Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Autoantibodies linked to muscle inflammation in Boxer
By Hankel, Sabine et al.·Published in Veterinary immunology and immunopathology·2006·The Burnham Institute, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Sarcolemma-specific autoantibodies in canine inflammatory myopathy.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Boxers and Newfoundlands were found to have a condition called inflammatory myopathy, which affects their muscles and can cause weakness. Tests showed that many of these dogs had specific autoantibodies in their blood, which are proteins that mistakenly attack their own muscle cells. This suggests that these breeds may be genetically predisposed to this muscle condition. A simple blood test could help diagnose and monitor this issue in affected dogs, making it easier for veterinarians to manage their care.
People also search for: Boxer muscle weakness · Newfoundland inflammatory myopathy · dog muscle disease blood test
Abstract
Inflammatory myopathies (IM) are relatively common in dogs with an increased incidence in the Boxer and Newfoundland breeds. Here, we show that a high proportion of affected Boxers and Newfoundlands have circulating autoantibodies against unknown sarcolemma antigens, that are muscle-specific but not species specific. We further show that the autoantigen can be extracted from muscle membranes with non-ionic detergent, and that such detergent extracts can be used in a sensitive ELISA for detection and quantitation of antibodies. The relatively high incidence of IM with autoantibodies in selected breeds of dogs indicates a genetic predisposition for a particular form of IM. In these breeds, this form of IM could be diagnosed and monitored with a simple serum assay.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16824619/