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PubMedDate not supplied

Late complications of pelvic irradiation in 16 dogs.

When external beam radiation therapy is administered to the pelvis, normal tissues irradiated may include the colon, small intestine, urethra, bladder, bone, and spinal cord. The objectives of this retrospective study were to determine the incidence and severity of late radiation effects following pelvic irradiation in dogs and to identify factors that increase the risk of these effects. Medical records of all dogs treated with curative intent external beam radiation therapy to the pelvic region between 1993 and 1999 were reviewed. Patients with follow-up longer than 9 months or any patient that developed late complications earlier than 9 months were evaluated. Sixteen dogs met criteria for inclusion in this study. All dogs were treated with a 6-MV linear accelerator with bilaterally opposed beams. Diseases treated included transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, transitional cell carcinoma of the prostate, and anal sac apocrine gland adenocarcinoma. Four dose/fractionation schemes were used: 49.5 Gy in 3.3 Gy fractions, 54 Gy in 3.0 Gy fractions, 54 Gy in 2.7 Gy fractions, and 18 Gy intraoperative radiation therapy followed by 43 Gy external beam radiation therapy in 2.9 Gy fractions. Implantable chemotherapy in the form of an OPLA-Pt sponge was used in six dogs as a radiation potentiator. Colitis was the major late effect following pelvic irradiation, occurring in nine dogs (56%). Colitis was characterized as mild in three dogs, moderate in one dog, and severe in five dogs. Three of the dogs with severe effects suffered gastrointestinal perforation. All dogs with severe late effects received 3 or 3.3 Gy per fraction, and 80% received radiation potentiators. In the seven dogs that received 2.7 Gy or 2.9 Gy per fraction, late effects were classified as none (n = 5), mild colitis (n = 1), and moderate colitis (n = 1). Radiation therapy can be administered to the pelvic region with a minimal risk of late effects to the colon by giving smaller doses per fraction and avoiding systemic radiation potentiators.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Diagnostic value of ultrasonography in differentiating enteritis from intestinal neoplasia in dogs.

One hundred and fifty dogs with histopathologically confirmed intestinal disease were evaluated retrospectively. Sixty-one dogs had enteritis and 89 dogs had intestinal neoplasia. Ultrasonographic findings including the thickness and distribution of the intestinal lesion, the integrity of intestinal wall layering, regional lymph node thickness, the location of the intestinal segment involved, and regional motility were evaluated. Dogs with intestinal tumor had wall thickness (1.5 cm) significantly greater than dogs with NSE lesions (0.6 cm; p < 0.001). Ninety-nine percent of dogs with intestinal tumor had loss of wall layering while 88% of dogs with NSE had normal or altered wall layering (p < 0.001). Dogs with NSE were significantly more likely to have diffuse lesion (72%) than dogs with intestinal tumor (2%; p < 0.001). Lymph node median thickness in 24/61 dogs with NSE was 1.00 cm. The median thickness of the lymph nodes in 56/89 dogs with intestinal tumors was 1.9 cm. A multivariate analysis showed that loss of wall layering alone was an excellent predictive factor in differentiating intestinal tumor from NSE. In our population, dogs with loss of intestinal wall layering were 50.9 times more likely to have a tumor than enteritis.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relationship among basilar artery resistance index, degree of ventriculomegaly, and clinical signs in hydrocephalic dogs.

Forty-four transcranial Doppler ultrasound studies were performed in 36 dogs. The ratio of the height of the ventricle to the height of the brain (VB ratio) was calculated to determine the severity of ventriculomegaly. Resistance index (RI) was calculated from Doppler measurements of the blood flow velocity in the basilar artery and neurologic signs were scored on a scale of 0 to 3. Based on clinical and ultrasonographic findings, dogs were divided into four groups (normal controls, asymptomatic hydrocephalus, symptomatic hydrocephalus, and other intracranial disease). RI and VB ratio were compared between the groups of dogs and compared with neurologic signs in hydrocephalic dogs. RI ranged from 0.50 to 0.81 (mean, 0.68). Resistance index was significantly higher in dogs with symptomatic hydrocephalus and other intracranial disease when compared with the other two groups. The degree of ventriculomegaly was significantly higher in dogs with symptomatic hydrocephalus than the other groups, but there was substantial overlap between asymptomatic and symptomatic hydrocephalus groups. Combining measurements of VB ratio and RI allowed detection of symptomatic hydrocephalus with a sensitivity of 77% and a specificity of 94%. The severity of neurological signs was significantly correlated with RI and with VB ratio in hydrocephalic dogs, and in dogs evaluated on more than one occasion, changes in neurologic status were accompanied by changes in RI but not in VB ratio. All asymptomatic hydrocephalic dogs with a VB ratio of greater than 60% eventually developed neurologic signs. Our results suggest that ultrasonographic measurement of VB ratio and basilar artery RI may allow identification of dogs with symptomatic hydrocephalus or dogs that are at risk of developing symptomatic hydrocephalus. Repeated RI measurements are a useful means of monitoring dogs with a variety of intracranial diseases.

Animals↗

PubMed2007

Results of pacemaker implantation in 104 dogs.

OBJECTIVES: To document the outcome, survival and complications involved in pacemaker implantation in dogs in a retrospective study. METHODS: Case records for all dogs in which pacemaker implantation was performed were reviewed. RESULTS: A total of 104 dogs underwent pacemaker implantation. Dogs were presented with atrioventricular (AV) block (71), sick sinus syndrome (25) or vasovagal syncope (eight). Age at presentation varied from six months to 13 years with a median age of seven years and two months. The Labrador was the most commonly represented breed (17 cases). All but one dog survived pacemaker implantation, with 93 showing resolution of their clinical signs while 10 dogs showed intermittent residual signs. One-, three- and five-year survival estimates were 86, 65 and 39 per cent, respectively. Major complications after implantation were documented in 15 dogs and three of these led to fatalities. Minor complications were noted in 23 dogs. Sudden death occurred in six dogs three to 55 months following successful pacemaker implantation. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Transvenous pacemaker implantation was successful in reducing or eliminating clinical signs in over 90 per cent of dogs with third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block or sick sinus syndrome. In dogs with vasovagal syncope, six of eight dogs had greatly reduced frequency of collapse and two became asymptomatic. Although the procedure was associated with complications, these were rarely life threatening and good survival was documented in the majority of cases.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Anal sac tumours of the dog and their response to cytoreductive surgery and chemotherapy.

A retrospective study of anal sac tumours without pulmonary metastases, from the author's clinical records for the period July 1989 to July 2002, was conducted to establish the response to treatment with surgery and melphalan chemotherapy. Of 21 dogs with tumours of the anal sacs 19 had apocrine gland adenocarcinomas of anal sac origin, one had a benign papillary cystadenoma and another had a malignant melanoma. Two of the 19 dogs had bilateral anal sac adenocarcinomas. Ten of the 19 dogs with apocrine gland adenocarcinomas of anal sac origin had sublumbar lymphadenopathy. Five dogs were excluded by their owners from recommended treatment. Fourteen dogs with apocrine gland adenocarcinomas of anal sac origin were treated by surgical cytoreduction and chemotherapy with melphalan. Seven of the 14 dogs had regional lymph node metastases. Cytoreduction was by local excision of the anal sac in all 14 dogs and concurrent removal of the sublumbar retroperitoneal lymph nodes in the seven dogs with regional lymph node metastases. The median survival time of dogs with sublumbar nodal metastasis was 20 months and for dogs with tumour localised to the anal sac the median survival time was 29.3 months. There was no difference in median survival of those dogs with sublumbar metastases compared to those without. This study suggests there is a role for melphalan in the treatment of dogs with anal sac adenocarcinoma when combined with cytoreductive surgery, with treatment survival times and the local recurrence rate of the primary tumour comparing favourably with previously published treatment regimes.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A retrospective study of aldosterone secretion in normal and adrenopathic dogs.

A retrospective study on stored plasma from normal dogs and dogs with pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH), pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism controlled by mitotane (o,p'-DDD),* iatrogenic hyperadrenocorticism, and hypoadrenocorticism was conducted to determine if alterations in aldosterone production exist in these disorders. The plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) was measured by radioimmunoassay immediately before and 1 hour after adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) administration (0.5 IU/kg, intravenously [IV]). PACs increased significantly when ACTH was administered to normal dogs. Dogs with PDH had a lower baseline PAC, but their PAC increased to levels similar to that of normal dogs after ACTH administration. In dogs with PDH controlled by o,p'-DDD therapy, the response to ACTH was significantly less than that of normal dogs or dogs with untreated PDH. Dogs with iatrogenic hyperadrenocorticism had a lower baseline and post-ACTH PAC than normal dogs. Dogs with hypoadrenocorticism had a normal basal PAC, but showed no significant increase in PAC following ACTH administration. These findings suggest that PACs are significantly altered in a variety of adrenal diseases, and that the ACTH stimulation test may be useful when evaluating aldosterone secretion in adrenopathic disorders. In addition, at therapeutic dosages, o,p'-DDD treatment was associated with a decrease in basal and post-ACTH PACs in dogs with PDH.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intracranial lesions in dogs with hemangiosarcoma.

A retrospective analysis of 85 dogs with hemangiosarcoma (HSA) that underwent complete necropsy, including gross examination of the brain, was conducted. Grossly identifiable intracranial lesions were present in 17 dogs. Twelve of 85 dogs (14.2%) had brain metastases. Four of 85 dogs (4.7%) had hemorrhagic lesions and/or ischemic necrosis without identifiable tumor. One dog had a primary central nervous system tumor. Signs of intracranial disease were present in six of 85 dogs (7.1%) with HSA; four had brain metastases and two had nonneoplastic lesions. Metastases had a propensity for cerebrum and gray matter. Dogs with brain metastases had more widely disseminated disease than dogs without brain metastases (P less than 0.001). Dogs with pulmonary metastases were at greater risk for developing brain metastases than dogs without pulmonary metastases (odds ratio = 8.31). Although thoracic radiography accurately identified ten of 12 dogs (83%) with pulmonary metastases, too few cases were available to assess the applicability/accuracy of thoracic radiography in predicting the presence or absence of brain metastases in dogs with malignancy and signs of intracranial disease.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Permanent transvenous pacemaker implantation in forty dogs.

Permanent transvenous cardiac pacemakers were implanted in 40 dogs. Electrocardiographic diagnoses included persistent atrial standstill (3 dogs), sick sinus syndrome (8 dogs), and high-grade second-degree or third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block (29 dogs). Thirteen dogs were alive and well 4 to 42 months after pacemaker implantation (mean, 16.9 months). The mean and median survival times of the 26 dogs that died or were euthanatized during the study were 17.9 months and 13 months, respectively. Most of these dogs succumbed to problems unrelated to the arrhythmia and pacemaker implant. One dog was lost to follow-up. Complications associated with permanent transvenous pacemaker implantation included lead dislodgement, infection, hematoma formation, skeletal muscle stimulation, ventricular arrhythmia, migration of the pulse generator, and skin erosion. Lead dislodgement was the most common complication, occurring in 7 of 9 dogs paced using untined electrode leads and in 6 of 30 dogs paced using tined leads. Lead dislodgement did not occur in the only dog paced using an actively fixed endocardial lead. It was concluded that permanent transvenous cardiac pacing is a feasible, less traumatic alternative to epimyocardial pacing in dogs, but that successful use of this technique requires careful implantation technique and anticipation of the potential complications.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Controlled clinical evaluation of enalapril in dogs with heart failure: results of the Cooperative Veterinary Enalapril Study Group. The COVE Study Group.

The clinical efficacy and safety of enalapril were evaluated in dogs with moderate or severe heart failure. This study was conducted at 19 centers and included 211 client-owned dogs with heart failure caused by mitral regurgitation (MR) due to acquired valvular disease or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Dogs of various breeds, ages, and weights were included in the study. Replicates of 2 dogs each were formed, using separate allocation schedules for dogs with MR or DCM. One dog within each replicate received placebo tablets (vehicle tablets without enalapril) PO sid or bid, and the other dog received enalapril tablets at approximately 0.5 mg/kg sid or bid, based on individual need. In addition to the experimental drug, all dogs, except 1 in the placebo group, received furosemide; 73.3% of the dogs in the placebo group and 78.3% of those in the enalapril group received digoxin. Doses of enalapril or placebo were administered for approximately 28 days. In the placebo group, 68.6% of the dogs completed the study compared with 84.9% in the enalapril group; the difference between groups was significant (P < .01). Significantly (P < .01) more dogs in the placebo group compared with the enalapril group died or were removed from the study because of progression of heart failure. On day 28, all 14 clinical variables measured improved significantly (P < .01) in the enalapril group compared with the placebo group. Five dogs (3 from the placebo group and 2 from the enalapril group) had to be removed from the study as a result of azotemia.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Intravenous human immunoglobulin for the treatment of immune-mediated hemolytic anemia in 13 dogs.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVGG) was administered to 13 of 37 dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia. All dogs received concurrent prednisone therapy, 14 dogs also received cyclophosphamide; and a single dog each received cyclosporine, azathioprine, and danazol. Dogs that responded to prednisone therapy without IVGG generally did so within 7 days (mean +/- standard deviation = 5.6 +/- 2.9 days). Intravenous immunoglobulin was administered after 10.4 +/- 6.6 days of prednisone therapy as an intravenous infusion of 0.5 g/kg (range 0.25 to 0.73 g/kg). Eleven dogs received a single treatment, 2 dogs each received 2 treatments. No relevant adverse effects were noted. Eleven dogs had an increase in PCV of at least 4% 2.2 +/- 1.5 days after IVGG infusion. In 10 of these dogs, the PCV continued to increase until the time of hospital discharge. One responder died 1 hour after the increase in PCV, 1 dog was euthanized within 24 hours of IVGG administration, and 1 dog had no response over a period of 13 days. Results of this study suggest that IVGG therapy may be of value in dogs with immune-mediated hemolytic anemia that do not respond within 7 days of appropriate corticosteroid therapy.

Anemia, Hemolytic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Association between diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism or hyperadrenocorticism, and atherosclerosis in dogs.

The objective of this study was to determine whether dogs with atherosclerosis are more likely to have concurrent diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, or hyperadrenocorticism than dogs that do not have atherosclerosis. A retrospective mortality prevalence case-control study was performed. The study group included 30 dogs with histopathological evidence of atherosclerosis. The control group included 142 dogs with results of a complete postmortem examination, a final postmortem examination diagnosis of neoplasia, and no histopathological evidence of atherosclerosis. Control dogs were frequency matched for age and year in which the postmortem examination was performed. Proportionate changes in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and hyperadrenocorticism were calculated by exact prevalence odds ratios (POR), 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), and P values. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the combined effects of prevalence determinants while controlling for age and year of postmortem examination. Dogs with atherosclerosis were over 53 times more likely to have concurrent diabetes mellitus than dogs without atherosclerosis (POR = 53.6; 95% CI, 4.6-627.5; P = .002) and over 51 times more likely to have concurrent hypothyroidism than dogs without atherosclerosis (POR = 51.1; 95% CI, 14.5-180.1; P < .001). Dogs with atherosclerosis were not found to be more likely to have concurrent hyperadrenocorticism than dogs that did not have atherosclerosis (POR = 1.8; 95% CI, 0.2-17.6; P = .59). Diabetes mellitus and hypothyroidism, but not hyperadrenocorticism, are more prevalent in dogs with atherosclerosis compared to dogs without atherosclerosis on postmortem examination.

Adrenocortical Hyperfunction↗

PubMed1994

Reisolation of Ehrlichia canis from blood and tissues of dogs after doxycycline treatment.

We present evidence that supports the carrier status of dogs experimentally infected with Ehrlichia canis after treatment with doxycycline. Canine ehrlichiosis was induced in five dogs by intravenous inoculation with E. canis-infected DH82 cells. All animals developed mild clinical signs of transient fever, body weight loss, thrombocytopenia, and increased gamma globulin levels in plasma. An indirect fluorescent-antibody test (IFA) revealed that all dogs had seroconverted (titer, 5,120) by day 10 postinoculation (p.i.). E. canis was reisolated from blood samples collected at intervals throughout the 2-month period p.i. Doxycycline was administered orally once daily at 10 mg/kg of body weight per day for 1 week starting at 2 months p.i. Following treatment, gamma globulin levels in plasma were decreased. At necropsy on days 54 to 59 after the start of treatment, spleen, liver, kidney, and lymph nodes were collected for E. canis culture and histopathologic examination. Although the dogs did not show significant clinical signs during or after treatment with the antibiotic, E. canis was reisolated from the blood and tissue samples of three of five dogs. A 16-fold reduction in IFA titer was noted in two dogs which were negative for E. canis reisolation at day 49 after the start of treatment, whereas a zero- to fourfold reduction in IFA titer was seen in the remaining three dogs. Western immunoblot reactions to higher-molecular-size E. canis antigens in the sera of two dogs which were negative for E. canis on blood culture decreased, whereas they remained continuously high or only transiently decreased for the duration of the study for antigens in the sera of three dogs from which E. canis was reisolated. Histopathologically, prominent plasmacytosis in the kidney cortex was present in three dogs from which E. canis was reisolated, whereas the kidney cortices of two dogs had moderate to minor plasmacytosis. These findings pose questions regarding the efficacy, dosage and duration of doxycycline treatment in dogs with E. canis infection. In addition, it was shown that IFA and Western immunoblotting may aid in assessing the efficacy of antibiotic therapy when definitive reisolation procedures are not readily available.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Geographic, clinical, serologic, and molecular evidence of granulocytic ehrlichiosis, a likely zoonotic disease, in Minnesota and Wisconsin dogs.

Seventeen Minnesota and Wisconsin dogs with granulocytic ehrlichosis were studied. The diagnoses were made by finding ehrlichia morulae in peripheral blood neutrophils. Eight dogs were studied retrospectively, and nine dogs were studied prospectively. The medical records of all dogs were reviewed. Eighty-eight percent of the dogs were purebred and 76% were spayed females. The median age was 8 years. Sixty-five percent of the cases were diagnosed in October and November. Fever and lethargy were the most common clinical signs. The most frequent laboratory findings were lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, elevated activities of serum alkaline phosphatase and amylase, and hypoalbuminemia. No dogs seroreacted to Ehrlichia canis or Ehrlichia chaffeensis antigens, which are cross-reactive. Seventy-five percent of the dogs tested during the acute phase of disease and 100% of the dogs tested during convalescence were seropositive for E. equi antigens. Granulocytic ehrlichial 16S rRNA gene DNAs from six dogs were amplified by PCR. Sequence analysis of a 919-bp sequence of the ehrlichial 16S rRNA gene amplified by PCR from the blood of two dogs revealed the agent to be identical to the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Minnesota and Wisconsin and to be very similar to E. equi and Ehrlichia phagocytophila and less similar to E. canis, Ehrlichia ewingii, and E. chaffeensis. The geographic, clinical, serologic, and molecular evidence indicates that granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Minnesota and Wisconsin dogs is not caused by E. ewingii, but suggests that it is a zoonotic disease caused by an agent closely related to E. equi and that dogs likely contribute to the enzootic cycle and human infection.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Antibodies against specific proteins of and immobilizing activity against three strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato can be found in symptomatic but not in infected asymptomatic dogs.

In an area where Lyme disease is endemic in The Netherlands all dogs had positive titers by whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and appeared to be naturally infected by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. To compare the antibody responses of symptomatic dogs and asymptomatic controls, we performed Western blots and in vitro immobilization assays to study antibody-dependent bactericidal activity. Strains from three different genospecies were employed as the antigen source: B. burgdorferi strain B31, Borrelia garinii strain A87S, and Borrelia afzelii strain pKo. Antibodies against flagellin (p41) and p39 for three strains were found in sera from both symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs and were therefore considered to be markers of exposure. Antibodies against p56 and p30 of strain B31, against p75, p58, p50, OspC, and p<19 of strain A87S, and against p56, p54, p45, OspB, p31, p26, and p<19 of strain pKo were found significantly more frequently in sera from symptomatic dogs younger than 8 years when the first symptoms were observed than in those from age-matched controls (P<0.01). These antibodies were not found in preclinical sera and appeared during development of disease. Antibodies against OspA of strains B31 and A87S were only seen in acute-phase and convalescent sera from three dogs that recovered from disease. Incubation with 25% normal canine serum did not result in the immobilization of strains B31 and pKo, but partial immobilization of strain A87S (61%+/-24% [standard deviation] at 5 h) occurred. Seven of 15 sera from symptomatic dogs but none of the sera from 11 asymptomatic dogs had antibody-dependent immobilizing activity against one of the strains. Consecutive sera from one of these dogs immobilized two different strains. Antibody-mediated bactericidal serum was not seen before onset of disease, was strongest in the acute phase of disease, and fluctuated during chronic disease. From seven out of eight symptomatic dogs Borrelia DNA was amplified by PCR; in three of them the bactericidal activity was directed against one of the genospecies amplified from that dog; however, four PCR-positive dogs lacked bactericidal activity. In conclusion, dogs with symptomatic canine borreliosis have more-extensive antibody reactivity against Borrelia, as shown by both Western blotting and immobilization assays.

Animals↗

PubMed1987

Campylobacter in the dog: a clinical and experimental study.

Faecal samples from 54 dogs with diarrhoea and 54 control dogs were cultured for Campylobacter, Salmonella and Yersinia species and controlled for enteric viruses. The campylobacter were identified as either C jejuni/coli or C upsaliensis. In the diarrhoeic group 16 dogs (29.6 per cent) were positive for campylobacter, 10 C upsaliensis and six C jejuni/coli. Concomitant infection with parvovirus was evident in six of the dogs with diarrhoea and campylobacter-positive faecal cultures. In the control group 13 dogs (24.1 per cent) were positive for campylobacter; three of the isolates were C upsaliensis and six C jejuni/coli. Four isolates could not be identified. The most prominent clinical findings in naturally occurring cases were an acute onset of vomiting (12 of 16), diarrhoea (16 of 16) which was often haemorrhagic (nine of 16) and a raised rectal temperature. Dogs were infected experimentally with both C jejuni (three dogs) and C upsaliensis (three dogs). The challenge strains could be identified in faecal samples from all the dogs, but clinical signs of diarrhoea were seen in only one dog infected with C jejuni. Soft faeces was passed by one dog infected with C upsaliensis. It is concluded that C jejuni/coli or C upsaliensis are either primary pathogens or, after predisposing factors such as virus infections, act as secondary pathogens. It also seems probable that Campylobacter species are present in the intestinal flora of the normal dog.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Neutrophil function in dogs with congenital ciliary dyskinesia.

In vitro neutrophil function was assessed in two English Springer Spaniel dogs, two Bichon Frise dogs, and one Chow Chow dog with congenital ciliary dyskinesia; three clinically normal English Springer Spaniel dogs that were presumed heterozygous for congenital ciliary dyskinesia; and five control dogs. Chemotaxis and random migration in affected and heterozygous dogs were found to be comparable to those of control dogs. Increased (P less than or equal to 0.05) neutrophil adhesion, antibody dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, iodination of proteins, and oxygen radical production in neutrophils from affected dogs were probably the result of chronic bacterial infection in vivo. Bacterial ingestion by neutrophils from the three heterozygous English Springer Spaniel dogs was significantly increased compared to control dogs but was not different from affected English Springer Spaniel dogs, suggesting a breed-related phenomenon. Significant decreases in neutrophil function were not seen in any of the dogs with congenital ciliary dyskinesia, indicating that a defective microtubular system is not shared by respiratory cilia and neutrophils and that defective neutrophil function does not contribute to respiratory infection.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Western immunoblot analysis for distinguishing vaccination and infection status with Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) in dogs.

Serodiagnosis of Lyme borreliosis in dogs is complicated by the use of commercially available Lyme disease vaccines that may cross-react with certain diagnostic assays. Western immunoblotting may be used to distinguish between dogs naturally exposed and those vaccinated against Borrelia burgdorferi. Because current vaccines are not 100% efficacious and dogs may be vaccinated after natural exposure, certain dogs may show serum antibody responses against both natural and vaccine exposure (dual status). In this study, samples from 17 nonexposed, 17 B. burgdorferi-bacterin vaccinated, 13 naturally exposed, and 8 dual-status dogs were tested by western immunoblot to determine if dual-status dogs could be reliably differentiated from naturally infected or vaccinated dogs. Reaction to outer surface protein A antigen of B. burgdorferi (31 kD) was a consistent marker for vaccination, appearing in all samples from vaccinate and dual-status dogs and in no samples from single-status naturally exposed dogs. Antibodies to 4 bands, at 80, 39, 29, and 28 kD, were present in all naturally infected and dual-status dogs. No samples from vaccinated or nonexposed dogs were reactive to all 4 of these bands simultaneously. Thus, vaccine and natural exposure produce differing antibody responses, whereas dual-status dogs produced the full antibody response of both types of exposure.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Recognition pattern of thyroglobulin autoantibody from hypothyroid dogs to tryptic peptides of canine thyroglobulin.

Circulating thyroglobulin autoantibody (TgAA) was analyzed using the Western immunoblot for determination of the dominant epitopes recognized by TgAA on tryptic peptides of canine thyroglobulin (cTg) in hypothyroid dogs. TgAA was measured in hypothyroid dogs, non-hypothyroid dogs with skin diseases and clinically normal dogs. Five of the 7 hypothyroid dogs, 1 of the 8 dogs with skin diseases and 1 of the 4 normal dogs were positive for TgAA. Four of the 5 TgAA-positive hypothyroid dogs were Golden Retrievers, and 3 of them showed high antibody titers. The sera of TgAA positive-dogs reacted to several peptides, and their patterns varied from sample to sample. Sera from 3 dogs with high titers of TgAA reacted broadly to high molecular weight peptides ranging from 45 to 90 kDa. These Western immunoblot patterns of the sera were disappeared after pretreatment with sufficient amount of intact cTg. All serum samples of both TgAA positive dogs and negative controls reacted to low molecular weight peptides ranging from 15 to 20 kDa. These immunoblot patterns of the sera were not disappeared even after pretreatment with sufficient amount of intact cTg. These findings show the possibility that the epitopes recognized by TgAA depend upon individual dogs with hypothyroidism and these autoantibodies recognize conformational epitopes on the cTg molecule.

Animals↗