Badania laboratoryjne w diagnostyce chorób układu pokarmowego u psów i kotów. Cz. I

Laboratory testing for gastrointestinal diseases in dogs and cats. Part I

Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases in dogs and cats are common. They pose a diagnostic challenge for the clinician due to their non-specific and overlapping clinical signs. Several specialized laboratory procedures are available for the diagnostic workup of patients with signs of gastrointestinal disease. These tests include serum markers of gastrointestinal function and inflammation, and the analysis of samples for infectious agents. These tests are useful to diagnose diagnosis disease and assess severity, and can be used before proceeding to more invasive test procedures. An initial database for GI disease assessment consists of hematology, serum biochemistry, and urinalysis. This may allow the exclusion of systemic and metabolic disorders, and the assessment of hydration status. Furthermore, testing serum T4 concentrations and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) status should also be performed in cats with chronic signs of gastrointestinal disease.

Diagnostic imaging (i.e., ultrasonography and radiography) should be considered for evaluation of patients for obstructions or neoplasia. Endoscopic examination of the gastrointestinal tract is provides information about macroscopic lesions and allows assessment of histological changes of the mucosa. However, histological interpretation of biopsy specimens can be highly variable between individual pathologists (1).

Detection of bacterial pathogens

Specific enteropathogens (e.g., Clostridium perfringens, C. difficile, Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Campylobacter spp.,) are potential causes of gastrointestinal disease in dogs and cats. However, most of these enteropathogens are also commensals in the GI tract, and because they are typically isolated at similar frequencies from diseased and non-diarrheic animals, the clinical interpretation is often difficult. Therefore, testing for the presence of ...