Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in an inflammatory pericardial effusion of a dog.

An 11-year-old female spayed German Wirehaired Pointer with a 1-week history of lethargy, hyporexia, diarrhea, and coughing presented with pericardial effusion causing cardiac tamponade. An echocardiogram revealed no structural cause for pericardial effusion. The pericardial effusion was an exudate with mixed macrophagic and neutrophilic inflammation. Morulae occasionally were found within neutrophils. The pericardial fluid and blood were qPCR and cPCR positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum (NC State University, Vector-borne Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Raleigh, NC). The dog's blood was negative by ELISA (Vetscan Flex4 Rapid Test, Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ) for A. phagocytophilum antibodies at initial presentation and subsequently positive (SNAP4DxPlus, IDEXX, Westbrook, ME) 7 days later. After pericardiocentesis and administration of doxycycline (5 mg/kg PO q12h for 14 days), a repeat echocardiogram performed 1 month later showed no recurrence of pericardial effusion.

Serum procalcitonin concentrations in dogs with induced endotoxemia.

BACKGROUND: Procalcitonin (PCT) is an important biomarker for sepsis in human medicine, but there is little information regarding PCT as a biomarker for sepsis in dogs. There are no controlled studies evaluating serial concentrations of PCT in dogs. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVE: That PCT would be rapidly detectable in serum after injection of LPS and would remain increased for at least 24 hours. Objective was to evaluate serial serum PCT concentrations in dogs after a single IV injection of LPS compared to placebo. ANIMALS: Six healthy mixed breed dogs. METHODS: A nonrandomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study was performed. Dogs were initially injected with placebo (0.9% NaCl; 1 mL, IV) and then experimental endotoxemia was induced by injecting lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 2 µg/kg, IV, once) after a 5-day washout period. Serial blood samples were collected for measurement of serum PCT after each injection. Difference in median PCT concentration between serial time points was assessed using a mixed effects model. RESULTS: After LPS administration, blood pressure decreased and body temperature increased along with the development of lethargy, vomiting, and diarrhea. Procalcitonin was significantly increased compared to baseline by 2 hours after injection of LPS (median = 67.9 versus 172.8, range = 46.0-74.1 versus 99.5-295.9, P = .0002) and remained significantly increased for 12 hours (median = 205.9, range = 119.9-297.4) with return to baseline by 48 hours. Procalcitonin was significantly higher than placebo 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 24 hours after injection. There were no significant differences in PCT between time 0 and any of the subsequent time points in the saline group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Procalcitonin expression is likely to be a clinically useful biomarker for sepsis in dogs and might have an additional role in prognostication and therapeutic decision-making.

A retrospective study of vector-borne disease prevalence in dogs with proteinuria: Southeastern United States.

BACKGROUND: Proteinuria is a risk factor for progressive kidney injury in dogs. Enhanced understanding of potential associations between canine vector-borne diseases (CVBD) and proteinuria is needed. OBJECTIVES: To determine the proportion of evaluated proteinuric dogs exposed to ≥1 CVBD, including Babesia spp., Ehrlichia spp., spotted-fever group Rickettsia, Bartonella spp., Anaplasma spp., hemotropic Mycoplasma spp., Borrelia burgdorferi, and Dirofilaria immitis, and to determine if demographic or clinicopathologic differences exist between proteinuric dogs exposed to CVBD versus proteinuric dogs with no evidence of CVBD exposure. ANIMALS: Two-hundred nine proteinuric dogs, concurrently tested for CVBD, which were examined at a single academic veterinary hospital between January 2008 and December 2015. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Demographic, clinicopathologic, and CVBD test results were extracted from medical records. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to assess associations between CVBD and selected variables. RESULTS: Based on serology and polymerase chain reaction testing, 34% of proteinuric dogs (72/209) were exposed to ≥1 CVBD. Exposure to Rickettsia spp. (19%), Ehrlichia spp. (12%), and B. burgdorferi (9%) were most common. The CVBD exposure was lower in dogs tested in autumn or spring, higher in intact dogs, and higher in dogs with lower serum albumin and higher serum creatinine concentrations. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Exposure to CVBD, particularly exposure to Rickettsia spp., Ehrlichia spp., and B. burgdorferi was found in proteinuric dogs from the southeast United States. Additional controlled prospective studies examining a potential causal relationship between CVBD and proteinuria are warranted.

Ecological and Socioeconomic Factors Associated with Bartonella henselae Exposure in Dogs Tested for Vector-Borne Diseases in North Carolina.

Bartonella henselae is a zoonotic vector-borne pathogen affecting both humans and dogs. Little is known about the epidemiology of B. henselae in dogs, including risk factors associated with exposure. The objectives of this study were to map the current distribution of B. henselae in dogs in North Carolina (NC) and to identify ecological and socioeconomic factors influencing B. henselae seroreactivity. Results from 4446 B. henselae serology samples from dogs in NC submitted by veterinarians for clinical diagnostic testing to the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine Vector Borne Disease Diagnostic Laboratory between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. These results were used to generate a map of B. henselae seroreactivity. To account for sparsely sampled areas, statistical smoothing using head banging and areal interpolation kriging was performed. Using previously described risk factors for exposure to canine tick-borne diseases, eight multivariable logistic regression models based on biologically plausible hypotheses were tested, and a final model was selected using an Akaike's Information Criterion weighted-average approach. Seroreactivity among dogs tested for vector-borne disease was variable across the state: higher along the southern/eastern coastal plains and eastern Piedmont, and lower in the western mountains. Of 25 explanatory factors considered, the model combining demographic, socioeconomic, climatic, and land use variables fits best. Based on this model, female intact sex and increasing percentage of the county with low-intensity development and evergreen forest were associated with higher seroreactivity. Conversely, moderate development, increasing median household income, and higher temperature range and relative humidity were associated with lower seroreactivity. This model could be improved, however, by including local and host-scale factors that may play a significant role in dogs' exposure.

Scleromyxoedema in a dog.

BACKGROUND: In humans, scleromyxoedema is a chronic progressive skin condition traditionally characterized by deposits of mucin, increased number of fibroblasts and fibrosis in the skin, and by systemic disease. Thyroid disease is typically absent. A monoclonal gammopathy is usually present, as are other comorbidities. Descriptions of scleromyxoedema in the veterinary literature are limited to a single feline case. One dog, previously reported as having papular mucinosis, exhibited features that matched the more current diagnostic criteria of scleromyxoedema. OBJECTIVES: To describe generalized papular mucinosis in a dog with systemic illness and to compare the signs with those of human lichen myxoedematosus conditions, specifically scleromyxoedema. RESULTS: A nine-year-old female, spayed English springer spaniel dog presented with generalized papules and nodules (0.5-5 cm) on the body and proximal fore and hind limbs, sparing the face and distal limbs distal to carpi/tarsi. Larger nodules were erythematous. Nodules occurred in proximal limb muscles. The dog had concurrent osteoarthritis of the elbows and coxofemoral joints, developed generalized weakness, declined in health and was euthanized. Thyroid disease was lacking and a monoclonal gammopathy was not present. Histopathological evaluation revealed the classic triad of mucin, fibroblast proliferation and fibrosis with very mild inflammation, as described for humans. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: We document scleromyxoedema in a dog with significant morbidity and features of the human disease. Recognizing the typical histopathology is important for identifying cases and to establish a diagnosis. Systemic evaluation is important to identify evidence of internal disease and associated comorbidities, which are common, variable, and impact classification and prognosis in humans.