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Volume 12, Number 12—December 2006
Dispatch

Febrile Illness Associated with Rickettsia conorii Infection in Dogs from Sicily

Laia Solano-Gallego*Comments to Author , Linda Kidd†, Michele Trotta*, Marco Di Marco‡, Marco Caldin*, Tommaso Furlanello*, and Edward B. Breitschwerdt†
Author affiliations: *Clinica e Laboratorio Veterinario Privato "San Marco," Padova, Italy; †North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; ‡Clinica Veterinaria, Catania, Italy

Main Article

Table 1

Clinical and laboratory data at the time of initial and follow-up examinations in 3 dogs with serologic and molecular evidence of natural Rickettsia conorii infection*

Date of evaluation, 2005 Physical examination abnormalities Hematologic, biochemical, and serum electrophoresis abnormalities† Rickettsia (16S and ompA gene) PCR
Dog 1
May 31‡§ Fever (40.1°C), tachycardia, mildly enlarged right popliteal lymph node, blepharitis, hunched posture, stiff gait Left shift neutrophilia (segmented 11,700; bands: 468) and thrombocytopenia (112). ALT (112), hypoproteinemia (5.0) and hypoalbuminemia (40.4). α2- (16.5) and β1-globulins (13.9)¶ Positive
Jun 8 No abnormalities Mature neutrophilia (16,400); hyperglobulinemia (4.3); CRP (2.31); GGT (10.4); α2- (18.5), γ-globulins (23.3); hypoalbuminemia (40.9) Negative
Aug 8 No abnormalities No abnormalities Negative
Dog 2
Sep 19‡§ Fever (41°C), ptyalism, joint pain, lameness in right rear limb Microcytic-hyperchromic anemia (MCHC 63.7; MCV 56; Hct 25.3); mature neutrophilia (11,680)¶ Positive
Sep 28 No abnormalities Hyperglobulinemia (4.3);­ CRP (0.64); α2- (17.5), and γ-globulin (24.6); hypoalbuminemia (41.1) Negative
Oct 25 No abnormalities No abnormalities Negative
Dog 3
Sep 17§# Fever (41°C), abdominal pain, dehydration, peripheral lymphadenomegaly (popliteal and prescapular lymph nodes), conjunctivitis Thrombocytopenia (69); hypoproteinemia (5.3); hypoalbuminemia (28.6); α2- (14.8), β1- (13.0), β2- (15.6), γ-globulins (23.0)¶ Positive
Sep 23‡ No abnormalities Lymphocytosis (5,594); hyperglobulinemia (4.1); CRP (2.7); BUN (75); α2-globulin (19.3); hypoalbuminemia (44.9) Negative
Oct 25 No abnormalities ↑BUN (54) Negative

*ALT, alanine aminotransferase; CRP, C-reactive protein; GGT, γ-glutamyl transferase; MCHC, mean cell hemoglobin concentration; MCV, mean cell volume; Hct, hematocrit; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; ↑­, increase.
†Reference interval: Hct 38.6%–54.5%; MCV 61–72 fL; MCHC 34–38 g/dL; segmented neutrophils 3,800–8,800/μL; bands neutrophils 0–300/μL; lymphocytes 1,300–4,100/μL; platelets 160–440 × 103/μL); total protein 5.5–7.5 g/dL; globulins 2.6–4.0 g/dL; albumin 53%–65%; α2-globulins 8.0%–14.0%; β1-globulins 2.0%–5.0%; β2-globulins 3.0%–9.0 %; γ-globulins 6.0%–15.0%); BUN 18–43 mg/dL; CRP 0.0–0.15 mg/dL; ALT 15–65 IU/L; GGT 2.0–8.0 IU/L.
‡Treatment with doxycycline (10 mg/kg/once a day by mouth/1 month) was started.
§Intravenous fluids were administered.
¶CRP was not measured.
#Treatment with ceftriaxone (30 mg/kg/twice a day intravenously/for 5 days) was started.

*ALT, alanine aminotransferase; CRP, C-reactive protein; GGT, γ-glutamyl transferase; MCHC, mean cell hemoglobin concentration; MCV, mean cell volume; Hct, hematocrit; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; ↑­, increase.
†Reference interval: Hct 38.6%–54.5%; MCV 61–72 fL; MCHC 34–38 g/dL; segmented neutrophils 3,800–8,800/μL; bands neutrophils 0–300/μL; lymphocytes 1,300–4,100/μL; platelets 160–440 × 103/μL); total protein 5.5–7.5 g/dL; globulins 2.6–4.0 g/dL; albumin 53%–65%; α2-globulins 8.0%–14.0%; β1-globulins 2.0%–5.0%; β2-globulins 3.0%–9.0 %; γ-globulins 6.0%–15.0%); BUN 18–43 mg/dL; CRP 0.0–0.15 mg/dL; ALT 15–65 IU/L; GGT 2.0–8.0 IU/L.
‡Treatment with doxycycline (10 mg/kg/once a day by mouth/1 month) was started.
§Intravenous fluids were administered.
¶CRP was not measured.
#Treatment with ceftriaxone (30 mg/kg/twice a day intravenously/for 5 days) was started.

Main Article

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Page updated: October 04, 2011
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