High incidence of anti-cytokine autoantibodies in dogs with immune diseases suggests important immuno-regulatory functions.

Autoantibodies against cytokines have been associated with immunodeficiency, susceptibility to infectious diseases, autoimmunity and inflammation in humans, but have not yet been investigated in the Veterinary field so far. The aim of the current study was to determine the presence of anti-cytokine autoantibodies in canines suffering from various conditions including recurrent infections, autoimmune diseases and cancer in comparison to healthy controls. This is the first report of the presence of autoantibodies against cytokines in dogs. A total of 101 serum samples (51 patients and 50 clinically healthy dogs) from the state of Mexico and surroundings were analysed using a multiplex bead-based flow cytometry assay. Results show significant levels of various anti-cytokine autoantibodies in diseased dogs but not in healthy controls. In addition we show distinct associations of various disease types to the specificity of anti-cytokine autoantibodies and to response complexities. Apart from the direct functional/causal implication of anti-cytokine auto-antibodies on disease processes, this findings point to the possibility to use anti-cytokine response patterns as diagnostic tools.

[Identification of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus using histopathological, immunohistochemica, and ultrastructural examination of tissues from seropositive goats in Mexico]. / Identificación del virus de la artritis encefalitis caprina mediante el estudio histopatológico, inmunohistoquímico y ultraestructural, en tejidos de cabras seropositivas en México.

This study demonstrated the presence of viral particles suggestive of arthritis-encephalitis virus through the clinic, serologic, pathologic, immunohistochemic and ultrastructural studies in dairy goats. In the postmortem studies the tissues used were: synovial membrane, lungs and mammary gland from goats with clinical signs characteristic of the disease and positive for serum antibodies to the virus.