Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Higher leptin gene activity found in dogs with leishmaniosis infection
By Di Loria, Antonio et al.·Published in Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)·2014·Department of Health Science, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Increased leptin mRNA expression in the blood of dogs naturally infected by Leishmania infantum.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with leishmaniosis, a serious disease caused by the Leishmania parasite, showed higher levels of a hormone called leptin in their blood compared to healthy dogs. This study looked at blood samples from 11 infected dogs and 10 healthy ones, finding that the infected dogs had about twice as much leptin. This suggests that leptin might play a role in how the immune system responds to this infection. While this research doesn't provide treatment options, it opens the door for future studies to explore how leptin could be used to help diagnose or understand leishmaniosis better.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · leptin levels in dogs · how to treat leishmaniasis in dogs
Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis (CL) is a severe and potentially fatal zoonosis caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum. Severe forms of CL are commonly associated with a non-protective, humoral immune-response and high parasitic loads. Leptin, a 16 kD hormone mainly secreted by adipocytes, regulates both the innate and adaptive immunity. The goal of this study was to evaluate leptin mRNA expression levels in blood samples from privately owned dogs with CL (n = 11) and healthy controls (n = 10) using quantitative, real-time polymerase chain reaction. Blood samples from dogs with CL expressed significantly higher leptin mRNA levels (two-fold) compared to healthy controls (P = 0.018). The results suggest a possible involvement of leptin in the pathophysiology of Leishmania infection in dogs and the possible use of leptin as a biomarker for CL. Future studies investigating the immunological role of leptin in dogs with CL are warranted.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25458880/