Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia -- four cases and a literature review

• Published in: Journal of small animal practice 2004-10, Vol.45 (10), p.507-514
• Main Authors: Lachowicz, J.L, Post, G.S, Moroff, S.D, Mooney, S.C
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; blood platelet count; Borrelia burgdorferi; Borrelia burgdorferi - drug effects; Borrelia burgdorferi - growth & development; case studies; cyclophosphamide; disease diagnosis; dog diseases; Dog Diseases - drug therapy; Dog Diseases - etiology; Dog Diseases - immunology; Dog Diseases - microbiology; Dogs; drug therapy; Ehrlichia canis; Ehrlichia canis - drug effects; Ehrlichia canis - growth & development; ehrlichiosis; Ehrlichiosis - complications; Ehrlichiosis - veterinary; etiology; Female; hyperplasia; immunologic diseases; Lyme disease; Lyme Disease - complications; Lyme Disease - veterinary; Male; megakaryocytes; prednisone; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - drug therapy; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - immunology; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - microbiology; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic - veterinary; tetracycline; thrombocytopenia; Thrombocytopenia - drug therapy; Thrombocytopenia - immunology; Thrombocytopenia - microbiology; Thrombocytopenia - veterinary; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 0022-4510; 1748-5827
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-5827.2004.tb00197.x

Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenia was diagnosed in four dogs. Initial platelet counts in all four dogs were less than 50,000×109/litre and initial bone marrow examinations revealed megakaryocytic hypoplasia with minimal changes in the erythroid and myeloid cell lines. Two dogs had evidence of idiopathic immune‐mediated disease and two dogs had evidence of associated infectious disease. One dog had a positive antibody titre to Borrelia burgdorferi, and one dog had positive titres to both Ehrlichia canis and B burgdorferi. Treatment consisted of prednisone and cyclophosphamide for the dogs with presumptive immune‐mediated disease, and prednisone and tetracycline for the dogs with positive antibody titres to the infectious organisms. Both dogs with evidence of associated infectious disease responded to treatment. A postmortem examination did not reveal the underlying aetiology in the two dogs with presumptive idiopathic immune‐mediated disease.