Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Antioxidant levels linked to severity and outcome in dogs
By Crnogaj, Martina et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2017·Clinic for Internal Diseases·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Relation of antioxidant status at admission and disease severity and outcome in dogs naturally infected with Babesia canis canis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with babesiosis, a serious infection caused by the Babesia parasite, were studied to see how their antioxidant levels related to the severity of their illness and their chances of recovery. The researchers found that dogs with more severe cases had lower levels of certain antioxidants in their blood, which could indicate a worse outcome. Specifically, dogs that developed multiple organ dysfunction syndrome had the lowest antioxidant levels and the highest levels of a harmful substance called malondialdehyde. This suggests that monitoring antioxidant levels could help veterinarians assess how sick a dog is and predict their recovery chances.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine babesiosis is caused by species of the Babesia genus and has become an emerging disease worldwide. To the authors' knowledge there are no reports in which antioxidants have been analyzed in different presentations of canine babesiosis or in which the prognostic value of antioxidants has been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether oxidative stress could be related to the severity and outcome of canine babesiosis. For this purpose a profile consisting of four antioxidant biomarkers (superoxide dismutase - SOD, glutathione peroxidase - GPx, catalase, total antioxidant status - TAS) and malondialdehyde - MDA as an oxidant biomarker (previously evaluated, here studied for comparative purposes) were evaluated in dogs with canine babesiosis of different clinical severity and outcomes. RESULTS: The study was conducted with a sample of 40 dogs suffering from babesiosis (further divided into uncomplicated, one complication and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome - MODS group) and 30 healthy dogs (control group). Additionally, the babesiosis group was divided according to the anaemia into non-anaemic, mildly anaemic, moderately anaemic and severely anaemic dogs. The results of our study showed significantly decreased SOD, catalase and TAS values in diseased dogs compared to controls, while there were no significant differences in GPx between these groups. Dogs that developed MODS showed lower activities of SOD and GPx and higher MDA values compared to dogs with uncomplicated babesiosis as well as with dogs that developed one complication. Superoxide dismutase, catalase and GPx were negatively correlated whereas MDA was positively correlated with the lethal outcome of the disease. Furthermore, this study detected more pronounced decrease in antioxidant biomarkers (SOD, GPx and catalase) in dogs with moderate anaemia compared to those with mild anaemia. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed changes in biomarkers related to the antioxidant status of dogs naturally infected with B. canis canis. These biomarkers could be used as indicators of disease severity and outcome in dogs suffering from babesiosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28438201/