Movilla Rebeca, Altet Laura, Serrano Lorena, Tabar María-Dolores, Roura Xavier
Hospital Clínic Veterinari, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Carrer de L'Hospital s/n, 08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
Vetgenomics, Edifici Eureka, Parc de Recerca de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
Parasit Vectors. 2017 Mar 13;10(1):131. doi: 10.1186/s13071-017-2074-z.
The spleen is a highly perfused organ involved in the immunological control and elimination of vector-borne pathogens (VBP), which could have a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of splenic disease. This study aimed to evaluate certain VBP in samples from dogs with splenic lesions.
Seventy-seven EDTA-blood and 64 splenic tissue samples were collected from 78 dogs with splenic disease in a Mediterranean area. Babesia spp., Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia/Anaplasma spp., Hepatozoon canis, Leishmania infantum, hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. and Rickettsia spp. were targeted using PCR assays. Sixty EDTA-blood samples from dogs without evidence of splenic lesions were included as a control group.
More than half (51.56%) of the biopsies (33/64) were consistent with benign lesions and 48.43% (31/64) with malignancy, mostly hemangiosarcoma (25/31). PCR yielded positive results in 13 dogs with spleen alterations (16.67%), for Babesia canis (n = 3), Babesia gibsoni (n = 2), hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (n = 2), Rickettsia massiliae (n = 1) and "Babesia vulpes" (n = 1), in blood; and for B. canis, B. gibsoni, Ehrlichia canis and L. infantum (n = 1 each), in spleen. Two control dogs (3.3%) were positive for B. gibsoni and H. canis (n = 1 each). Benign lesions were detected in the 61.54% of infected dogs (8/13); the remaining 38.46% were diagnosed with malignancies (5/13). Infection was significantly associated to the presence of splenic disease (P = 0.013). There was no difference in the prevalence of infection between dogs with benign and malignant splenic lesions (P = 0.69); however B. canis was more prevalent in dogs with hemangiosarcoma (P = 0.006).
VBP infection could be involved in the pathogenesis of splenic disease. The immunological role of the spleen could predispose to alterations of this organ in infected dogs. Interestingly, all dogs with B. canis infection were diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma in the present survey. As previously reported, results support that VBP diagnosis could be improved by analysis of samples from different tissues. The sample size included here warrants further investigation.
脾脏是一个血液灌注丰富的器官，参与媒介传播病原体（VBP）的免疫控制和清除，这可能在脾脏疾病的发病机制中起重要作用。本研究旨在评估患有脾脏病变的犬只样本中的某些VBP。
从地中海地区78只患有脾脏疾病的犬只中采集了77份乙二胺四乙酸（EDTA）抗凝血样本和64份脾脏组织样本。使用聚合酶链反应（PCR）检测方法针对犬巴贝斯虫属、巴尔通体属、埃立克体属/无形体属、犬肝簇虫、婴儿利什曼原虫、嗜血性支原体属和立克次体属进行检测。将60份来自无脾脏病变证据犬只的EDTA抗凝血样本作为对照组。
超过一半（51.56%）的活检样本（33/64）与良性病变相符，48.43%（31/64）与恶性病变相符，其中大多数为血管肉瘤（25/31）。PCR检测在13只脾脏有病变的犬只（16.67%）中呈阳性结果，血液中检测到犬巴贝斯虫（n = 3）、吉氏巴贝斯虫（n = 2）、嗜血性支原体属（n = 2）、马赛立克次体（n = 1）和“狐巴贝斯虫”（n = 1）；脾脏中检测到犬巴贝斯虫、吉氏巴贝斯虫、犬埃立克体和婴儿利什曼原虫（各n = 1）。两只对照犬（3.3%）吉氏巴贝斯虫和犬肝簇虫检测呈阳性（各n = 1）。在61.54%的感染犬只（8/13）中检测到良性病变；其余38.46%被诊断为恶性肿瘤（5/13）。感染与脾脏疾病的存在显著相关（P = 0.013）。脾脏良性和恶性病变犬只之间的感染患病率无差异（P = 0.69）；然而，犬巴贝斯虫在患有血管肉瘤的犬只中更为普遍（P = 0.006）。
VBP感染可能参与脾脏疾病的发病机制。脾脏的免疫作用可能使感染犬只的该器官易发生病变。有趣的是，在本次调查中，所有感染犬巴贝斯虫的犬只均被诊断为血管肉瘤。如先前报道，结果支持通过分析不同组织的样本来改善VBP的诊断。此处纳入的样本量有待进一步研究。
