Furusato Shimon, Kondo Eriko, Mitsui Ikki, Tsuyama Yu
Shinagawa WAF Animal Hospital, Shinagawa 141-0032, Japan.
Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Okayama University of Science, Imabari 794-8555, Japan.
Vet Sci. 2025 Mar 1;12(3):211. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12030211.
The etiology of canine chronic hepatitis (CH) is unknown, although an autoimmune background has been suggested in some cases of canine CH. An 11 y old spayed female Norwich Terrier showed a marked elevation of liver enzymes with hyperbilirubinemia, regenerative anemia, and thrombocytopenia. A bacterial culture of the surgically excised liver tissue and bile was negative. The histological features of the liver biopsy resembled those of human autoimmune hepatitis except for a paucity of intralesional plasma cells. It was established through immunohistochemistry that CD3-positive perforin-containing T lymphocytes had actively infiltrated the patient's liver causing hepatocellular apoptosis, implying an autoimmune attack on hepatocytes. The patient's general condition improved, with normalization of platelet and serum total bilirubin levels, after immunosuppressive therapy with prednisolone and cyclosporine, whereas liver enzymes did not reach the reference interval. The dog died 11 months after the initiation of immunosuppressive therapy. These pathological findings may be one aspect of autoimmune mediation in canine CH.
犬慢性肝炎（CH）的病因尚不清楚，尽管在某些犬CH病例中提示存在自身免疫背景。一只11岁已绝育的雌性诺威奇梗表现出肝酶显著升高，伴有高胆红素血症、再生性贫血和血小板减少。手术切除的肝脏组织和胆汁的细菌培养结果为阴性。肝脏活检的组织学特征与人自身免疫性肝炎相似，只是病灶内浆细胞较少。通过免疫组织化学证实，含穿孔素的CD3阳性T淋巴细胞已积极浸润患者肝脏，导致肝细胞凋亡，这意味着对肝细胞的自身免疫攻击。在用泼尼松龙和环孢素进行免疫抑制治疗后，患者的一般状况有所改善，血小板和血清总胆红素水平恢复正常，而肝酶未达到参考区间。这只狗在免疫抑制治疗开始11个月后死亡。这些病理发现可能是犬CH自身免疫介导的一个方面。
