Abstract：
According to the main Guidelines on canine heartworm disease (HWD) by the American and European Societies (i.e., AHS, ESDA, and ESCCAP), a correct diagnosis of Dirofilaria immitis infection should include the detection of circulating microfilariae in the whole blood and the adult antigens in serum or plasma sample. So far, scant data are available on laboratory abnormalities in dogs affected by HWD, although techniques including serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) have proved to be useful for the diagnosis and monitoring of other vector-borne diseases, such as the canine leishmaniosis. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the SPEP pattern in dogs naturally infected by D. immitis. Furthermore, a systematic review of the literature on this topic was carried out. Medical records from heartworm-positive dogs, of any sex, age, and breed and with available clinical examination and laboratory test results (i.e., complete blood count, serum biochemical profile, and SPEP) were retrospectively collected. If available, laboratory results obtained from dogs after treatment for HWD were also evaluated. When compared with the reference intervals, out of 30 dogs infected by D. immitis and enrolled, 63.3% (n = 19) had a lower percentage of albumin, and 80.0% (n = 24) had higher percentages of beta globulins, with beta-2, and especially beta-3 globulins the most frequently altered fractions. In terms of absolute values (g/dL), the proportion of dogs with hypoalbuminemia, and increased total globulin, alpha, beta- and gamma globulins were 4/30 (13.3%), 6/30 (20.0%), 2/30 (6.7%), 16/30 (53.3%) and 8/30 (26.7%), respectively. For 7 dogs, SPEP results evaluated three and six months after treatment with doxycycline (10 mg/kg BID for 4 weeks) were available. In these dogs a significant post-treatment increase in the percentage of albumin, alpha-2 globulin, and albumin/globulins ratio was observed, as well as a significant decrease both in the percentage and in the absolute value of total-, beta-, and beta-3 globulins. The systematic review of literature databases yielded a total of three studies that were considered eligible and included in the qualitative synthesis. This study provides novel information on SPEP alterations in dogs naturally infected by D. immitis. The evaluation of serum proteins and their electrophoretic pattern may represent an important diagnostic tool for a prompt and accurate diagnosis (e.g., differentiating infections in dogs sharing similar clinical signs and endemic in the same geographical area) and monitoring of HWD.
摘要：
根据美国和欧洲协会关于犬心丝虫病（HWD）的主要指南（即，AHS,ESDA,andESCCAP),正确的诊断应包括检测全血中的循环微丝虫和血清或血浆样品中的成人抗原。到目前为止,关于受HWD影响的狗的实验室异常的数据很少，尽管包括血清蛋白电泳（SPEP）在内的技术已被证明对其他媒介传播疾病的诊断和监测有用，如犬利什曼病。因此,这项研究旨在评估自然感染D.immitis的狗的SPEP模式。此外，对有关该主题的文献进行了系统的回顾。心脏丝虫阳性狗的医疗记录,任何性别，年龄,和品种以及可用的临床检查和实验室测试结果(即，全血细胞计数,血清生化概况，和SPEP）进行回顾性收集。如果可用，还评估了HWD治疗后犬的实验室结果.当与参考间隔比较时，在30只被D.immitis感染并注册的狗中，63.3%(n=19)的白蛋白百分比较低，80.0%(n=24)的β球蛋白百分比较高，β-2，尤其是β-3球蛋白是最频繁改变的部分。就绝对值(g/dL)而言，低白蛋白血症犬的比例，并增加了总球蛋白，阿尔法，β-和γ球蛋白为4/30（13.3%），6/30（20.0%），2/30（6.7%），16/30（53.3%）和8/30（26.7%），分别。7只狗在使用多西环素（10mg/kgBID，持续4周）治疗3个月和6个月后评估了SPEP结果。在这些狗中，治疗后白蛋白的百分比显着增加，α-2球蛋白,和白蛋白/球蛋白的比例观察，以及总百分比和绝对值的显着下降-，beta-,和β-3球蛋白。对文献数据库的系统审查得出了总共三项研究，这些研究被认为是合格的，并包括在定性综合中。这项研究提供了有关自然感染D.immitis的狗的SPEP改变的新信息。血清蛋白及其电泳图谱的评估可能代表了及时准确诊断的重要诊断工具（例如，区分具有相似临床症状和在同一地理区域流行的狗的感染）并监测HWD。
