Naiani Domingos Gasparetto1, Arleana do Bom Parto Ferreira Almeida2, Luciano Nakazato2, Eduardo Luzía França3, Adenilda Cristina Honorio França3, Danny Laura Gomes Fagundes3, Juliano Bortolini4, Valéria Régia Franco Sousa5. 1. Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Programa de Pós Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FAVET), Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. 2. Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FAVET), Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. 3. Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (ICBS), Barra do Garças, Mato Grosso, Brazil. 4. Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Departamento de Estatística, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e da Terra (ICET), Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. 5. Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FAVET), Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Electronic address: valeriaregia27@gmail.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To quantify (by qPCR) the density of Demodex canis mites in the skin of dogs with demodicosis and in healthy dogs, as well as measuring the serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and tumour necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-α). METHODS: Fifty-four dogs were divided into three groups: localized demodicosis (LD, n = 16), generalized demodicosis (GD, n = 22), and control group (CG, n = 16). All dogs were subjected to skin scraping, blood collection, and skin biopsy. DNA extraction was performed and the parasite density was established by qPCR. Serum cytokine concentrations were obtained by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The median number of mites in the skin of the GD (6.2 × 104 copies/μL) and LD dogs (1.2 × 104 copies/μL) was statistically higher than that in the CG dogs (8.7 × 102 copies/μL). Whereas there were no significant differences in median IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α levels among the study groups, there was a statistically higher IL-6 concentration in the LD dogs than in the healthy dogs. CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, qPCR is an effective method for measuring the density of D. canis in the canine integument. In addition, the activation of the acute-phase immune response in localized demodicosis can be induced by IL-6 activity.
OBJECTIVES: To quantify (by qPCR) the density of Demodex canis mites in the skin of dogs with demodicosis and in healthy dogs, as well as measuring the serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and tumour necrosis factor-alfa (TNF-α). METHODS: Fifty-four dogs were divided into three groups: localized demodicosis (LD, n = 16), generalized demodicosis (GD, n = 22), and control group (CG, n = 16). All dogs were subjected to skin scraping, blood collection, and skin biopsy. DNA extraction was performed and the parasite density was established by qPCR. Serum cytokine concentrations were obtained by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The median number of mites in the skin of the GD (6.2 × 104 copies/μL) and LD dogs (1.2 × 104 copies/μL) was statistically higher than that in the CG dogs (8.7 × 102 copies/μL). Whereas there were no significant differences in median IL-1β, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF-α levels among the study groups, there was a statistically higher IL-6 concentration in the LD dogs than in the healthy dogs. CONCLUSIONS: According to our results, qPCR is an effective method for measuring the density of D. canis in the canine integument. In addition, the activation of the acute-phase immune response in localized demodicosis can be induced by IL-6 activity.