Histopathological findings and detection of Toll-like receptor 2 in cutaneous lesions of canine leishmaniosis

The objective of this descriptive study was to characterize and compare the inflammatory pattern, the Leishmania burden and expression of TLR2 in skin lesions derived from dogs with different clinical stages of leishmaniosis and cutaneous lesions. Routine histology, Leishmania and TLR2 immunohistochemistry assays were performed in 11 patients with papular dermatitis (stage I-mild disease) and 10 patients with other cutaneous lesions (stage II-III-moderate to severe disease). A significantly higher frequency of granuloma formation was demonstrated in skin samples of dogs with stage I when compared with dogs of stage II-III. Although not statistically significant, a trend for a lower parasite burden was observed for skin lesions of dogs with stage I when compared with dogs of stage II-III. A lower expression of TLR2 in skin biopsies from dogs with stage I was statistically significant compared with stage II-III. The results obtained in this study indicated an association with TLR2 in the pathogenesis of canine cutaneous leishmaniosis. Further studies are required to fully elucidate these findings.
Source: Veterinary Parasitology - Category: Veterinary Research Source Type: research