Clinical and Clinico-Pathological Observations of the Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate in Dogs Affected by Leishmaniosis and Other Inflammatory Diseases

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) has been increasingly used in canine medicine to assess inflammation levels. In this study, the ESR was compared to several inflammatory and immune response markers, typically investigated in dogs with canine leishmaniasis (CanL) and in dogs affected by other inflammatory conditions. Three groups of dogs were included in the study: CanL affected dogs without clinical signs (INFECTED, #25) or with clinical signs (SICK, #43), and dogs affected by acute or acute-on-chronic conditions (OTHER DISEASE, #65). The ESR and several inflammatory (i.e., C reactive protein, fibrinogen, haptoglobin, and ferritin,) or immunological parameters (i.e., total proteins, gamma-globulins, IgG, and IgM) were compared between groups and correlated. The ESR was statistically higher in the SICK group and in the OTHER DISEASE group than in the INFECTED group. ESR values may therefore help to stage the severity of CanL. In addition, as a point-of-care assay, the ESR could be used to screen the health status of dogs with its values being related to the severity of any disease.