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Cardiac involvement in canine babesiosis
1L Bryanston Veterinary Hospital, PO Box 67092, Bryanston, 2021 South Africa. rlobetti@mweb.co.za
Insights
Cardiac dysfunction is a significant complication of canine babesiosis, impacting myocardial health. Elevated cardiac troponin I levels correlate with disease severity, indicating heart muscle damage.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Cardiology
- Canine Infectious Diseases
- Myocardial Pathophysiology
Background:
- Cardiac dysfunction in canine babesiosis was historically considered rare.
- Recent research highlights the occurrence of cardiac lesions in affected dogs.
- Understanding cardiac involvement is crucial for managing canine babesiosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cardiac implications of canine babesiosis.
- To evaluate cardiac troponin I as a biomarker for myocardial injury.
- To assess the utility of electrocardiography (ECG) versus functional monitoring for cardiovascular assessment.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cardiac troponin I concentrations in relation to disease severity.
- Comparison of ECG findings with myocarditis and myocardial ischemia patterns.
- Histopathological examination of cardiac tissue from dogs deceased from babesiosis.
- Evaluation of cardiovascular assessment methods.
Main Results:
- Cardiac troponin I is a sensitive marker of myocardial injury, with elevated levels proportional to disease severity.
- ECG changes observed in babesiosis resemble those of myocarditis and ischemia.
- Histopathology revealed myocardial hemorrhage, necrosis, inflammation, and microthrombi.
- Functional monitoring is recommended over ECG for cardiovascular assessment due to limited clinical application of ECG.
Conclusions:
- Canine babesiosis involves significant myocardial damage, including inflammation and hypoxia.
- Myocardial injury can lead to left ventricular failure, hypotension, and plasma volume expansion.
- Cardiac troponin I is a valuable diagnostic marker for myocardial injury in canine babesiosis.
- Functional cardiovascular assessment is more clinically relevant than ECG in this condition.
Abstract:
Cardiac dysfunction in canine babesiosis has traditionally been regarded as a rare complication, with the majority of lesions reported as incidental findings at post-mortem examination. Recent studies have, however, demonstrated cardiac lesions in canine babesiosis. Cardiac troponins, especially troponin I, are sensitive markers of myocardial injury in canine babesiosis, and the magnitude of elevation of plasma troponin I concentrations appears to be proportional to the severity of the disease. ECG changes in babesiosis are similar to the pattern described for myocarditis and myocardial ischaemia and together with histopathological findings indicate that the heart suffers from the same pathological processes described in other organs in canine babesiosis, namely inflammation and hypoxia. The clinical application of the ECG appears to be limited and thus cardiovascular assessment should be based on functional monitoring rather than an ECG tracing. On cardiac histopathology from dogs that succumbed to babesiosis, haemorrhage, necrosis, inflammation and fibrin microthrombi in the myocardium were documented, all of which would have resulted in ECG changes and elevations in cardiac troponin. Myocardial damage causes left ventricular failure, which will result in hypotension and an expansion of the plasma volume due to homeostatic mechanisms.
