Acute Phase Proteins in Dogs with Natural Infection by Trypanosoma cruzi .

Acute phase proteins have been used as tools for the diagnosis, monitoring, and prognosis of several diseases in domestic animals. However, the dynamics of these proteins in infection by , the causative agent of Chagas disease in dogs, is still unknown. The aim of this study was to determine concentrations of acute phase proteins (C-reactive protein, haptoglobin, ferritin and paraoxonase-1) in dogs in a coastal town of Ecuador, with natural infection with or without seroreactivity of , , , , and . For the detection of serum antibodies, two different antigen-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests were implemented. For the detection of seroreactivity of , , , , and , an IDEXX SNAP 4Dx test was used. To determine the concentration of C-reactive protein and ferritin, an immunoturbidimetric assay was used; haptoglobin concentration was measured using a commercial colorimetric method validated in dogs; a spectrophotometric method was used to determine the serum concentration of paraoxonase-1. Results showed a reduction in the serum levels of paraoxonase-1 in -seroreactive dogs, either with or without seroreactivity to other vector-borne diseases. A serum ferritin increment was observed in -seroreactive dogs with seroreactivity to any other vector-borne diseases. Our findings suggest that paraoxonase-1 levels are reduced in -seroreactive dogs without evident clinical signs of Chagas disease, despite their seroreactivity to the other vector-borne diseases studied. These findings could indicate an oxidative stress response in -seroreactive dogs with no evident signs of inflammation.