Hypovitaminosis D in Dogs with Spirocercosis

Abstract

Background: Spirocercosis in dogs is characterized by esophageal nodules that can undergo neoplastic transformation. Hypovitaminosis D has been associated with neoplasia formation. We hypothesized hypovitaminosis D in neoplastic spirocercosis and that it could be a risk factor for neoplastic transformation. Objective: To measure and compare vitamin D status, assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in non-neoplastic (n = 25) and neoplastic (n = 26) spirocercosis client-owned dogs and healthy dogs (n = 24). Animals: Twenty-five non-neoplastic dogs, 26 neoplastic dogs, and 24 healthy dogs. Methods: Fifty-one dogs were randomly selected from 119 dogs diagnosed with spirocercosis presenting to our hospital , and further divided into non-neoplastic or neoplastic groups. Exclusion criteria included dogs less than 1 year old, with concurrent diseases, received corticosteroids, or treated prophylactically for spirocercosis. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Spirocercosis dogs' appetites were graded and compared. Results: Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly different among all groups (P < .001). 25-Hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were significantly lower in neoplastic group (median 30.7 nmol/L [range 14.7-62.2]) compared to non-neoplastic (median 52.7 nmol/L [range 19.1-129.7, P < .05]) and healthy groups (median 74.6 nmol/L [range 37.4-130.5, P < .005]). 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were significantly lower in non-neoplastic spirocercosis dogs compared to healthy ones (P < .05). Neoplastic and non-neoplastic spirocercosis dogs had similar appetite scores (P = 1.0). 25-Hydroxyvitamin D concentrations were not significantly different between dogs with normal (P = .087) and abnormal (P = .125) appetites within neoplastic and non-neoplastic spirocercosis groups. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Further studies are warranted to determine potential use of vitamin D treatment in spirocercosis and explore role of hypovitaminosis D in pathogenesis of malignant transformation.

Canine Leishmaniasis Progression is Associated with Vitamin D Deficiency

“…Low vitamin D levels in humans have been associated with a large number of diseases including multiple malignances, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, autoimmunity and infectious diseases 18, 19, 27 . In veterinary medicine, low vitamin D levels in dogs have been recently linked with chronic enteropathy 28 , neoplasia 29 , and several infectious diseases 30, 31 . The establishment of associations between vitamin D levels and protozoan infections has yielded conflicting results in rodent models 20, 32–34 .…”

“…Although vitamin D levels have been determined in other canine infectious diseases 30, 31 , no longitudinal studies have been performed so far. The few longitudinal studies conducted in humans reported vitamin D deficiencies prior to clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis 40 , pulmonary exacerbations in children with cystic fibrosis 41 , and more severe inflammatory bowel disease course 42 .…”

Vitamin D metabolism in dogs and cats and its relation to diseases not associated with bone metabolism

“…When the animal has the active disease, it has been linked to a high antibody level and a progressive Th2-deactivating immune response in the presence of a strong inflammatory reac- (Martineau et al, 2007). Considering that hypovitaminosis D is associated with neoplasia and spirocercosis infection may also induce tumoral formation, Rosa et al (2013) developed a study to compare vitamin D status in healthy, neoplastic and non-neoplastic dogs with spirocercosis. Considering that hypovitaminosis D is associated with neoplasia and spirocercosis infection may also induce tumoral formation, Rosa et al (2013) developed a study to compare vitamin D status in healthy, neoplastic and non-neoplastic dogs with spirocercosis.…”

“…The relationship of vitamin D and diseases has also been investigated in dogs and cats, and some studies found association between low vitamin D status and some types of cancer (Selting, Sharp, Ringold, Thamm, & Backus, 2016;Wakshlag et al, 2011;Weidner et al, 2017), congestive heart failure (Kraus et al, 2014;Osuga et al, 2015), gastrointestinal diseases (Allenspach, Rizzo, Jergens, & Chang, 2017;Gow et al, 2011;Lalor et al, 2014;Titmarsh, Gow, Kilpatrick, Cartwright, et al, 2015;Titmarsh, Gow, Kilpatrick, Sinclair, et al, 2015), acute pancreatitis (Kim et al, 2017), acute polyradiculoneuritis (Laws, Kathrani, Harcourt-Brown, Granger, & Rose, 2018), chronic kidney disease (Cortadellas, Fernandez del Palacio, Talavera, & Bayón, 2010;Galler et al, 2012;Gerber, Hässig, & Reusch, 2003 infectious diseases (Lalor et al, 2012;Rodriguez-Cortes et al, 2017;Rosa, Schoeman, Berry, Mellanby, & Dvir, 2013;. Although these studies do not prove a cause-effect relationship, they provide a basis for future studies to investigate possible positive effects of vitamin D supplementation on improving health status and reducing the risk of developing diseases.…”

Beyond the skeleton: the role of vitamin D in companion animal health

“…), Spirocerca lupi infections (Rosa et al . ), protein‐losing enteropathy (Mellanby et al . , Gow et al .…”