Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
New urine tests to detect kidney injury in dogs bitten by European
By Harjen, Hannah J et al.·Published in Topics in companion animal medicine·2022·Faculty of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of Urinary Clusterin and Cystatin B as Biomarkers for Renal Injury in Dogs Envenomated by the European Adder (Vipera berus).
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs bitten by the European adder (Vipera berus) showed signs of kidney injury after the snakebite. Researchers measured various markers in the dogs' urine and blood to assess kidney function and injury over time. They found that a specific urine marker, cystatin B, was significantly higher in the envenomated dogs, suggesting kidney damage, especially in the first 36 hours after the bite. While some kidney function markers were lower in these dogs compared to healthy ones, the study highlights the importance of monitoring these markers to better understand and treat kidney injuries from snakebites.
People also search for: dog snakebite treatment · European adder bite symptoms in dogs · kidney injury in dogs after snakebite
Abstract
Dogs are commonly bitten by the European adder (Vipera berus) but studies investigating the effects of envenomation are limited. Snakebite-related kidney injury is reported in dogs but diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) might be limited by the insensitivity of routinely used renal function biomarkers. The aim of this study was to evaluate novel biomarkers of renal injury (urinary cystatin B and urinary clusterin) and biomarkers of renal function (serum creatinine and serum symmetric dimethylarginine), and urine protein to creatinine ratio in dogs envenomated by V. berus. Biomarkers were measured at presentation (T1), 12 hours (T2), 24 hours (T3), 36 hours (T4), and 14 days (T5) after snakebite and compared to a group of healthy control dogs. A secondary aim was to investigate the association between biomarker concentrations and severity of clinical signs of envenomation using a snakebite severity score (SSS). Urinary cystatin B concentrations were significantly higher at all timepoints in envenomated dogs compared to controls (P < .010), except for T5 (P = .222). Absolute urinary clusterin concentrations were not significantly different to controls at any timepoint. Compared to controls, serum creatinine and serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentrations were significantly lower in envenomated dogs at T1-T4 (P < .036) and T2-T4 (P < .036), respectively. Urine protein to creatinine ratio was higher in envenomated dogs compared to controls at T2 and T3. Urinary cystatin B concentrations at T1 were correlated with SSS (Spearman's ρ = 0.690, P < .001). The increased urinary cystatin B concentrations observed in dogs envenomated by V. berus in comparison to controls may indicate renal tubular injury in these patients.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34583053/