Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Serum D-lactate levels in cats with gut disease compared to healthy
By Packer, R A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2012·Department of Basic Medical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Serum D-lactate concentrations in cats with gastrointestinal disease.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 100 cats with gastrointestinal disease showed higher levels of D-lactate in their blood compared to 30 healthy cats. D-lactate is a substance that can cause neurological signs in humans, and while some of the sick cats also had neurological issues, the study found no direct link between D-lactate levels and specific neurological or gastrointestinal problems. The results suggest that D-lactate levels can be elevated in cats with gut issues, but more research is needed to understand the connection between gut health and neurological symptoms.
People also search for: cat gastrointestinal disease symptoms · cat neurological signs · elevated D-lactate in cats · cat gut health issues · cat blood test results explained
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Increased D-lactate concentrations cause neurological signs in humans with gastrointestinal disease. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To determine if serum D-lactate concentrations are increased in cats with gastrointestinal disease compared to healthy controls, and if concentrations correlate with specific neurological or gastrointestinal abnormalities. ANIMALS: Systematically selected serum samples submitted to the Gastrointestinal Laboratory at Texas A&M University from 100 cats with clinical signs of gastrointestinal disease and abnormal gastrointestinal function tests, and 30 healthy cats. METHODS: Case-control study in which serum D- and L-lactate concentrations and retrospective data on clinical signs were compared between 30 healthy cats and 100 cats with gastrointestinal disease. Association of D-lactate concentration with tests of GI dysfunction and neurological signs was evaluated by multivariate linear and logistic regression analyses, respectively. RESULTS: All 100 cats had a history of abnormal gastrointestinal signs and abnormal gastrointestinal function test results. Thirty-one cats had definitive or subjective neurological abnormalities. D-lactate concentrations of cats with gastrointestinal disease (median 0.36, range 0.04-8.33 mmol/L) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls (median 0.22, range 0.04-0.87 mmol/L; P = .022). L-lactate concentrations were not significantly different between the 2 groups of cats with gastrointestinal disease and healthy controls. D-lactate concentrations were not significantly associated with fPLI, fTLI, cobalamin, folate, or neurological abnormalities (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: D-lactate concentrations can be increased in cats with gastrointestinal disease. These findings warrant additional investigations into the role of intestinal microbiota derangements in cats with gastrointestinal disease, and the association of D-lactate and neurological abnormalities.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22519737/