Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tracking leishmania antibody levels in infected dogs over one year
By Cantos-Barreda, Ana et al.·Published in International journal for parasitology·2019·University of Murcia, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: One-year follow-up of anti-Leishmania antibody concentrations in serum and saliva from experimentally infected dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 11 Beagle dogs that were experimentally infected with Leishmania (a parasite that causes leishmaniasis) had their blood and saliva tested for specific antibodies over a year. The tests showed that the antibodies appeared in the blood about a month earlier than in the saliva, which is important for diagnosing and monitoring the disease. While the IgG2 antibodies were consistently found in both serum and saliva, the IgA antibodies were less reliable, as some dogs did not show them at all. Understanding these differences can help veterinarians better interpret test results for dogs suspected of having leishmaniasis.
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Abstract
The quantification of anti-Leishmania antibodies in serum and saliva by a time-resolved immunofluorometric assay is useful for the diagnosis and treatment monitoring of dogs with clinical leishmaniasis. We compared the kinetics of anti-Leishmania IgG2 and IgA antibodies in serum and saliva from 11 Beagle dogs experimentally infected with Leishmania infantum. Most dogs showed detectable concentrations of anti-Leishmania IgG2 earlier in serum (between 3 and 4 months p.i.) than in saliva (between 4 and 6 months p.i.). Overall, a high correlation between concentrations of anti-Leishmania IgG2 in serum and saliva (r = 0.853; P < 0.0001) was observed. The quantification of anti-Leishmania IgA showed less diagnostic value than IgG2, since detectable amounts of IgA were not observed in the saliva of four dogs and in the serum of one dog. In addition, a very low correlation between anti-Leishmania IgA in serum and saliva (r = 0.289; P < 0.001) was observed. Our results indicate that the antibodies against L. infantum in saliva appear approximately 1 month later than in serum, and suggest that there is a threshold for the passing of immunoglobulins from serum to saliva in dogs. These facts should be taken into consideration for a proper interpretation of saliva assays for quantification of antibodies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31525372/