Hematological Analysis of ICH

Canine Diseases

• Rabies:

  • Acute fatal encephalitis affecting warm-blooded mammals, prevalent in carnivores.
  • Transmitted via saliva of infected animals.
  • Characterized by altered behavior, motor irritation (mania), inability to swallow, and progressive ascending paralysis leading to death.
  • Etiology includes neurotropic lyssa virus (Rhabdoviridae), street viruses, and fixed viruses (Flury strain used for vaccines).
  • Sensitive to disinfectants (formalin, cresol).
  • Inactivated by desiccation, sunlight, and boiling.
  • Street viruses recovered from natural cases, producing Negri bodies and having longer (20-60 days) incubation periods.
  • Fixed viruses prepared in labs from rabbit cultures, do not produce Negri bodies.
  • Geographic distribution worldwide but endemic in Africa (including Egypt).
  • Transmission via saliva, existing indefinitely in some animals.
  • Infection mode by bite or wound contamination.
  • Pathogenesis involves virus entering the CNS, traveling via afferent fibers, and affecting nerve endings and the salivary gland.
  • Clinical symptoms include incubation period (3-8 weeks), prodromal phase (behavior change, fever), excitative phase (aggression, hydrophobia), and paralytic phase (paralysis, coma).
  • Diagnosis: history of bite or contact with rabid animal, Negri bodies detection, and virus identification.
  • Treatment: no treatment after sign onset. Immediate wound irrigation beneficial.
  • Control: destroy rabid animals; muzzle, license, and vaccinate other dogs.

• Canine Distemper:

  • Acute to subacute contagious viral disease affecting carnivores (primarily dogs and foxes).
  • Characterized by diphasic fever, conjunctivitis, bronchitis, gastroenteritis, and nervous signs; also hardens pads on nose.
  • Etiology: Morbillivirus (paramyxoviridae), similar to measles, rinderpest.
  • Epidemiology: Worldwide distribution, endemic in Egypt. High infection rates, high subclinical infection.
  • Susceptibility: especially young puppies (3-6 months) due to lack of maternal antibodies, and immunocompromised adults. Immunosuppression, poor feeding, debility, Vit A deficiency & parasitism, increase risk.
  • Transmission primarily via aerosol inhalation, contact with contaminated objects, and by mechanical transmission by insects.
  • Pathogenesis follows virus entering local lymphatic tissue which then spreads to systemic lymph tissue.
  • Clinical signs: Subacute period (2-9 days), systemic manifestations (fever, anorexia, depression, respiratory signs, oculo-nasal discharges), neurological signs, transplacental transmission, neonatal signs, ocular involvement.
  • Diagnosis: cell culture, virus detection, serological testing.
  • Treatment: symptomatic support, supportive care, and antibiotic treatment should be based on bacterial infections.
  • Control: isolation and treatment, disinfection of kennels, vaccination (modified live vaccine).

• Infectious Canine Hepatitis:

  • Highly contagious viral disease affecting primarily dogs' livers.
  • Characterized by fever, depression, vomiting, diarrhea, inappetence, abdominal pain, jaundice, conjunctivitis, and prolonged bleeding time.
  • Etiology: Canine adenovirus type 1 (CAV-1), nonenveloped double-stranded DNA virus. Antigenically related only to CAV-2 (infectious canine tracheobronchitis cause).
  • Epidemiology: Worldwide distribution, but not reported in Egypt. Dog susceptibility is high for all ages, dogs less than one year are more susceptible, some adults become subclinically infected.
  • Transmission: ingestion of infected material (urine, saliva, feces), contamination, inhalation.
  • Pathogenesis: virus enters via oral route, multiplies in tonsils, spreads to lymph nodes, viremia. Travels to many organs (liver, kidneys, endothelial cells).
  • Clinical signs: vary in severity, peracute (sudden death), acute (diarrhea, vomiting).
  • Diagnosis: history, clinical presentation (bleeding time, liver), laboratory tests (isolation, identification, serological tests) and histopathological tests.
  • Treatment: symptomatic and supportive care.
  • Control: proper hygiene, isolation, and vaccination using live attenuated or inactivated vaccine.

• Canine Parvovirus Enteritis:

  • Highly contagious viral disease affecting puppies, causing severe gastrointestinal illness.
  • Characterized by pyrexia, anorexia, vomiting, depression, dehydration, hemorrhagic enteritis, dysentery (sometimes resulting in death due to myocarditis).
  • Epidemiology: Worldwide distribution with significant presence reported in Egypt. Susceptible dogs are domestic, wild canines (dogs, foxes, and wolves) of any age, but primarily puppies (6-16 weeks old).
  • Etiology: Canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2). Single-stranded DNA virus. Stable, resistant to many disinfectants, and related to feline panleukopenia virus.
  • Transmission: primarily via fecal-oral route, spread by ingestion and contact; infected dogs continue shedding virus for months post-recovery. Oro-nasal and in-utero spread is possible.
  • Pathogenesis: virus follows oro-nasal or direct contact route. Multiples in the throat, travels in the bloodstream to the intestinal crypts.
  • Clinical signs: intestinal form common (6 wks-9 mths), myocardial form less common (in infected uterus puppies), clinical signs (fever, lethargy, vomiting diarrhea, dehydration).
  • Diagnosis: viral detection in feces, serological test (antibody detection), histopathological examination (intestine tissue).
  • Treatment: symptomatic and supportive care including fluids, antibiotics, and electrolytes.
  • Prevention: isolation, hygiene (disinfectant), vaccinating pregnant bitches (canine puppies to have immunity).

• Canine Coronavirus & Rotavirus Enteritis:

  • Viral disease caused by coronavirus or rotavirus leading to enteritis and diarrhea.
  • Epidemiology: Worldwide presence, not reported in Egypt.
  • Etiology: Canine coronavirus (CCV) - small RNA virus; Canine rotavirus (CRV) - Reoviridae family.
  • Transmission: through fecal-oral route due to infected dogs shedding virus in feces long term post recovery.
  • Pathogenesis: virus invasion of intestinal villi, followed by degeneration of the epithelium and subsequent diarrhea.
  • Clinical signs: varies in severity in coronavirus form (mild), rotavirus form (subclinical to mild), and includes anorexia, diarrhea (sometimes watery and bloody), depression, and dehydration.
  • Diagnosis: diagnosis using serological tests and detection of the specific viral agents in feces or intestinal contents.
  • Treatment: supportive care (electrolytes, fluids).
  • Control: isolate and treat infected dogs; maintain proper hygiene in kennels, and using inactivated vaccines can used to control CCV.

• Infectious Canine Tracheobronchitis:

  • Collection of contagious infections affecting canine respiratory tract.
  • Characterized by acute tracheobronchitis. Sudden onset of paroxysmal cough, usually lasting days.
  • Etiology: various pathogens with the two most commonly identified being canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV) and bordetella bronchiseptica, occasionally including canine adenoviruses (especially CAV-2), canine herpesvirus, reoviruses (types 1, 2 & 3)., and mycoplasmas.
  • Epidemiology: worldwide distribution, affects all ages, predisposing factors include weaning, bad weather, overcrowding, and immunosuppression.
  • Transmission: infected dogs shed the virus only one week after recovery.
  • Pathogenesis: virus multiplies in the nasal mucosa, trachea, bronchial tubes, and peri-bronchial lymph nodes.
  • Clinical signs: typically include a dry hacking cough often followed by vomiting, and sometimes also associated with rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and mild clinical signs may also be noted. Complicated forms (especially in puppies) may lead to bacterial bronchopneumonia .
  • Diagnosis: isolating causative agents (viral and bacterial cultures), serological testing, and histopathological examinations.
  • Treatment: based on bacterial sensitivity testing; antibiotics and antitussives, sometimes inhaled corticosteroids; supportive care, fluid therapy, and isolation.
  • Control: proper hygiene, quarantine of infected dogs, disinfection of facilities, vaccination (bivalent vaccine), and minimizing population density.

• Canine Herpesvirus:

  • Acute fatal viral disease mainly targeting young puppies.
  • Characterized by sudden death, dyspnea, rhinitis, serous/mucopurulent nasal discharges, meningoencephalitis, and conjunctivitis.
  • Epidemiology: worldwide, including Egypt. Affects especially 9-14 days old; can also affect older dogs; infection can happen in utero or during the first month of life.
  • Transmission: infected dogs/animals through feces, urine, body fluids for 2 weeks after infection.
  • Pathogenesis involves virus multiplication in nasal tissues, then viremia, dissemination through macrophages, localized infection in various organs, including the brain and placenta.
  • Clinical signs rapid course (4-6 days).
  • Diagnosis via detecting virus, isolation of virus using a variety of diagnostic techniques, including serology, histopathology
  • Treatment: Usually unsuccessful due to high mortality. Isolation, humidity control, supportive care, and (occasionally) immune serum from recovered bitches.
  • Control: isolation of infected pregnant/nursing bitches for three weeks before birth; keep puppies in incubators (or similar controlled environment), clean kennels and other facilities; vaccination (not fully tested or reliable).

• Canine Infectious Diarrhea:

  • Acute disease in dogs, showing signs of enteritis or gastroenteritis including diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and death.
  • Multiple etiological causes, including viruses (coronavirus, rotavirus, parvovirus type 2, other adenoviruses; CAV-1,CAV-2 and calicivirus), bacteria (campylobacter jejuni, pathogenic E. coli, salmonella spp. & Clostridia) and protozoa (coccidia & giardia) and helminthes.
  • Epidemiology: worldwide, affects all ages, with a high proportion of sub-clinical cases.
  • Transmission: fecal-oral (via contaminated water, food, or direct contact).
  • Pathogenesis: involves the multiplication and spread of multiple agents to the intestines where they cause inflammatory changes.
  • Clinical signs: vary in severity (e.g. apparently self-limiting to severe infection resulting in electrolyte imbalance, rapid collapse and/or death).
  • Diagnosis: historical data, laboratory tests, identifying causative agents in the lab.
  • Treatment: supportive care, fluid therapy, antibiotics (where needed).
  • Prevention: improve hygiene, isolation, and vaccination (if specific agent known).