Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pancreatic enzyme levels in dogs with Babesia rossi infection
By Köster, Liza S et al.·Published in Journal of the South African Veterinary Association·2015·Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum canine pancreatic-specific lipase concentrations in dogs with naturally occurring Babesia rossi infection.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with Babesia rossi infection, a serious disease caused by a parasite, were tested for pancreatic-specific lipase (cPL), which can indicate pancreatitis. Out of 87 dogs, 24 had cPL levels suggesting pancreatitis when they were first admitted, and this number increased to 13 on the second day of hospitalization. Dogs with a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) had even higher cPL levels compared to those without SIRS. This suggests that many dogs with this infection may also be suffering from pancreatitis, highlighting the need for careful monitoring and treatment.
People also search for: dog Babesia rossi infection symptoms · pancreatitis in dogs treatment · high cPL levels in dogs
Abstract
Babesia rossi is the cause of a highly virulent multisystemic disease with a variable outcome, which is a reliable model of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). The objective of this study was to determine the concentration of canine pancreatic-specific lipase (cPL) in a population of dogs with naturally acquired B. rossi infection. In addition, the associations between serum cPL and death and SIRS status were examined. An observational study recruited 87 dogs diagnosed with B. rossi infection and serum cPL concentrations were measured daily until discharge or death. The median concentration of serum cPL was 124.0 µg/L (interquartile range: 51.0 µg/L - 475.5 µg/L) on admission (n = 87) and 145.5 µg/L (62.3 µg/L - 434.0 µg/L) on day two of hospitalisation (n = 40). Twenty-four dogs (28%) had a serum cPL concentration within the diagnostic range for pancreatitis (> 400 µg/L) at admission with 13 dogs (32.5%) presenting as such on the second day of hospitalisation. The median concentration of serum cPL in dogs with SIRS was 158 µg/L (interquartile range: 52.5 µg/L - 571.5 µg/L; n = 53), which was significantly higher than in those without SIRS (75 µg/L; 50.3 µg/L - 131.8 µg/L; n = 32) (P = 0.018). This study demonstrated that an unexpectedly high number of dogs diagnosed with naturally acquired canine babesiosis had a serum cPL concentration within the diagnostic range for acute pancreatitis and a significantly higher serum cPL concentration was found in dogs that were classified as having SIRS.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26304138/