Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Blood immune changes in healthy Pugs at risk of brain inflammation
By Windsor, Rebecca et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2021·Ethos Veterinary Health, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Leukocyte and cytokine variables in asymptomatic Pugs at genetic risk of necrotizing meningoencephalitis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 40 Pugs that showed no symptoms were tested for a genetic risk of necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME), a serious brain condition common in this breed. The study found that 18% of the dogs were at high risk for developing NME, with these dogs showing lower levels of certain immune cells and higher levels of a specific protein in their blood compared to those at lower risk. While these findings help understand the immune response related to NME, they also suggest the need for further research into better ways to diagnose and treat this condition before symptoms appear.
People also search for: Pug dog encephalitis symptoms · Pug genetic testing for NME · how to prevent Pug brain disease
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME, aka Pug dog encephalitis) is an inflammatory brain condition associated with advanced disease at initial presentation, rapid progression, and poor response to conventional immunomodulatory therapy. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: That genetic risk for NME, defined by a common germline DNA haplotype located on chromosome 12, is associated with altered blood cytokine concentrations and leukocyte subsets in asymptomatic Pugs. ANIMALS: Forty Pug dogs asymptomatic for NME from a hospital sample. METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study, including germline genome-wide genotyping, plasma cytokine determination by multiplexed profiling, and leukocyte subset characterization by flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS: Seven (18%) dogs were high risk, 10 (25%) medium risk, and 23 (58%) low risk for NME, giving a risk haplotype frequency of 30%. High and medium risk Pugs had significantly lower proportion of CD4+ T cells (median 22% [range, 7.3%-38%] vs 29% [range, 16%-41%], P = .03) and higher plasma IL-10 concentrations than low-risk Pugs (median 14.11 pg/mL [range, 9.66-344.19 pg/mL] vs 12.21 pg/mL [range, 2.59-18.53 pg/mL], P = .001). No other variables were significantly associated with the NME haplotype-based risk. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: These data suggest an immunological underpinning to NME and a biologic rationale for future clinical trials that investigate novel diagnostic, preventative, and therapeutic strategies for this disease.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34687084/