Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How Angiostrongylus vasorum infection changes dog blood proteins
By Tritten, Lucienne et al.·Published in Scientific reports·2021·Institute of Parasitology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Quantitative proteomics analysis of Angiostrongylus vasorum-induced alterations in dog serum sheds light on the pathogenesis of canine angiostrongylosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A dog infected with the heartworm-like parasite Angiostrongylus vasorum showed symptoms like breathing problems and bleeding issues. Researchers analyzed the dog's blood proteins before and after infection to understand how the parasite affects the body. They found significant changes in the levels of certain proteins related to the immune response and blood clotting. This study helps explain why some dogs with this infection experience bleeding disorders. Treatment for affected dogs typically involves antiparasitic medications, which can help manage the infection and its symptoms.
People also search for: dog breathing problems Angiostrongylus vasorum · dog bleeding issues treatment · heartworm-like parasite in dogs
Abstract
Blood contains hundreds of proteins, reflecting ongoing cellular processes and immune reactions. Infections with the blood-dwelling cardiopulmonary nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum in dogs manifest with a broad spectrum of clinical signs including respiratory distress, bleeding diathesis and neurological signs, and are associated with a perturbed blood protein profile in dogs. However, current knowledge does not completely explain the observed pathologies induced by A. vasorum infections, including bleeding disorders. Using sera from experimentally infected dogs, dog serum proteome was analysed by quantitative mass spectrometry methods over several time points before and after inoculation. Following computational analysis, we identified 139 up- and downregulated proteins after infection (log2 ratio cut-off ≥ 1.0; q-value ≤ 0.05). Among upregulated proteins were chitinase 3-like 1 and pulmonary surfactant-associated protein B (log2 fold-changes ≥ 5). Pathway enrichment revealed the complement (especially the lectin pathway) and coagulation cascades as significantly affected upon analysis of downregulated proteins. Among them were mannan-binding lectin serine peptidases, ficolin, and coagulation factor XIII-B. These results bring new elements towards understanding the underlying pathomechanisms of bleeding diatheses observed in some A. vasorum-infected dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33431914/