The hearts of 30 dogs naturally infected with Leishmania infantum chagasi were evaluated histologically and immunohistochemically. Myocardial lesions were detected in all dogs, including lymphoplasmacytic myocarditis (27/30), myonecrosis (24/30), increased interstitial collagen (22/30), lepromatous-type granulomatous myocarditis (7/30), fibrinoid vascular change (3/30), and vasculitis (1/30). The parasite was detected in the hearts of 20 of 30 dogs. The number of parasitized cells correlated with the intensity of the inflammation and with the number of granulomas. The results indicate that cardiac lesions are prevalent in dogs with naturally occurring leishmaniasis even in the absence of clinical signs of cardiac disease.

This paper presents electrocardiographic values in 25 Holstein calves using the standard bipolar limbs leads (I, II and III), augmented unipolar limb leads (avL, avR and avF) and a bipolar chest lead (V10). Two groups with different ages were compared (newborn - 18 to 72 hours and calves - 27 to 33 days old). It was concluded that no differences between age groups in P, Q, R, S and T waves, in the PR, QRS, QT and ST intervals and in axis orientation were observed.

To achieve a clearer understanding of the mechanisms responsible for neutrophil dysfunction recently described in dogs with chronic renal failure (CRF), the plasma concentrations of free p-cresol in healthy dogs (n = 20) and those with CRF (n = 20) were compared. The degree of correlation was determined between plasma levels of p-cresol and markers of oxidative stress and function of neutrophils in these dogs. The effect of this compound on oxidative metabolism and apoptosis was assessed in neutrophils isolated from 16 healthy dogs incubated in RPMI 1640 supplemented with p-cresol (0.405 mg/L) and compared with medium supplemented with uremic plasma (50%). To achieve this, the plasma concentration of p-cresol was quantified by liquid phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The neutrophil oxidative metabolism was determined using the probes hydroethidine and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate and apoptosis was measured using Annexin V-PE by capillary flow cytometry. Compared with the healthy dogs, uremic dogs presented higher concentrations of free p-cresol, greater oxidative stress, and neutrophils primed for accelerated apoptosis. The free p-cresol induced in neutrophils from healthy dogs increased apoptosis and decreased reactive oxygen species production. We conclude that the health status presented during uremia concomitant with the increase in plasma free p-cresol can contribute to the presence of immunosuppression in dogs with CRF.

We investigated the hypothesis that the increased concentration of plasma methylguanidine (MG) increases oxidative metabolism and accelerates apoptosis of neutrophils from dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD). To achieve this, the levels of MG were quantified in healthy (n=16) and uremic dogs with CKD stage 4 of according to the guidelines of the International Renal Interest Society (IRIS, 2015) (n=16) using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). To evaluate the isolated effect of MG on neutrophil oxidative metabolism and apoptosis, neutrophils isolated from 12 healthy dogs were incubated with the highest concentration of plasma MG (0.005g/L) observed in dogs with CKD. Neutrophil oxidative metabolism was assessed by flow cytometry, using the probes hydroethidine for superoxide production and 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate for hydrogen peroxide production, with or without phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) stimulus. Neutrophil apoptosis and viability were also evaluated in flow cytometer using the Annexin V-PE system, with or without the apoptosis-inducing effect of camptothecin. Uremic dogs presented higher concentrations of MG (p<0.0001), increased oxidative stress and primed neutrophils with higher apoptosis rate. The neutrophil abnormalities observed in vivo were also reproduced in vitro, using cells isolated from healthy dogs and incubated with MG. We obtained strong evidence that in dogs with CKD, increased MG levels contributed to oxidative stress and potentially compromised the non-specific immune response by altering the oxidative metabolism and viability of canine neutrophils.

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