Retrospective evaluation of hematological ratios in canine parvovirosis: 401 cases.

BACKGROUND: The utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) as prognostic indicators has not been investigated in canine parvovirosis (CPV). HYPOTHESIS: To evaluate whether these hematological ratios obtained at hospital admission in CPV are associated with outcome or duration of hospitalization. ANIMALS: Four hundred one client-owned dogs presented with CPV. Methods-Retrospective multicenter cohort study. Medical records were reviewed to identify dogs with CPV. Data regarding signalment, complete blood count at admission, duration of hospitalization and outcome were collected. RESULTS: Of the 401 dogs included in the study, 336 (83.8%) survived to discharge. The median (25th and 75th percentiles) PLR in nonsurvivors (336.56 [159.84-635.77]) was significantly higher than in survivors (217.65 [117.67-389.65]) (P = .003). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for nonsurvival was 0.615 (95% CI [0.593-0.691], P = .003). A cut off of 700 showed a 21.5% sensitivity and 90% specificity for nonsurvival. No association was observed between hospitalization duration and either hematological ratios or total WBC counts. The median (25th and 75th percentiles) lymphocyte count was below reference interval in all dogs and was significantly lower in the dogs which died (0.82 × 109 /L [0.5-1.87]) than in survivors (1.27 × 109 /L [0.73-2.22]) (P = .005). The median (25th and 75th percentiles) monocyte count however was lower in survivors (0.38 × 109 /L [0.29-1.59]), than in nonsurvivors (0.73 × 109 /L [0.1-2]) (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Evaluation of PLR at hospital admission might be a useful marker of disease severity and could have prognostic value in dogs with CPV.

Evaluation of heart fatty acid-binding protein as a biomarker for canine leishmaniosis.

BACKGROUND: Myocarditis frequently occurs in canine leishmaniosis (CanL). Heart fatty acid-binding protein (HFABP) is a biomarker of myocardial damage. METHODS: This study aimed to compare HFABP concentration (HFABPc) in healthy dogs and dogs at different stages of CanL and evaluate the correlation of this biomarker with several clinicopathological and echocardiographic variables. Thirty-one dogs diagnosed with CanL and 10 healthy dogs were included. RESULTS: HFABPc was not statistically different (p > 0.05) between groups of dogs at different LeishVet stages of CanL or between groups with high versus low to intermediate serology titres. In 70% of CanL dogs, HFABPc was within the 95% confidence interval limits of the mean of healthy dogs. A moderate negative correlation with globulin (r = -0.519; p = 0.03) and haematocrit (HCT) (r = -0.538; p = 0.02) was observed. No other significant correlation (p > 0.05) was observed with any other variable. LIMITATIONS: Many statistical tests were performed, and therefore, type I error cannot be ruled out. CONCLUSION: HFABPc is not consistently elevated in dogs with CanL and is not associated with the severity of the disease, or most echocardiographic or clinicopathological variables studied. The correlation with globulin and HCT was not strong and not considered clinically significant. HFABPc lacks sufficient predictive capacity in dogs with CanL, discouraging further research or clinical use of this biomarker in this disease.

Association of myocardial parasitic load with cardiac biomarkers and other selected variables in 10 dogs with advanced Canine Leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND: The association between myocardial parasitic load (MPL) and cardiac biomarkers in Canine Leishmaniasis (CanL) has not been studied. METHODS: Dogs with advanced CanL were prospectively recruited and were included if they were euthanised. Prior to euthanasia these variables were assessed: hematocrit, globulin, creatinine, N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), blood pressure, urine protein/creatinine ratio and echocardiographic parameters. A left ventricular (LV) sample was taken for histopathology and MPL evaluation by quantitative PCR. Correlation of MPL with all variables was analysed. Dogs with lower and higher histopathology scores were compared. RESULTS: Ten dogs were included. NT-proBNP was 6946 pmol/ (interquartile range [IQR] 3751-9268 pmol/L) and cTnI 4.56 ng/mL (IQR 0.46-13.1 ng/mL). In all dogs, echocardiography showed an increase in LV thickening, and histopathology revealed moderate to severe lympho-plasmocytic myocarditis and/or myocardial cell degeneration. MPL was 215.53 parasites/gram (IQR 21.2-1372.63 parasites/gram). A strong correlation (p < 0.001; R = 0.90; R2 0.81) with cTnI was observed but correlation with any of the other variables or differences between the two histopathological scores, were not detected. CONCLUSIONS: MPL in dogs with advanced CanL shows variable but generally high levels. A strong association between MPL and cTnI was observed, which encourages the exploration of cTnI as a marker in CanL.