Pathology of dogs in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil naturally co-infected with Leishmania infantum and Ehrlichia canis

Andrade, Gisele Braziliano de; Barreto, Wanessa Teixeira Gomes; Santos, Luciana Ladislau dos; Ribeiro, Lúcia Regina; Macedo, Gabriel Carvalho de; Sousa, Keyla Carstens Marques de; André, Marcos Rogério; Machado, Rosangela Zacarias; Herrera, Heitor Miraglia

doi:10.1590/s1984-29612014081

Cited by 19 publications

(11 citation statements)

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“…The pathogenic role of coinfections remains unclear and is scarcely investigated [ 55 , 56 ]. However, the findings of this study suggest that coinfections diagnosed by PCR demonstrating active infection might aggravate clinical manifestations as previously reported [ 55 , 57 ].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Acute febrile illness is associated with Rickettsia spp infection in dogs

et al. 2015

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BackgroundRickettsia conorii is transmitted by Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks and causes Mediterranean Spotted Fever (MSF) in humans. Although dogs are considered the natural host of the vector, the clinical and epidemiological significance of R. conorii infection in dogs remains unclear. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether Rickettsia infection causes febrile illness in dogs living in areas endemic for human MSF.MethodsDogs from southern Italy with acute fever (n = 99) were compared with case–control dogs with normal body temperatures (n = 72). Serology and real-time PCR were performed for Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia canis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum/A. platys and Leishmania infantum. Conventional PCR was performed for Babesia spp. and Hepatozoon spp. Acute and convalescent antibodies to R. conorii, E. canis and A. phagocytophilum were determined.ResultsThe seroprevalence rates at first visit for R. conorii, E. canis, A. phagocytophilum and L. infantum were 44.8%, 48.5%, 37.8% and 17.6%, respectively. The seroconversion rates for R. conorii, E. canis and A. phagocytophilum were 20.7%, 14.3% and 8.8%, respectively. The molecular positive rates at first visit for Rickettsia spp., E. canis, A. phagocytophilum, A. platys, L. infantum, Babesia spp. and Hepatozoon spp. were 1.8%, 4.1%, 0%, 2.3%, 11.1%, 2.3% and 0.6%, respectively. Positive PCR for E. canis (7%), Rickettsia spp. (3%), Babesia spp. (4.0%) and Hepatozoon spp. (1.0%) were found only in febrile dogs. The DNA sequences obtained from Rickettsia and Babesia PCRs positive samples were 100% identical to the R. conorii and Babesia vogeli sequences in GenBank®, respectively. Febrile illness was statistically associated with acute and convalescent positive R. conorii antibodies, seroconversion to R. conorii, E. canis positive PCR, and positivity to any tick pathogen PCRs. Fourteen febrile dogs (31.8%) were diagnosed with Rickettsia spp. infection based on seroconversion and/or PCR while only six afebrile dogs (12.5%) seroconverted (P = 0.0248). The most common clinical findings of dogs with Rickettsia infection diagnosed by seroconversion and/or PCR were fever, myalgia, lameness, elevation of C-reactive protein, thrombocytopenia and hypoalbuminemia.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates acute febrile illness associated with Rickettsia infection in dogs living in endemic areas of human MSF based on seroconversion alone or in combination with PCR.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Acute febrile illness is associated with Rickettsia spp infection in dogs

et al. 2015

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“…phagocytophilum antibodies was significantly higher in dogs with CanL than in healthy dogs; in addition, these antibodies were more frequent in dogs with more severe clinicopathological changes and with more severe CanL. A study using histopathology found that the percentage of dogs with L. infantum amastigote forms on the skin was almost double (36%) in the group of dogs coinfected with L. infantum and E. canis when compared to the group of L. infantum-monoinfected dogs (19%) [55]. The authors attributed this result to the fact that E. canis caused a reduction in the class II histocompatibility complex, leading to depression of the immune system and favoring the multiplication of L. infantum.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 98%

Frequency of co-seropositivities for certain pathogens and their relationship with clinical and histopathological changes and parasite load in dogs infected with Leishmania infantum

et al. 2021

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In canine leishmaniosis caused by the protozoan Leishmania infantum, little is known about how co-infections with or co-seropositivities for other pathogens can influence aggravation of this disease. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the frequency of co-infections with or co-seropositivities for certain pathogens in dogs seropositive for L. infantum and their relationship with clinical signs, histological changes and L. infantum load. Sixty-six L. infantum-seropositive dogs were submitted to clinical examination, collection of blood and bone marrow, culling, and necropsy. Antibodies against Anaplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Ehrlichia spp. and Toxoplasma gondii and Dirofilaria immitis antigens were investigated in serum. Samples from different tissues were submitted to histopathology and immunohistochemistry for the detection of Leishmania spp. and T. gondii. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to assess the L. infantum load in spleen samples. For detection of Coxiella burnetii, conventional PCR and nested PCR were performed using bone marrow samples. All 66 dogs tested positive for L. infantum by qPCR and/or culture. Fifty dogs (76%) were co-seropositive for at least one pathogen: T. gondii (59%), Ehrlichia spp., (41%), and Anaplasma spp. (18%). Clinical signs were observed in 15 (94%) dogs monoinfected with L. infantum and in 45 (90%) dogs co-seropositive for certain pathogens. The L. infantum load in spleen and skin did not differ significantly between monoinfected and co-seropositive dogs. The number of inflammatory cells was higher in the spleen, lung and mammary gland of co-seropositive dogs and in the mitral valve of monoinfected dogs. These results suggest that dogs infected with L. infantum and co-seropositive for certain pathogens are common in the region studied. However, co-seropositivities for certain pathogens did not aggravate clinical signs or L. infantum load, although they were associated with a more intense inflammatory reaction in some organs.

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“…Some studies have demonstrated that dogs with co-infection presented more severe clinico-pathological abnormalities and were frequently misdiagnosed in routine veterinary practices (Andrade et al 2014). Thus, we have applied our clinical model only in dogs with CVL and ehrlichiosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scoring clinical signs can help diagnose canine visceral leishmaniasis in a highly endemic area in Brazil

Silva

Mendonça

Silva

et al. 2017

Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz

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Canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) diagnosis is still a challenge in endemic areas with limited diagnostic resources. This study proposes a score with the potential to distinguish positive CVL cases from negative ones. We studied 265 dogs that tested positive for CVL on ELISA and parasitological tests. A score ranging between 0 and 19 was recorded on the basis of clinical signs. Dogs with CVL had an overall higher positivity of the majority of clinical signs than did dogs without CVL or with ehrlichiosis. Clinical signs such as enlarged lymph nodes (83.93%), muzzle/ear lesions (55.36%), nutritional status (51.79%), bristle condition (57.14%), pale mucosal colour (48.21%), onychogryphosis (58.93%), skin lesion (39.28%), bleeding (12.50%), muzzle depigmentation (41.07%), alopecia (39.29%), blepharitis (21.43%), and keratoconjunctivitis (42.86%) were more frequent in dogs with CVL than in dogs with ehrlichiosis or without CVL. Moreover, the clinical score increased according to the positivity of all diagnostic tests (ELISA, p < 0.001; parasite culture, p = 0.0021; and smear, p = 0.0003). Onychogryphosis (long nails) [odds ratio (OR): 3.529; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.832-6.796; p < 0.001], muzzle depigmentation (OR: 4.651; 95% CI: 2.218-9.750; p < 0.001), and keratoconjunctivitis (OR: 5.400; 95% CI: 2.549-11.441; p < 0.001) were highly associated with CVL. Interestingly, a score cut-off value ≥ 6 had an area under the curve of 0.717 (p < 0.0001), sensitivity of 60.71%, and specificity of 73.64% for CVL diagnosis. The clinical sign-based score for CVL diagnosis suggested herein can help veterinarians reliably identify dogs with CVL in endemic areas with limited diagnostic resources.

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Pathology of dogs in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil naturally co-infected with Leishmania infantum and Ehrlichia canis

Cited by 19 publications

References 40 publications

Acute febrile illness is associated with Rickettsia spp infection in dogs

Acute febrile illness is associated with Rickettsia spp infection in dogs

Frequency of co-seropositivities for certain pathogens and their relationship with clinical and histopathological changes and parasite load in dogs infected with Leishmania infantum

Scoring clinical signs can help diagnose canine visceral leishmaniasis in a highly endemic area in Brazil

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