IMMUNOGRAMA INDICATORS IN TOXOPLASMOSIS-SEROPOSITIVE AND SERONEGATIVE CATS WITH ATOPIC DERMATITIS
Keywords:
Atopic skin syndrome in cats, FASS, Toxoplasma gondii, infectious agents, immunograms, autoimmune diseases.Abstract
Scientific studies indicate the absence of a single diagnostic test that could reliably diagnose atopy in cats. The question of infectious agents as factors in the occurrence and exacerbation of atopic dermatitis is debatable in the scientific literature. One of such pathogens is Toxoplasma gondii. The study aimed to determine the differences in immunogram parameters between seropositive and seronegative to toxoplasmosis cats with atopic dermatitis, which will provide an opportunity to adjust therapeutic approaches when conducting treatment protocols. The study involved cats (n=14) with a diagnosis of "atopic dermatitis". Stabilized blood was used for the study. It was collected from the subcutaneous vein of the forearm. After laboratory tests of blood parameters, the cats were divided into two groups, depending on the presence of anti-toxoplasmosis antibody titers in the blood serum. Analysis of the obtained data showed that in the group of seropositive to toxoplasmosis cats with atopic dermatitis, the absolute number of leukocytes was significantly (p<0.05) higher by 2.89 G/l (30%). The assessment of the absolute number of the population of granular leukocytes showed that in the first group the number of monocytes was significantly (p<0.05) twice as high and the number of neutrophils – by 27% (p<0.05). The higher number of neutrophils in the first group of cats was also reflected in the ability of these cells to phagocytosis, which was also higher by 31%. The absolute number of lymphocytes was also 27% higher in the first group (p<0.05). The population of T-lymphocytes had a smaller difference in absolute number between the groups compared to granulocytes. At the same time, the difference in the number between the groups of T-lymphocyte subpopulations was not the same. There was practically no difference between the absolute number of natural killer lymphocytes, which belong to innate cellular immunity. When assessing the degree of lymphocyte sensitization to neuroantigen and adrenaline, a higher sensitization to neuroantigen was found in the group of cats that were seropositive for toxoplasmosis. Therefore, antigenic irritation by Toxoplasma of the body of cats with atopic dermatitis is accompanied by an increase in the population of immunocompetent cells and their activity.
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