Urinary markers in Babesia canis vogeli-infected dogs

Abstract

Canine babesiosis, a life-threatening tick-borne blood parasitic disease in dogs, caused by Babesia canis vogeli, is a health problem in companion animals. The disease causes febrile illness, hemolytic anemia, pre-hepatic jaundice, and thrombocytopenia. Moreover, renal dysfunction from babesiosis has been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate urinary markers that might be sensitive and specific for the early detection of renal dysfunction in B. c. vogeli-infected dogs. Blood and urine samples were collected from 11 dogs. The blood and urine samples were divided into two groups. B. c. vogeli-infected dogs group including six infected dogs as confirmed by microscopic examination and multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Non-infected dogs group included five healthy dogs. Blood samples were subjected to hematology and biochemistry analysis while urine samples were stored at -80oC until analyzed. Three candidate urinary markers (urinary immunoglobulin G, uIgG; urinary C-reactive protein, uCRP; and urinary retinol-binding protein, uRBP) were examined using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA); two additional candidate markers, aspartate aminotransferase to alanine aminotransferase ratio (AST/ALT) and urinary creatinine to serum creatinine ratio (UCr/SCr) were also studied. The results demonstrated that hemoglobin, red blood cell count, and hematocrit were significantly different between B. c. vogeli-infected dogs and non-infected dogs while the candidate markers were not. In conclusion, the selected candidate markers could not be used as urinary markers for renal dysfunction in B. c. vogeli-infected dogs. However, further study should investigate other urinary markers such as albumin, tubular enzymes, and tubular proteins as well as high-throughput technologies such as the proteomic approach.