Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Why molecular tests matter for diagnosing deadly dog anemia
By Beck, Ana et al.·Published in Comparative immunology, microbiology and infectious diseases·2019·Department of Veterinary Pathology·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Retrospective study of canine infectious haemolytic anaemia cases reveals the importance of molecular investigation in accurate postmortal diagnostic protocols.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs suffering from infectious hemolytic anemia (IHA) showed symptoms like fever, lethargy, and jaundice before they sadly passed away. Researchers examined tissue samples from these dogs to find out what caused their illness. They discovered that traditional tests only identified the expected pathogens in about half of the cases, while advanced molecular testing revealed new pathogens that had not been diagnosed before. This study emphasizes the importance of using modern diagnostic methods to accurately identify the causes of IHA in dogs, which can help in understanding and treating this serious condition in the future.
People also search for: dog jaundice causes · infectious hemolytic anemia in dogs · dog fever lethargy treatment
Abstract
Infectious haemolytic anaemia (IHA) in dogs share similar clinical signs including fever, lethargy, icterus, paleness of mucous membranes and splenomegaly. Postmortal findings are similar and, without additional diagnostic methods, an accurate aetiological diagnosis is difficult to achieve. In order to investigate causes of lethal IHA in Croatian dogs, we performed a retrospective study on archived formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks (FFPEB) from dogs that died due to haemolytic crisis, using microscopic and molecular diagnostic tools to determine the aetiological cause of disease. Molecular analysis was performed on kidney, lung, myocardium and spleen on FFPEB from all dogs. The originally stated aetiological diagnosis of B. canis or leptospirosis was confirmed in only 53% of the dogs. PCR and sequencing revealed that, in addition to the expected pathogens, B. canis and Leptospira interrogans, the presence of previously undiagnosed "new" pathogens causing anaemia including Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Furthermore, Theileria capreoli was detected for the first time in a dog with postmortal descriptions of lesions. Intensive extravascular hemolysis was noticeable as jaundice of the mucosa, subcutis and fat tissue, green or yellow discoloration of renal parenchyma caused by bilirubin excretion in the renal tubules and bile accumulation within the liver in 90% of the dogs. This work highlights the value of molecular diagnostics to complement traditional ante-mortem and post-mortem diagnostic protocols for the aetiological diagnosis of pathogens associated with IHA.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31300132/