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. 2024 May 23;11(6):234.
doi: 10.3390/vetsci11060234.

Canine Amniotic Fluid at Birth Holds Information about Neonatal Antibody Titres against Core Vaccine Viruses

Debora Groppetti  1 , Alessandro Pecile  1 , Joel Filipe  1 , Federica Riva  1 , Alessia Inglesi  1 , Pietro Andrea Kuhn  1 , Elisa Giussani  1 , Paola Dall'Ara  1
Affiliations

Canine Amniotic Fluid at Birth Holds Information about Neonatal Antibody Titres against Core Vaccine Viruses

Debora Groppetti et al. Vet Sci. .

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the composition of amniotic fluid (AF) in both humans and animals. In addition to its nutritional and protective functions for the foetus, current knowledge demonstrates that AF also serves advanced diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic roles. Newborn dogs have an underdeveloped immune system, making them highly susceptible to dangerous pathogens such as canine parvovirus (CPV-2), canine infectious hepatitis virus (CAdV-1), and canine distemper virus (CDV), thus exposing them to a high risk of mortality in the first weeks of life. Immunoglobulins G (IgGs) represent the only antibody isotype capable of crossing the placenta in a small amount and have been detected also in canine AF. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the reliability of AF collected at birth as a marker of passive immunity in canine species. For this purpose, total and specific IgGs against CPV-2, CAdV-1, and CDV were investigated and quantified in both maternal plasma and AF collected at the time of caesarean section. The vaccination status of the bitches was also taken into consideration. Since the immune system can be influenced by gestational age, with preterm infants having immature innate and adaptive immunity, IgG concentrations were correlated with amniotic lecithin, sphingomyelin, cortisol, surfactant protein A, and pentraxin 3 levels. In a previous study from our group on foetal maturity these molecules were measured in the same samples. Finally, correlations between their amniotic content and neonatal outcomes were investigated. This study demonstrates that AF analysis at birth can provide valuable insights into neonatal immunity in puppies, offering a non-invasive method to detect potential early health risks, for improved puppy care and management.

Keywords: amniotic fluid; distemper; dog; hepatitis; immunoglobulins; parvovirus.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Influence of regular (n = 4) or irregular (n = 6) vaccination on IgG concentration and titres in maternal blood.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Influence of regular (n = 20) or irregular (n = 43) vaccination on IgG concentration and titres in the amniotic fluid.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Comparison of amniotic antibody titres against CPV-2, CAdV-1, and CDV between dams with high and low antibody titres.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Comparison of total IgG titres in AF between male (n = 34) and female (n = 29) puppies.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Different expression of AF molecules between healthy (n = 37) and pathological (n = 18) puppies.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Specific and total IgG titres in healthy (n= 37) and pathological (n = 18) puppies.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Vaccination of the dams and health status of the puppies.
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