Serum levels of the chemokines keratinocyte chemoattractant and interleukin-8 in dogs naturally infected with Babesia canis canis

Canine babesiosis, caused by Babesia canis canis, is one of the commonest canine diseases in Croatia. It is known that systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), which is a hallmark of babesiosis, is regulated by the host production of several pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines that have been implicated as playing a critical role in the pathogenesis of the disease. In the course of larger research, serum concentrations of CXC chemokines keratinocyte chemoattractant (KC) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were determined. The aim of the present study was to determine serum chemokine concentrations and to compare values between healthy and dogs with babesiosis. An additional aim was to determine if KC and IL-8 serum concentrations are an important contributing factor in the development of complicated babesiosis, and whether they affect the outcome of the disease. The results suggest that a higher serum concentration of KC-like is connected with the severity of anemia, leukocytosis and development of a complicated form of babesiosis. The IL-8 concentration positively correlates with granulocyte-lymphocyte ratio. In addition concentration of both chemokines was higher in dogs with complicated babesiosis. Therefore, the concentration of the observed chemokines could be considered as an important factor in the pathogenesis of canine babesiosis.