Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Evaluation of serum levels of CRP and TNF-α in dogs infected withand.
- Journal:
- Open veterinary journal
- Year:
- 2025
- Authors:
- Gospodinova, Krasimira & Koev, Koycho
- Affiliation:
- Department of General and Clinical Pathology
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at two tick-borne diseases in dogs called canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) and canine granulocytic anaplasmosis (CGA). Researchers tested 134 dogs showing signs of these infections and found that a large number were positive for the diseases. They measured levels of two inflammation markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and discovered that dogs infected with both diseases had the highest levels of these markers, which also related to liver damage. The findings suggest that CRP and TNF-α can be useful for diagnosing and understanding the severity of these infections.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) and canine granulocytic anaplasmosis (CGA), caused byand, are tick-borne diseases prevalent in dogs. Both trigger systemic inflammation, with C-reactive protein (CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) as potential severity biomarkers. AIM: This study aimed to compare serum CRP and TNF-α in CME, CGA, and co-infected dogs and assess their relationships with hematological, biochemical, and liver enzyme changes. METHODS: In 134 dogs showing clinical signs of CME/CGA, infections were confirmed using SNAP4DxPlus, indirect immunofluorescence assay, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). CRP and TNF-α were quantified using canine-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. RESULTS: Of the dogs tested, 112 (83.6%) were seropositive and 77 (68.8%) were PCR-positive (: 27;: 29; co-infection: 21). The co-infected group had the highest levels of CRP (135.2-154.8 mg/l) and TNF-α (161.5-174.0 pg/ml), significantly exceeding those of CME (104.6-120.9; 148.7-162.2 pg/ml), CGA (88.5-104.4; 140.1-156.5 pg/ml), PCR-negative (33.1-45.8; 12.3-18.9 pg/ml), and control groups (0.9-4.0; 0.2-2.3 pg/ml) with< 0.001. Thrombocytopenia was common in all infected groups, with the lowest platelet counts in co-infected dogs (median 106.0 × 10/L,< 0.001). Aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were significantly elevated only in co-infected dogs (ALT: 89.25 U/l; AST: 69.38 U/l;< 0.001). CRP correlated moderately with ALT/AST; TNF-α showed weaker positive associations. CONCLUSION: CRP and TNF-α are valuable indicators of systemic inflammation in CME and CGA, with maximal increases and stronger links to liver injury in co-infections, supporting their use in diagnosis and prognosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41200347/