacologia, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Dynamics of Leishmania-specific immunoglobulin isotypes in dogs with clinical leishmaniasis before and after treatment.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 23 dogs with leishmaniasis, a disease caused by the Leishmania parasite, had their immune responses measured before and one year after starting treatment. Before treatment, the dogs showed high levels of specific antibodies (IgG, IgM, and IgA) indicating active infection. After one year of medication, all dogs had lower levels of these antibodies, but the dogs that responded well to treatment had significantly lower levels of IgA compared to those that did not respond. This suggests that monitoring these antibody levels can help determine how well a dog is responding to treatment for leishmaniasis.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis treatment · leishmania antibodies in dogs · dog immune response to leishmaniasis
Abstract
Concentrations of Leishmania-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), and immunoglobulin A (IgA) isotypes were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 23 dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum before and 1 year after initiating drug therapy. Results showed a high expression and prevalence of Leishmania-specific IgG (176.4 +/- 89 ELISA units [EU]), IgM (105.3 +/- 95.5 EU), and IgA (153.6 +/- 98 EU) in dogs before treatment (median +/- interquartile range EU). One year after treatment was started, dogs were classified as responsive dogs (RDs; n = 13) or unresponsive dogs (UDs; n = 10) based on clinicopathologic findings. Both groups of dogs experienced a statistically significant decrease (P < .05) in Leishmania-specific IgG (RDs = 27%, UDs = 41%), IgM (RDs = 42%, UDs = 29%), and IgA (RDs = 56%, UDs = 46%). Concentrations of specific IgG and IgM were not different at diagnosis or after treatment between the 2 groups. However, the median value for Leishmania-specific IgA 1 year after treatment was significantly lower (P < .05) in RDs (60.8 +/- 67 EU) than in UDs (117 +/- 54 EU). Examination of our data indicates that both the IgA isotype, which is mostly produced by mucosal plasma cells, and the IgM isotype are increased in infected symptomatic dogs, as previously reported for IgG. These 3 isotypes decreased significantly 1 year after initiation of medical treatment.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16734080/