Abstract:
Bacterial translocation from the damaged intestinal tract, reported in canine parvoviral
(CPV) enteritis, is thought to be responsible for the systemic inflammatory response
resulting from coliform septicemia, which could ultimately progress to septic shock
and death. Alterations in platelet indices, specifically mean platelet volume (MPV), is a
consistent finding in critically ill people and dogs with and without sepsis. Increased
MPV has been reported to be an indirect indicator of platelet activation and of bone
marrow response in people and dogs with sepsis. The study aim was to compare
admission MPV and platelet volume distribution width (PVDW) in dogs with CPV enteritis
to that of healthy aged-matched control dogs. Forty-eight dogs with CPV enteritis and
18 healthy age matched control dogs were included. CPV infection was confirmed with
electron microscopy and concurrent blood-borne infections were excluded using PCR.
EDTA whole blood samples were analyzed on an automated cell counter, ADVIA 2120,
within 30-60min from collection. There was no significant difference for platelet count
between the groups. The MPV for CPV infected dogs (median: 14.0; IQR: 12.2–15.1)
was significantly higher compared to controls (11.3; IQR: 10.3–13.1, P = 0.002). The
PVDW for CPV infected dogs (66.9; IQR: 64.2–68.8) was significantly higher compared
to controls (63.3; IQR: 60.2–65.1, P < 0.001). These findings suggest that significant
platelet activation is present in dogs with CPV enteritis which may play a role in the
disease outcome, similar to people with sepsis. Further studies are required to investigate
the prognosticating ability of MPV in dogs with CPV enteritis.