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Bone marrow mastocytosis in dogs with myelosuppressive monocytic ehrlichiosis ( Ehrlichia canis ): a retrospective study
Author(s) -
Mylonakis Mathios E.,
Koutinas Alex F.,
Leontides Leonidas S.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
veterinary clinical pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.537
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1939-165X
pISSN - 0275-6382
DOI - 10.1111/j.1939-165x.2006.tb00137.x
Subject(s) - bone marrow , medicine , pathology , ehrlichiosis , ehrlichia canis , hypoplasia , systemic mastocytosis , canis , immunology , biology , serology , paleontology , veterinary medicine , antibody , tick
Background: Bone marrow mastocytosis has been reported rarely in naturally occurring canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME). Objectives: The aims of the present study were to estimate the prevalence and magnitude of bone marrow mastocytosis in a case series of dogs with natural CME and to assess the association, if any, between mastocytosis and the clinical severity of the disease. Methods: Seventy‐six dogs with confirmed CME ( Ehrlichia canis ) were included in the study. Affected dogs were allocated into group A (n=51) without bone marrow hypoplasia and group B (n=25) with bone marrow hypoplasia. Twenty clinically healthy Beagles not previously exposed to E canis served as controls (group C). The main inclusion criteria for group A were documentation of normocellular to hypercellular bone marrow and complete clinical cure following a 4‐week treatment with doxycycline, while those for group B were bone marrow hypoplasia and lack of response to doxycycline. Bone marrow aspirate smears from all 96 dogs were Giemsa‐stained and examined for the presence of mast cells, which were calculated as a percentage of 1000 nucleated cells (NCs). The prevalence of mastocytosis was compared among the 3 groups by the Pearson's chi‐square test. Results: Bone marrow mastocytosis (>0.1% of NCs) was found in 5 (20%) dogs in group B (range, 0.5‐2.5% of NCs; median, 1% of NCs). One dog in each of groups A and C had 0.1% mast cells in the marrow. The prevalence of bone marrow mastocytosis in dogs in group B was significantly higher ( P = .004) than in groups A and C. Conclusion: Bone marrow mastocytosis can be seen in a substantial number of dogs with E canis –induced myelosuppression.