Abstract
BackgroundPyometra often induces systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and early diagnosis is crucial for survival. Chromogranin A (CgA) is a neuroendocrine secretory protein that is co-released with catecholamines from the adrenal medulla and sympathetic nerve endings. A prognostic value of CgA has been found in humans that are critically ill or that have SIRS associated with infection. CgA has not yet been studied in dogs with bacterial infection. The aim of the study was to investigate CgA, measured by Chromogranin A361-372 (Catestatin; Cst) and Chromogranin A17-38 (Vasostatin; VS) in healthy dogs and in dogs with pyometra.ResultsFifty dogs with pyometra, sampled prior to surgery and 64 healthy female dogs were included. In 19 pyometra cases, blood samples were also collected postoperatively. Concentrations of Cst and VS were measured in heparinised plasma and Cst also measured in EDTA plasma, by in-house radioimmunoassays. Student’s t-test and Wilcoxon two-sample test was used to test for differences between dog groups. Pre- and postoperative samples in dogs with pyometra were analysed by paired t-test. Pearson correlation was used to investigate associations of laboratory variables and hospitalization. P < 0.05 was considered significant.Concentrations of Cst were decreased in pyometra dogs (mean ± SE, 1.01 ± 0.05 nmol/L) compared to healthy dogs (mean ± SE, 1.70 ± 0.03 nmol/L) (p ≤ 0.0001). VS concentrations did not differ significantly between dogs with pyometra (0.40 ± 0.04 nmol/L) and healthy dogs (0.42 ± 0.03 nmol/L). Mean ± SE pre- and postoperative concentration of Cst (1.0 ± 0.04 nmol/L and 0.9 ± 0.2 nmol/L) and VS (0.36 ± 0.04 nmol/L and 0.36 ± 0.04 nmol/L) in dogs with pyometra did not differ significantly. Neither Cst nor VS concentrations were associated with duration of hospitalization and were not significantly different in the four dogs with pyometra that had prolonged (≥3 d) postoperative hospitalization.ConclusionConcentrations of Cst, but not VS, were decreased in pyometra. Cst and VS concentrations before and after ovariohysterectomy did not differ significantly and were not associated with duration of hospitalization. Further studies are warranted to evaluate a possible diagnostic or prognostic value for Cst and VS.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12917-015-0328-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Pyometra often induces systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and early diagnosis is crucial for survival
Neither Cst nor VS concentrations were correlated to age or weight in the healthy dogs
Hb, PCV, Lymphocytes and Albumin were significantly decreased in dogs with pyometra compared to healthy group (Table 1)
Summary
Pyometra often induces systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and early diagnosis is crucial for survival. A prognostic value of CgA has been found in humans that are critically ill or that have SIRS associated with infection. CgA has not yet been studied in dogs with bacterial infection. One of the most common diseases of intact female dogs is bacterial uterine infection and inflammation leading to pus accumulating in the uterus (pyometra). The disease induces systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) i.e. sepsis in most cases with organ dysfunctions and death as possible consequences [1]. Acute phase proteins (APPs) such as, C-reactive protein (CRP) and Procalcitonin have been used as biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic purposes in various diseases [5,6,7,8,9]. One of the major APPs in dogs, CRP, has been shown to increase in dogs with pyometra [16]
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