OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical appearance, laboratory findings and response to treatment of dogs with inflammatory joint disease associated with Leishmania infection. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of case records of dogs with serologically confirmed leishmaniasis and concurrent inflammatory joint disease presented between 2005 and 2011. RESULTS: In total, 14 cases met the inclusion criteria. Of these, five (36%) dogs were presented with monoarthritis, five (36%) with oligoarthritis and four (28%) with polyarthritis. The most frequently affected joint was the carpus. Both erosive and non-erosive disease was identified on radiographic examination. All dogs had an inflammatory synovial fluid with a high white cell count and a preponderance of neutrophils, and in eight (57%) cases Leishmania amastigotes were found in the synovial fluid smears. Dogs were treated with 50 mg/kg N-methylglucamine antimoniate twice a day for 1 month and 10 mg/kg allopurinol twice a day for 6 to 9 months combined with prednisolone in five cases. At the 6-month follow-up, eight (57%) dogs showed improvement in general and orthopaedic signs and four (28%) dogs were stable. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Leishmaniasis should be considered a differential diagnosis in dogs with inflammatory arthritis in endemic areas.
OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical appearance, laboratory findings and response to treatment of dogs with inflammatory joint disease associated with Leishmania infection. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of case records of dogs with serologically confirmed leishmaniasis and concurrent inflammatory joint disease presented between 2005 and 2011. RESULTS: In total, 14 cases met the inclusion criteria. Of these, five (36%) dogs were presented with monoarthritis, five (36%) with oligoarthritis and four (28%) with polyarthritis. The most frequently affected joint was the carpus. Both erosive and non-erosive disease was identified on radiographic examination. All dogs had an inflammatory synovial fluid with a high white cell count and a preponderance of neutrophils, and in eight (57%) cases Leishmania amastigotes were found in the synovial fluid smears. Dogs were treated with 50 mg/kg N-methylglucamine antimoniate twice a day for 1 month and 10 mg/kg allopurinol twice a day for 6 to 9 months combined with prednisolone in five cases. At the 6-month follow-up, eight (57%) dogs showed improvement in general and orthopaedic signs and four (28%) dogs were stable. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Leishmaniasis should be considered a differential diagnosis in dogs with inflammatory arthritis in endemic areas.
Authors: Theodora K Tsouloufi; Konstantina Theodorou; Michael J Day; Ioannis L Oikonomidis; Dimitrios Kasabalis; Mathios E Mylonakis; Manolis N Saridomichelakis; Maria Kritsepi-Konstantinou; Nectarios Soubasis Journal: J Vet Diagn Invest Date: 2022-06-02 Impact factor: 1.569
Authors: Raul Rio Ribeiro; Marilene Suzan Marques Michalick; Manoel Eduardo da Silva; Cristiano Cheim Peixoto Dos Santos; Frédéric Jean Georges Frézard; Sydnei Magno da Silva Journal: Biomed Res Int Date: 2018-03-29 Impact factor: 3.411
Authors: Alexandre R S Silva; Ana A D Gomes; Monally C C Aquino; Breno F M Almeida; Valéria M F Lima; Paulo C Ciarlini; Luciana D R Pinoti; Mary Marcondes; Rafael F C Vieira Journal: Parasit Vectors Date: 2022-09-08 Impact factor: 4.047