Serum protein profile of hookworm infection in dogs

Comp Clin Pathol (2015) 24:14631466

DOI 10.1007/s00580-015-2099-7

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Serum protein profile of hookworm infection in dogs

Elizabeth Moreira dos Santos Schmidt1 & Camila Peres Rubio1 &

Gisele Junqueira dos Santos1 & Luciano Barbosa2 &

Talita Fausto da Motta Santos1 & Marcela Cristina de Cezaro1

Received: 6 December 2014 /Accepted: 20 March 2015 /Published online: 11 April 2015 # Springer-Verlag London 2015

Abstract Hookworms are parasitic nematodes that cause anemia and intestinal infections in dogs, especially with large worm burdens. However, the serum protein profile of this parasitological disease is still poorly understood. The present study was design to evaluate 80 asymptomatic dogs (age; 8 months2 years) to detect the presence of the hookworm thin-shelled, morulated eggs in faeces using faecal flotation and to evaluate the serum protein fractions determined by means of sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Forty dogs had an elevated quantity of eggs in faeces (+++) (PD) and 40 dogs were healthy (HD). Infected dogs showed significant increases for IgG estimated concentrations (PD 1.790.8 g/dL and HD 1.440.72 g/dL, p=0.04), for ceruloplasmin estimated concentrations (PD 1915 mg/dL and HD 53.5 mg/dL, p=0.0001), for alpha 1-acid glycoprotein estimated concentrations (PD31.417.9 mg/dL and HD 13.512.1 mg/dL, p=0.0001) and for a non-identified protein of 23 kDa estimated concentrations (PD 641.5194.9 mg/dL and HD 519.8 197.9 mg/dL, p=0.007). Dogs with hookworm infection showed significant differences in the serum protein profile when compared to healthy animals.

Keywords Hookworm . Ancylostoma . Acute phase response . Electrophoresis . Dogs

Introduction

Hookworms are parasitic nematodes that live in the small intestine of their hosts. Infections are often subclinical or mild in adult dogs, but puppies with large worm burdens could develop anaemia due to severe intestinal infection. Dog hook-worms can cause eosinophilic pneumonitis, localized myositis, folliculitis, erythema multiforme and eosinophilic enteritis and cutaneous larva migrans in humans (Weese et al. 2011). These parasites are common in tropical and subtropical countries. In Brazil, the genus Ancylostoma is the most frequently found in adult dogs, where Ancylostoma caninum has a 100 % of occurrence in some regions of the country (Labruna et al. 2006; Dantas-Torres and Otranto 2014).

The acute phase response (APR) is a systemic reaction of the organism to local or systemic disorders caused by the non-specific...