Abstract
Bacterial translocation from the damaged intestinal tract, reported in canine parvoviral (CPV) enteritis, is thought to be responsible for the systemic inflammatory response resulting from coliform septicemia, which could ultimately progress to septic shock and death. Alterations in platelet indices, specifically mean platelet volume (MPV), is a consistent finding in critically ill people and dogs with and without sepsis. Increased MPV has been reported to be an indirect indicator of platelet activation and of bone marrow response in people and dogs with sepsis. The study aim was to compare admission MPV and platelet volume distribution width (PVDW) in dogs with CPV enteritis to that of healthy aged-matched control dogs. Forty-eight dogs with CPV enteritis and 18 healthy age matched control dogs were included. CPV infection was confirmed with electron microscopy and concurrent blood-borne infections were excluded using PCR. EDTA whole blood samples were analyzed on an automated cell counter, ADVIA 2120, within 30-60 min from collection. There was no significant difference for platelet count between the groups. The MPV for CPV infected dogs (median: 14.0; IQR: 12.2–15.1) was significantly higher compared to controls (11.3; IQR: 10.3–13.1, P = 0.002). The PVDW for CPV infected dogs (66.9; IQR: 64.2–68.8) was significantly higher compared to controls (63.3; IQR: 60.2–65.1, P < 0.001). These findings suggest that significant platelet activation is present in dogs with CPV enteritis which may play a role in the disease outcome, similar to people with sepsis. Further studies are required to investigate the prognosticating ability of MPV in dogs with CPV enteritis.
Highlights
Canine parvovirus (CPV) is an important pathogen worldwide and a significant cause of viral enteritis in dogs with associated high morbidity and mortality rates [1]
This was a prospective, case-controlled observational study on juvenile dogs naturally infected with CPV enteritis that presented to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH), over a period of 11 months between November 2018 and September 2019
Client owned dogs diagnosed with CPV enteritis that presented to the OVAH, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria were included in the study
Summary
Canine parvovirus (CPV) is an important pathogen worldwide and a significant cause of viral enteritis in dogs with associated high morbidity and mortality rates [1]. The viral infection most commonly manifests as a severe systemic and often life-threatening illness [2]. Systemic inflammation may occur in many cases due to bacterial translocation from the damaged intestinal tract with a subsequent bacteremia and endotoxemia [3]. This can progress to septic shock and death in severe cases [3]. C-reactive protein (CRP), a major acute phase protein in dogs, is considered an accurate indicator of systemic inflammation [6]. Increased serum concentrations of CRP in CPV infected dogs has been shown to be associated with disease severity and outcome [7]
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