title: Butyrylcholinesterase as a marker of inflammation and liver injury in the acute and subclinical phases of canine ehrlichiosis.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) as a marker of inflammation and liver injury in the acute and subclinical phases of canine ehrlichiosis. Forty-two serum samples of dogs naturally infected with Ehrlichia canis were used, of which 24 were from animals with the acute phase of the disease and 18 with subclinical disease. In addition, sera from 17 healthy dogs were used as negative controls. The hematocrit, BChE activity, hepatic injury (alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)), nitric oxide, and cytokines levels were evaluated. The BChE activity was significantly elevated (P<0.05) in dogs with the acute phase of the disease when compared to healthy animals. However, there was a reduction on BChE activity on dogs with subclinical disease compared to the other two groups. AST and ALT levels were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the acute phase, as well as the inflammatory mediators (NOx, TNF-α, INF-γ, IL-4, IL-6) when compared to the control group. On the other hand, IL-10 levels were lower in the acute phase. Based on these results, we are able to conclude that the acute infection caused by E. canis in dogs leads to an increase on seric BChE activity and some inflammatory mediators. Therefore, this enzyme might be used as a marker of acute inflammatory response in dogs naturally infected by this bacterium.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Guilherme M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: do Carmo
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinic and Surgery, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil; Department of Veterinary Clinic and Surgery, Universidade de Franca, Franca, SP, Brazil. Electronic address: crivellenti_lz@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Leandro Z
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Crivellenti
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nathieli B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Bottari
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinic and Surgery, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sofia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Borin-Crivellenti
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analysis, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Moresco
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Farmacologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Thiago
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Universidade Luteranda do Brasil-ULBRA, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinic and Surgery, Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mirela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tinucci-Costa
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vera M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Morsch
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Bioquímica Toxicológica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Rosa C
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Schetinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Chapecó, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lenita M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Stefani
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Chapecó, SC, Brazil. Electronic address: dasilva.aleksandro@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aleksandro S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Da Silva
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D058345:Asymptomatic Infections; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase / Q000097:blood*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology*; D004285:Dogs; D041061:Ehrlichia canis; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000201:enzymology; D008099:Liver / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase
keywords: BChE; Ehrlichia canis; Inflammation marker