Fox Serum Proteomics Analysis Suggests Host-Specific Responses to Angiostrongylus vasorum Infection in Canids

Abstract

Dogs infected with the cardiopulmonary nematode Angiostrongylus vasorum may suffer from respiratory distress and/or bleeding disorders. Descriptions of clinical signs in foxes are rare, despite high prevalence. To evaluate the impact of infection on coagulation and immune response, serum proteins from eight experimentally infected foxes before and after inoculation (day 0, 35, 84, 154) were subjected to differential proteomic analyses based on quantitative data and compared to available data from dogs. The number of proteins with differential abundance compared to the uninfected baseline increased with chronicity of infection. Bone marrow proteoglycan, chitinase 3-like protein 1 and pulmonary surfactant-associated protein B were among the most prominently increased proteins. The abundance of several proteins involved in coagulation was decreased. Enriched pathways obtained from both increased and decreased proteins included, among others, “platelet degranulation” and “haemostasis”, and indicated both activation and suppression of coagulation. Qualitative comparison to dog data suggests some parallel serum proteomic alterations. The comparison, however, also indicates that foxes have a more adequate immunopathological response to A. vasorum infection compared to dogs, facilitating persistent infections in foxes. Our findings imply that foxes may be more tolerant to A. vasorum infection, as compared to dogs, reflecting a longer evolutionary host–parasite adaptation in foxes, which constitute a key wildlife reservoir.

A bloody interaction: plasma proteomics reveals gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) impairment caused by Sparicotyle chrysophrii

“…tegumental and secreted proteins and extracellular vesicles), by detecting parasite proteins in its host, or by defining the infection effects on the host's proteome. Thus far, significant progress has been achieved in understanding critical high-impact zoonotic and animal parasitic diseases through this technology [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29].…”

Hemostatic Dysfunction in Dogs Naturally Infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum—A Narrative Review

“…Among others, the proteins mannan-binding lectin serine peptidase 1 and 2 (MASP1, MASP2), coagulation factor V, coagulation factor XIII subunit b, a disintegrin and metal- A similar experimental sequential proteome study in foxes has also detected alteration in several hemostatic proteins leading to a combination of activation and suppression of specific hemostatic components. There were several distinctions between this fox study and the canine study; most essentially, however, it appears that foxes show stronger resistance to the infection [65].…”

Clinical bleeding diathesis, laboratory haemostatic aberrations and survival in dogs infected with Angiostrongylus vasorum: 180 cases (2005‐2019)

“…The underlying pathophysiology was initially suggested to be a low‐grade, chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) resulting in a consumptive coagulopathy and/or hyperfibrinolysis, with a possible secondary acquired thrombocytopenia further increasing haemostatic dysfunction (Adamantos et al ., 2015; Chapman et al ., 2004; Cury et al ., 2002; Schelling et al ., 1986; Sigrist et al ., 2017; Zoia & Caldin, 2015) or, in rare cases immune thrombocytopenia (Gould & McInnes, 1999). However, recent proteomic evaluations in dogs and foxes propose a downregulation of important haemostatic components, including aberrations in coagulation factors V and XIII subunit b in the chronic phase of A. vasorum infection, resulting in a less stable clot formation, rather than DIC (Gillis‐Germitsch et al ., 2021; Tritten et al ., 2021). Laboratory haemostatic analyses should ideally reflect the underlying pathophysiology.…”