Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Joint inflammation in 14 dogs caused by Leishmania infection
By Sbrana, S et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2014·Department of Veterinary Clinics, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Retrospective study of 14 cases of canine arthritis secondary to Leishmania infection.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with arthritis caused by Leishmania infection were treated to see how well they responded to medication. The dogs showed symptoms like swollen joints, with some having inflammation in one joint, a few in two or three joints, and others in multiple joints. They were given a combination of medications, including N-methylglucamine antimoniate and allopurinol, along with prednisolone for some. After six months, more than half of the dogs showed improvement in their symptoms, while a few remained stable.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical appearance, laboratory findings and response to treatment of dogs with inflammatory joint disease associated with Leishmania infection. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of case records of dogs with serologically confirmed leishmaniasis and concurrent inflammatory joint disease presented between 2005 and 2011. RESULTS: In total, 14 cases met the inclusion criteria. Of these, five (36%) dogs were presented with monoarthritis, five (36%) with oligoarthritis and four (28%) with polyarthritis. The most frequently affected joint was the carpus. Both erosive and non-erosive disease was identified on radiographic examination. All dogs had an inflammatory synovial fluid with a high white cell count and a preponderance of neutrophils, and in eight (57%) cases Leishmania amastigotes were found in the synovial fluid smears. Dogs were treated with 50 mg/kg N-methylglucamine antimoniate twice a day for 1 month and 10 mg/kg allopurinol twice a day for 6 to 9 months combined with prednisolone in five cases. At the 6-month follow-up, eight (57%) dogs showed improvement in general and orthopaedic signs and four (28%) dogs were stable. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Leishmaniasis should be considered a differential diagnosis in dogs with inflammatory arthritis in endemic areas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24697517/