Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Using joint fluid to help diagnose canine visceral leishmaniasis
By Mário César Rennó et al.·Published in Ciência Rural·2019·View original on DOAJ →
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 We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above.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: Synovial fluid as an auxiliary diagnostic tool for different stages of canine visceral leishmaniasis
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with leishmaniasis, a serious disease caused by parasites, were tested to see if checking their joint fluid could help diagnose the condition. The study found that in dogs with moderate disease, about one-third had detectable parasites in their joint fluid, while nearly 90% of those with severe disease showed the same result. This suggests that testing joint fluid can be a useful tool for diagnosing leishmaniasis, especially in dogs with more severe symptoms.
People also search for: dog leishmaniasis symptoms · diagnosing leishmaniasis in dogs · joint fluid test for dog diseases
Abstract
ABSTRACT: Leishmaniasis represents a complex of chronic diseases with a broad geographic distribution and a high significance in public health worldwide. The varied clinical signs in conjunction with the low sensitivity and specificity of canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) detection methods make diagnosis of the disease complex. Among the several available laboratory tests, studies have suggested that the detection of parasites in synovial fluid (SF) is a good auxiliary tool in the diagnosis of CVL. However, no study has evaluated the influence of the clinical stage of CVL in the detection of Leishmania sp. in SF. This study aimed to evaluate the detection of Leishmania sp. amastigotes in the SF of dogs at different stages of the disease. The negative control group (G1) comprised 12 dogs that tested negative for CVL. Thirty-six other dogs, tested serologically positive for CVL, were divided into two groups: Group 2 (G2), which included animals at stage II of the disease (moderate; n=18), and Group 3 (G3) included animals at stage III of the disease (severe; n=18). The analysis of SF revealed the presence of parasites in six (33.3%) dogs from G2 and in 16 (88.9%) dogs from G3 (p=0.0437). The present research suggested that SF analysis is of high value as a supplementary tool in the diagnosis of CVL. As a new finding, the present study also indicated that this test has a higher sensitivity in animals presenting with more severe stage of the disease.
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 DOAJ: https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20190023