Pulmonary Abnormalities in Dogs with Leptospirosis

Abstract

Background: Leptospirosis in dogs is a multiorgan disease affecting mostly kidneys and liver. Objectives: The objective was to characterize prevalence, clinical, and radiological features and outcome of dogs with leptospirosis and pulmonary abnormalities. Animals: Fifty dogs with leptospirosis. Methods: Medical records of dogs diagnosed with leptospirosis at the Small Animal Clinic, Berlin, were reviewed. Diagnosis was based on microscopic agglutination test, blood or urine polymerase chain reaction, and histopathology. Based on clinical and/or radiological signs, patients were grouped into dogs with lung abnormalities (group 1) or without (group 2). Severity of respiratory distress was scored as mild to moderate (grade 1) or severe (grade 2). Thoracic radiographs were scored based on pulmonary changes and location as grade 1 (caudal interstitial pattern), 2 (generalized mild to moderate reticulonodular interstitial pattern), or 3 (generalized severe reticulonodular interstitial pattern with patchy alveolar consolidations). Results of CBC and biochemistry were compared between groups. Results: Thirty‐five dogs had radiological pulmonary changes (grade 1: 5; grade 2: 14; grade 3: 16); 31 of them had pulmonary distress (grade 1: 13, grade 2: 18). Sixty‐seven percent of the dogs with dyspnea grade 2 were mainly euthanized because of respiratory distress. Fifteen percent of the dogs with dyspnea grade 1 and 21% without clinical respiratory signs were euthanized because of acute renal failure or sepsis. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: In 70% of dogs with leptospirosis pulmonary changes were detected. Lung involvement represented a severe complication causing increased case fatality depending on the severity of respiratory distress.

Immunohistochemical detection of IgM and IgG in lung tissue of dogs with leptospiral pulmonary haemorrhage syndrome (LPHS)

“…Leptospiral pulmonary haemorrhage syndrome (LPHS) is a severe form of leptospirosis which is increasingly recognised in both animals and humans [6,32]. LPHS is associated with high mortality rates in all affected species [33].…”

“…In the past 20 years, leptospiral pulmonary haemorrhage syndrome (LPHS) has emerged as a severe and often lethal complication of acute leptospirosis in many species including humans [1], dogs [2,3] and horses [4]. Patients with LPHS develop intra-alveolar pulmonary haemorrhage, which can rapidly lead to respiratory failure [5,6]. Previous studies into the pathogenic mechanisms of LPHS have focused on the role of coagulation disorders such as thrombocytopenia and disseminated intravascular coagulation [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15], vasculitis [16][17][18], soluble factors derived from Leptospira species [19][20][21] and immune-mediated mechanisms [9,22,23].…”

Aspectos anatomopatológicos da leptospirose em cães: 53 casos (1965-2011)

“…Em humanos, a verdadeira incidência do envolvimento pulmonar na leptospirose não é conhecida, mas lesões pulmonares são descritas em 20%-70% dos casos (O'Neil et al 1991, Tattevin et al 2005, Dolhnikoff et al 2007. Embora não haja dados de prevalência sobre lesão pulmonar na leptospirose em cães, manifestação clínica foi recentemente descrita em 70% dos casos (Kohn et al 2010) e é considerada comum em parte da Europa (Sykes et al 2011), demonstrando que além de síndrome hepatorrenal, leptospirose é também uma doença pulmonar importante para essa espécie, embora não haja sequer uma citação sobre lesão pulmonar nos capítulos referente ao sistema respiratório dos dois mais célebres livros de patologia veterinária (Caswell & Williams 2007, López 2007.…”

“…Por muitos anos, hemorragia pulmonar foi a única lesão histológica reconhecida para a doença nessa espécie (Birnbaum et al 1998), entretanto, recentemente (Kohn et al 2010), deposição de ϐibrina intra-alveolar também foi descrita. Esses achados, em conjunto com edema, foram as lesões mais frequentemente encontradas por nós.…”

Unusual clinical presentation of leptospirosis in a cat

“…It was may be linked to vasculitis or pulmonary hemorrhage, described in cases of clinical leptospirosis in dogs and humans. Pulmonary impairment is moreover a worse prognostic factor in these two species, with a correlation between its intensity and the mortality rate [18]. The pulmonary lesions are partly related in the dog to immune complex deposits [19].…”