Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Early urine test for kidney disease in dogs with leishmaniosis
By Ruiz, Patricia et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2024·MINVET Research Group. Departamento de Medicina Animal, Spain·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as early biomarker for renal disease in dogs with leishmaniosis.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs with leishmaniosis, a disease caused by a parasite, were tested for early signs of kidney problems using a new urine test that measures neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL). Traditional tests often only show kidney damage when it's severe, but this new test can detect issues earlier, even in dogs that don’t show other symptoms. The study found that the NGAL levels in urine were a reliable indicator of kidney disease, especially in dogs that didn't have high protein levels in their urine. This could help vets identify and treat kidney problems sooner in dogs with leishmaniosis.
People also search for: dog leishmaniosis kidney disease · early signs of kidney problems in dogs · NGAL test for dogs
Abstract
Canine leishmaniosis (CanL), caused by Leishmania sp., presents a wide array of symptoms; renal dysfunction is frequently observed in these dogs and is associated with a poor prognosis and increased mortality. The traditional biomarkers namely urea and creatinine can detect renal damage but only in advanced stages of the disease. However, it has been shown that the symmetric dimethylarginine assay (SDMA) or the protein/creatinine ratio (UPC) and are early biomarkers of renal dysfunction. Their elevation occurs earlier than that of creatinine, but other novel biomarkers such as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) are currently under investigation. Our objective was to determine whether the urine NGAL-creatinine ratio (uNGAL/c) can provide very early diagnosis of kidney disease in CanL. In total, 68 dogs were included in the study: 15 healthy dogs and 53 dogs with CanL who were classified according to International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) classification: IRIS 1 (N= 34), IRIS 2 (N= 9) and IRIS 3/4 (N= 10). IRIS 1 was subdivided according to proteinuria in IRIS 1(13 dogs with UPC < 0.2), IRIS 1(8 dogs with UPC = 0.2-0.5) and IRIS 1(13 dogs with UPC > 0.5). Blood samples were collected for complete hematological and biochemistry analysis including plasma NGAL. Urinalysis included specific gravity, UPC, CysC and NGAL expressed as a ratio with creatinine. The mean concentrations of pCysC and SDMA in CanL, show a statistically significant increase from IRIS 1, not being statistically significant for pCysC in the IRIS 1group. The UPC show a statistically significant increase from IRIS 1In all groups with CanL for uCysC/c and uNGAL/c was observed a statistically significant increase. The uNGAL/c in the group proteinuric animals, presents a positive correlation with all renal biomarkers studied. In the group of non-proteinuric animals, the uNGAL/c presents a positive correlation with SDMA and UPC. The uNGAL/c can be considered a reliable indicator of renal disease in dogs diagnosed with CanL who are non-azotemic and non-proteinuric.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39002284/