Breed-specific pro-inflammatory cytokine production as a predisposing factor for susceptibility to sepsis in the dog

Abstract

Objective : To determine whether 2 dog breeds with a high risk for parvoviral enteritis, a disease associated with sepsis, produce stronger pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to a stimulus than dogs with a lower risk. Design : Blinded comparison. Setting : University outpatient clinic. Animals : Healthy, unrelated, purebred Doberman Pinschers ( n =10) and Rottweilers ( n =9) with age-matched mixed-breed dogs ( n =7). Interventions : Heparinized, whole-blood samples were collected from each dog and incubated for 6 hours with lipopolysaccharide. Plasma was collected, and bioassays were used to determine the concentrations of TNF-Α and IL-6. The mean values obtained from the high-risk breeds were compared with the mean obtained from the mixed-breeds. Measurements and main results : The mean TNF-Α production from dogs with a high risk for parvoviral enteritis (1321±161 pg/mL; Doberman Pinscher and Rottweiler) was greater ( P <0.05) than that from lower risk, mixed-breed dogs (674±186 pg/mL). There were no differences in TNF-Α levels between Doberman (1128±247 pg/mL) and Rottweiler (1563±pg/mL) breeds or between any breeds with regard to IL-6 production. Conclusions : The magnitude of TNF-Α production by peripheral blood monocytes was the greatest in the dogs with breed-related risk for parvoviral enteritis. However, additional studies are needed to prove a causal relationship between high TNF and predilection for parvoviral enteritis. Regardless, breed appears to be a predisposing factor for variations in cytokine production that could impact the host response to infection and other inflammatory insults.