Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Immune system changes in critically ill dogs explained
By Hoffman, D et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2018·University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Immune Function in Critically Ill Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 14 critically ill dogs showed signs of weakened immune function compared to healthy dogs. Tests revealed that these sick dogs produced lower levels of important immune signals and had reduced ability to fight off infections. Despite some immune markers being elevated, their overall immune response was impaired. This suggests that dogs with critical illness may struggle more than healthy dogs to respond effectively to infections.
People also search for: dog immune system problems · critically ill dog treatment · signs of infection in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: People with critical illness (CI) commonly develop various forms of immune dysfunction, however, there is limited information concerning immune dysfunction in dogs with CI. HYPOTHESIS: The immune response in CI dogs differs from that of healthy dogs. ANIMALS: Immunologic variables were compared between 14 dogs with CI, defined as APPLEscore of >20 points, admitted to the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center Small Animal Clinic Intensive Care Unit and healthy controls (n = 15). METHODS: Cohort study evaluating constitutive and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-10 production, phagocytosis of opsonized E. coli and respiratory burst capacity after opsonized E. coli or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulation, peripheral blood lymphocyte phenotype, and monocyte expressions of HLA-DR and TLR-4. RESULTS: Lipopolysaccharide-stimulated leukocyte TNF-α (median, Q1, Q3; CI, 49, 49, 120; control, 655, 446, 1174 pg/mL; P = < 0.001), IL-6 (median, Q1, Q3; CI, 49, 49, 64; control, 100, 49, 166 pg/mL; P = 0.029), and IL-10 (CI, 49, 49, 56; control, 96, 49, 203 pg/mL; P = 0.014) production and both E. coli (median, Q1, Q3; CI, 60.5, 43, 88.5; control, 86.6, 81, 89.2%; P = 0.047) and PMA (CI, 40, 11.7, 70; control, 93, 83, 97.6%; P = < 0.001)-stimulated respiratory burst capacity significantly decreased in CI dogs. Percentage of monocytes expressing TLR-4 greater in the CI dogs (median, Q1, Q3; CI, 46.9, 24.3, 64.2; control, 16.4, 9.4, 26.2%; P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest dogs with CI develop immune system alterations that result in reduced respiratory burst function and cytokine production despite upregulation of TLR-4.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29131390/