Hematological changes in canine leptospirosis

Abstract

Hematological changes were analyzed in dogs naturally infected with Leptospira interrogans and grouped according to clinical manifestations. Group I was composed by 59 uremic and icteric dogs reagent to serovar icterohaemorrhagiae and/or copenhageni; group II by 12 non-icteric but uremic dogs, most of them reagent to serovar canicola and finally, group III composed by 10 assymptomatic dogs that were in contact with the former dogs, from which was isolated the etiologic agent or that presented antiIeptospira agglutinins in high titers. Leukocyt osis due to neutrophilia and monocytosis of same magnitude was observed in both group I and II whereas no hematological changes were noted in group III. Although the most usual response has been the one mentioned above, leukopenia and neutropenia were observed in some animals at the beginning of the disease. The leukocytosis is due to polysystemic manifestations of renal failure and uremia caused by kidney localization of leptospires. In none instance, quantitative or morphologic alterations of red blood cells that could suggest hemolytic anemia were observed.