Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Autoantibodies found in dogs with immune anemia and tick diseases
By Karagianni, Anna E et al.·Published in American journal of veterinary research·2012·Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies in dogs infected with various vector-borne pathogens and in dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA), a condition where the immune system attacks red blood cells, was tested for specific antibodies. Out of 55 dogs with IMHA, nearly half had positive results for these antibodies, which were also found in a similar number of dogs infected with various tick-borne diseases. This suggests that these antibodies might be linked to both IMHA and infections caused by certain pathogens. While the presence of these antibodies could indicate immune-related issues, they are not specific enough to diagnose a particular disease on their own.
People also search for: dog anemia symptoms · immune-mediated hemolytic anemia treatment · dog tick-borne disease testing
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (pANCA) in dogs with confirmed or suspected immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) or dogs infected with various vector-borne pathogens, including Rickettsia rickettsii, Bartonella henselae, Bartonella vinsonii subsp berkhoffii, Ehrlichia canis, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Leishmania infantum. ANIMALS: 55 dogs with confirmed or suspected IMHA, 140 dogs seroreactive for vector-borne pathogens, and 62 healthy dogs and dogs seronegative for vector-borne pathogens. PROCEDURES: Samples were allocated to subgroups on the basis of the health status of the dogs and the degree of seroreactivity against various vector-borne pathogens. Serum samples were tested retrospectively via indirect immunofluorescence assay to determine pANCA status. RESULTS: 26 of 55 (47%) dogs with confirmed or suspected IMHA and 67 of 140 (48%) dogs seroreactive for vector-borne pathogens had positive results when tested for pANCA. Serum samples with the highest antibody concentrations against L infantum antigen had the highest proportion (28/43 [65%]) that were positive for pANCA. One of 20 (5%) dogs seronegative for tick-borne pathogens and 8 of 22 (36%) dogs seronegative for L infantum had positive results for pANCA. One of 20 (5%) healthy dogs had serum antibodies against pANCA. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: pANCA were detected in a high percentage of dogs with IMHA and vector-borne infectious diseases. Therefore, pANCA may be a relatively nonspecific marker for dogs with inflammatory bowel disease, although they could represent a biomarker for immune-mediated diseases and infections.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22924722/