Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Inflammation and gut disease markers in Shar-Pei dogs with low
By Grützner, Niels et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2015·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Inflammatory, immunological, and intestinal disease biomarkers in Chinese Shar-Pei dogs with marked hypocobalaminemia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Chinese Shar-Pei dogs with low vitamin B12 levels (hypocobalaminemia) were experiencing symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, and weight loss. Researchers compared their blood tests with those of Shar-Peis with normal vitamin B12 levels to look for signs of inflammation and intestinal disease. They found that the dogs with low vitamin B12 had lower levels of albumin, a protein that helps maintain fluid balance, and different levels of immunoglobulins (IgA and IgM), which are important for immune function. These findings suggest that low vitamin B12 in these dogs might be linked to chronic gastrointestinal issues, and treatment may need to address both the vitamin deficiency and the underlying intestinal problems.
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Abstract
Chinese Shar-Pei dogs have a high prevalence of hypocobalaminemia and are commonly presented with clinical signs suggestive of severe and long-standing gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhea, vomiting, and/or weight loss. The aim of the current study was to evaluate serum concentrations of inflammatory markers, markers for intestinal disease, and immunological markers in Shar-Peis with hypocobalaminemia or normocobalaminemia (serum cobalamin concentrations within the reference interval). Serum samples from Shar-Peis were collected from various parts of the United States. Serum concentrations of inflammatory markers (i.e., C-reactive protein [CRP], calprotectin [CP], and S100A12), hyaluronic acid (HA, a marker for cutaneous mucinosis), and analytes commonly altered in chronic intestinal diseases (i.e., albumin, zinc, alpha1-proteinease inhibitor [α1PI], immunoglobulin [Ig]A, and IgM) were compared between Shar-Peis with hypocobalaminemia and Shar-Peis with normocobalaminemia. Serum concentrations of CRP, CP, S100A12, HA, zinc, and cα1-PI concentrations did not differ between hypocobalaminemic and normocobalaminemic Shar-Peis (P > 0.05). Serum concentrations of albumin were significantly lower in hypocobalaminemic Shar-Peis (median: 2.5 g/dl) than in normocobalaminemic Shar-Peis (median: 2.9 g/dl; P < 0.0001). Higher serum IgA concentrations and lower serum IgM concentrations were observed in hypocobalaminemic Shar-Peis (median: 1.7 g/l and 0.8 g/l, respectively) than in normocobalaminemic Shar-Peis (median: 0.7 g/l and 1.9 g/l, respectively; both P < 0.0001). In conclusion, no difference was found in serum concentrations of CRP, CP, S100A12, and HA between hypocobalaminemic and normocobalaminemic Shar-Peis whereas some differences were observed in analytes (e.g., albumin, IgA, and IgM) that may be altered in patients with chronic enteropathies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25525135/