Abstract
Aims/HypothesisDiabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine disorders in dogs and is commonly proposed to be of autoimmune origin. Although the clinical presentation of human type 1 diabetes (T1D) and canine diabetes are similar, the aetiologies may differ. The aim of this study was to investigate if autoimmune aetiology resembling human T1D is as prevalent in dogs as previously reported.MethodsSera from 121 diabetic dogs representing 40 different breeds were tested for islet cell antibodies (ICA) and GAD65 autoantibodies (GADA) and compared with sera from 133 healthy dogs. ICA was detected by indirect immunofluorescence using both canine and human frozen sections. GADA was detected by in vitro transcription and translation (ITT) of human and canine GAD65, followed by immune precipitation. Sections of pancreata from five diabetic dogs and two control dogs were examined histopathologically including immunostaining for insulin, glucagon, somatostatin and pancreas polypeptide.ResultsNone of the canine sera analysed tested positive for ICA on sections of frozen canine or human ICA pancreas. However, serum from one diabetic dog was weakly positive in the canine GADA assay and serum from one healthy dog was weakly positive in the human GADA assay. Histopathology showed marked degenerative changes in endocrine islets, including vacuolisation and variable loss of immune-staining for insulin. No sign of inflammation was noted.Conclusions/InterpretationsContrary to previous observations, based on results from tests for humoral autoreactivity towards islet proteins using four different assays, and histopathological examinations, we do not find any support for an islet autoimmune aetiology in canine diabetes mellitus.
Highlights
Diabetes mellitus occurs in dogs in Sweden with an incidence of 13 cases per 10,000 years-at-risk and a mean age of onset at 8.6 years [1]
There is no internationally accepted classification system for canine diabetes mellitus but the aetiology has been broadly divided into primary insulin resistance or primary insulin deficiency diabetes
In this study we investigated sera from dogs with and without diabetes using four different assays in addition to histopathological examination of diabetic and control pancreata, with the aim to investigate if autoimmune aetiology resembling human type 1 diabetes (T1D) is prevalent in dogs
Summary
Diabetes mellitus occurs in dogs in Sweden with an incidence of 13 cases per 10,000 years-at-risk and a mean age of onset at 8.6 years [1]. The domestic dog shares its environment and lifestyle with its owner and has a breed structure that is highly suitable for genetic analysis [2]. There is no internationally accepted classification system for canine diabetes mellitus but the aetiology has been broadly divided into primary insulin resistance or primary insulin deficiency diabetes. According to this classification, canine insulin resistance is not depicting a primary cellular peripheral insulin resistance, but can occur as a consequence of diverse hormonal disturbances. Canine insulin deficiency diabetes, universally claimed to resemble latent autoimmune diabetes in the adult, has suggested to be a result of autoimmunity or in some cases, Breed
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